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Andrew’s Evangelism (John 1:40-41)

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

(40) One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. (41) He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. (John 1:40-41)

Explanation

Here we are given the name of one of those two disciples, Andrew. He was one of the 12. He is known in the scripture for bringing people to Jesus. We see that he does that here.

He experiences Jesus, and is convinced of his position as Messiah. He then goes and finds someone he loves, in this case Simon, and declares the good news to him. 

We see faith exhibited here. Andrew believes that Jesus is the Christ strongly enough to take that position with Simon.

We see the idea of going here as well. He didn’t stay silent with that good news. He went and told someone that He loved about it.

Application

Let’s not complicate our spiritual lives and our spiritual responsibilities. We who believe that Jesus is the Christ, once we have experienced Him, should share this good news of who He is with others. A good starting place may well be with our family who we have influence with and whom we love. 

Response

  1. How is your faith?
  2. When was your last trip to “go tell” someone about Jesus?
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The Importance of Time in Discipleship (John 1:38-39)

On By Ben JenningsIn Devotional1 Comment

Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? (39). He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. (John 1:38-39)

Explanation

These men were already described as disciples of John. Now they were following Jesus, and some discipleship oriented things are going on in these verses.

One word of note is the word “Rabbi”. This word was an honorable title from the disciple (learner, student) to his teacher. Rabbi’s had disciples and disciples had rabbis. These disciples were indicating that they wanted to be the disciples of Jesus by following him.

Another notable idea in the text is there question, “where dwellest thou?”. Disciples didn’t just attend formal lectures or class times. There was no podcast to subscribe to, youtube channel to subscribe to, radio program to tune in to, or book to buy. When you became a follower of a rabbi, you went where he went, walked where he walked, watched what he did, and did what he said. It was done more like an internship than simply a classroom setting. 

One more thing of note here is the time element. When they did go with Jesus, they spent a good bit of time with him. This again is the nature of the rabbi and disciple relationship.  In biblical times, the tenth hour was approximately 4:00 PM. This was calculated using the Jewish system of dividing the day into twelve hours starting from sunrise. This time is significant. It was when Jesus’ first two disciples, Andrew and John, met him. It marks a substantial amount of time they spent with him at the end of the day. The nature of the relationship is to harness time between teacher and student, rabbi and disciple. Some things can only be learned when you say them and they are heard. Some things can only be learned when you do them and they are seen.

Application

The beginning of Jesus’ ministry is marked by calling and making disciples.  Not only are His words inspired. His ways are inspired, too. He showed us what to do, and taught us what to do through teaching His disciples.

Discipleship takes time. This means that to do it you have to spend time with people where they are. They need to be with you, and you need to be with them. Classroom? Good. Internship? Better. Parenting? The most intense, and the most opportunity to influence.

Response

  1. Can you be like Jesus and not make disciples?
  2. How do you manage your time when it comes to this idea? 
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Sending Disciples. (John 1:35-37)

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; (36) And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! (37) And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. (John 1:35-37)

Explanation

In verse 35 and 36 you get a setting.  The when and the who are in view here.  John the Baptist, two of his disciples, and Jesus.  You also see John saying the same message again.  What is John’s message? “Behold the Lamb of God”.  

Here you see the disciples of become the disciples of Jesus. How?  

The testimony of John is a part of it. “Behold”….Look at… There he is… See… Come and see…

This is the “lamb of God”.  

It was the message of John’s life.  “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.”

You see We learned that at the Passover, God gave instruction through Moses about the sacrificing of a lamb.

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:” (Exodus 12:5)

In Leviticus we learned about the day of atonement, and how the priest would take two goats.  One would be slain as a sacrifice to God.  The other one would have the priest symbolically place the sins of the people on it, and then would be driven into the wilderness.

When John said about Jesus that he was the lamb of God, the two disciples understood the symbolism at some level.  They understood him to be the Messiah.  They understood that he was going to deal with sin.

John’s message was “Behold”. See. Look! He experienced- Come and See. He influenced- Go and tell.

It’s interesting that John has made the effort to receive and make disciples. He had no doubt invested in these guys. 

Yet what it means to be a forerunner of the Messiah is that you understand that you are the lesser and he is the greater. That means that when John pointed his disciples to Jesus He could view their following of him as losing disciples, or as sending them.

The point of John’s life is to make much of the Messiah. This impacted his actions here.

Application:

If we are doing Christ’s mission, we are making disciples of him and not of ourselves. It’s not about making followers of us. It is about making followers of Him.

Response:

  1. What is your personal commitment to making and sending disciples of Jesus?
  2. Who can you point to Jesus today.

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Understanding Jesus as the Son of God (John 1:34)

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

[34] And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. (John 1:34)

Explanation

Here is the final summary phrase of what John declared. Jesus Christ is not a mere human. He is “the Son of God.” This is not the only time that Jesus will be called this in the Gospel of John.

  • The phrase “Son of God” is used 10 times.
  • The word “Son” referring to Christ is used 38 times.
  • The phrase “only begotten Son” is used 3 times.

It is clear that Jesus is declared as the Son of God. This is significant for many reasons, no least of which is the fact that this makes him co-equal with the Father. This is made clear in John 5 by the witness of Jesus’ enemies.

[17] But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. [18] Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:17-18)

Some try to hold up Jesus as merely a good example. In there mind He was a moral man made legendary by ages of time and oral tradition. Some try to say Jesus was a good teacher who taught a lot of good things, but whose claim to deity was not made by Him, only by those who followed him much later.

The case being made that Jesus was the Messiah, and the Son of God was the inaugural event of His ministry. Before He called disciples, preached a sermon, or did a miracle, He was declared to be the Son by the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the prophesied forerunner John the Baptist.

Application

Over the coming weeks and months we will see the case laid out more and more convincingly in the Gospel of John. When good witnesses give good evidence of something that is of critical importance, the most basic and right response is to believe. Have you placed your trust in Christ?

Response

  1. What case can you make to the veracity of Jesus Christ’s identity as the Son of God?
  2. Who do you need to make that case to, today?