John 1:35-51
• In this passage we read about Jesus calling His first disciples, those who found Jesus and those who were found by Him. The dialogs between Jesus and the men He called are very instructive. The first ones were Andrew and John. They had heard the testimony of John the Baptist, and decided to come to Jesus.
• Jesus asks them a question: “What do you seek?” Many come to Jesus or to Christian churches seeking personal benefits. They want a magic response to their immediate needs: healing of a disease, money, a job, a spouse. They are after a Jesus that will serve them. Of course Jesus has the power to give us all these things, but besides the Lamb of God, He is also the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. He wants to make us aware of what is really important for us, which is eternity with God, names written in the Book of Life, and that requires sanctification. Jesus has the power to transform our lives and sanctify us.
• The answer of Andrew and John is “Where do you live?” The want to know where is the Lord. Those who are seeking the Lord want to know where is it that He is present, manifesting His power, revealing Himself to the church. There are many groups that bear the name of Christ but where Jesus is just a symbol because man is in charge and the Holy Spirit is unable to operate.
• Those who come to the place where Jesus really is will have experiences with Him. Jesus says, “Come and see”. “Come” speaks of entering the Way, and “see” is the result of being in the Way, the experiences with the living Jesus. Those who have such experiences no longer want to leave the Lord’s presence (vs. 39).
• Andrew then seeks his brother Peter. This is a natural consequence of our finding Jesus. Those who found peace, the reality of the living God, desire to share the blessing with others. This is how the church grows.
• When Peter comes to Jesus, Jesus changes his name. In the Oriental society the names are associated with the character of the person. The fact that Jesus changes his name reveals the change in character that takes place when we are saved, the result of conversion, the new birth. That is why God changed the names of Abram and Sarai.
• Then Jesus finds Phillip. This is a different experience than that of the previous disciples. Many of us were found by Jesus when we were not seeking Him. To Phillip Jesus says, “Follow Me”. He needs the revelation of the direction in which he must go, just like any of us.
• Phillip then goes after his brother Nathaniel. Nathaniel is the intellectual type, filled with Biblical knowledge and preconceived ideas. They have intellectual obstacles preventing them from believing; have their own thoughts blocking the way to salvation. Phillip’s strategy is simply to put Nathaniel in contact with Jesus. “Come and see”. Either Jesus is present and real in our churches, able to manifest His presence in a powerful way, or we ourselves should be elsewhere where He really is.
• Nathaniel, like the Samaritan woman, was convinced by the revelation of Jesus. These are the experiences of the prophetic service, the experiences of the work of the Holy Spirit, of the living Jesus.
• Each one of these callings reveals different facets of the evangelistic strategy that is possible only in the true Work of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord ever be present in our midst, so that many may meet Him in person in our churches and be saved.
• In this passage we read about Jesus calling His first disciples, those who found Jesus and those who were found by Him. The dialogs between Jesus and the men He called are very instructive. The first ones were Andrew and John. They had heard the testimony of John the Baptist, and decided to come to Jesus.
• Jesus asks them a question: “What do you seek?” Many come to Jesus or to Christian churches seeking personal benefits. They want a magic response to their immediate needs: healing of a disease, money, a job, a spouse. They are after a Jesus that will serve them. Of course Jesus has the power to give us all these things, but besides the Lamb of God, He is also the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. He wants to make us aware of what is really important for us, which is eternity with God, names written in the Book of Life, and that requires sanctification. Jesus has the power to transform our lives and sanctify us.
• The answer of Andrew and John is “Where do you live?” The want to know where is the Lord. Those who are seeking the Lord want to know where is it that He is present, manifesting His power, revealing Himself to the church. There are many groups that bear the name of Christ but where Jesus is just a symbol because man is in charge and the Holy Spirit is unable to operate.
• Those who come to the place where Jesus really is will have experiences with Him. Jesus says, “Come and see”. “Come” speaks of entering the Way, and “see” is the result of being in the Way, the experiences with the living Jesus. Those who have such experiences no longer want to leave the Lord’s presence (vs. 39).
• Andrew then seeks his brother Peter. This is a natural consequence of our finding Jesus. Those who found peace, the reality of the living God, desire to share the blessing with others. This is how the church grows.
• When Peter comes to Jesus, Jesus changes his name. In the Oriental society the names are associated with the character of the person. The fact that Jesus changes his name reveals the change in character that takes place when we are saved, the result of conversion, the new birth. That is why God changed the names of Abram and Sarai.
• Then Jesus finds Phillip. This is a different experience than that of the previous disciples. Many of us were found by Jesus when we were not seeking Him. To Phillip Jesus says, “Follow Me”. He needs the revelation of the direction in which he must go, just like any of us.
• Phillip then goes after his brother Nathaniel. Nathaniel is the intellectual type, filled with Biblical knowledge and preconceived ideas. They have intellectual obstacles preventing them from believing; have their own thoughts blocking the way to salvation. Phillip’s strategy is simply to put Nathaniel in contact with Jesus. “Come and see”. Either Jesus is present and real in our churches, able to manifest His presence in a powerful way, or we ourselves should be elsewhere where He really is.
• Nathaniel, like the Samaritan woman, was convinced by the revelation of Jesus. These are the experiences of the prophetic service, the experiences of the work of the Holy Spirit, of the living Jesus.
• Each one of these callings reveals different facets of the evangelistic strategy that is possible only in the true Work of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord ever be present in our midst, so that many may meet Him in person in our churches and be saved.
