John 1.35-51
John had impacted the lives of many people with his
preaching. Some had joined him in his ministry, becoming his ‘disciples'. A
disciple is the student of a master teacher, an apprentice in the things of
God. John had disciples, and Jesus, too, would gather a band of disciples to
assist Him in His great work.
The day after Jesus had returned to John's place of baptism,
John pointed Jesus out to two of his disciples, again describing Jesus as the Lamb
of God. These two disciples of John, no doubt with John's blessing, began to
follow Jesus. Jesus asked them what they wanted, and they simply asked where
Jesus was staying, hinting that they wanted to become His disciples. Jesus
openly invited them to follow, saying, “Come and see.” They spent that entire
day with Jesus.
One of these first two disciples of Jesus was a man named
Andrew. Andrew had a brother named Simon. Andrew went to Simon and told him that
he had found the Messiah. Andrew then brought Simon to see Jesus. Jesus took
one look at Simon and gave him a new name, Peter. Peter's brother Andrew is
often described as Jesus' first disciple. He is also famous for bringing people
to Jesus. His first act as a disciple was to bring his own brother, Simon
Peter, to the Lord. He serves as a model of evangelism for all Christians.
The next day Jesus decided to leave Judea and return to
Galilee. Before beginning His journey, however, Jesus extended an invitation to
a man named Philip to follow Him as a disciple. Philip was from Berhsaida, a
town along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, as were Andrew and Peter. Philip
went to another man, Nathaniel, and told him that the promised Messiah had
come. The promised Messiah was Jesus from Nazareth. Nathaniel was sceptical. He
doubted that the Messiah could hale from such an insignificant town such as
Nazareth. But Philip pressed Nathaniel to come with him and see Jesus. As
Nathaniel approached Jesus, without introduction Jesus declared that Nathaniel was
a man of true character. Nathaniel, puzzled by this statement, asked how Jesus knew
anything about him. Jesus said that He saw Nathaniel under a fig tree before
Philip spoke to him. Jesus, in His divine omniscience, knew all about
Nathaniel. Nathaniel, impressed with this miraculous display of knowledge, declared
that Jesus was the Son of God and the King of Israel. Jesus told Nathaniel that
he would witness many greater things than this display of His omniscience. He would
see heaven opened before him and angels ascending and descending on Jesus.
Jesus’ work in Judea was completed for the time being. He had
been baptised by John. He had overcome intense temptation in the desert. He had
gathered an initial band of disciples. His followers included Andrew, Peter, Philip,
Nathaniel, and one other unnamed disciple. You’ll remember that two of John the
Baptist’s disciples followed Jesus. One was Andrew. The other was not identified.
But since John’s Gospel alone records this event, and since John the disciple (not
to be confused with John the Baptist) never mentions himself by name in his Gospel,
it is likely that this other disciple was John. So Jesus, with His first five disciples,
left Judea and returned to Galilee. It was in Galilee that Jesus would inaugurate
His miraculous ministry.
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