Feb. 20
John’s Disciples Follow Jesus
Passage: John 1:35-42 New International Version (NIV)
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[*]). *Cephas (Aramaic) and Peter (Greek) both mean rock.
Reflection
“Follow”
The first disciples were not sought out by Jesus. They took the initiative. They believed in John's words proclaiming Jesus as the Lamb of God. They did not question the credentials of a stranger. They did not confront, they followed, and Jesus turned toward them.
The light of God must have shone through, for after an evening in his presence, the first disciples proclaimed him Messiah and sought others to share the news with. Andrew brought his brother Simon, whom Jesus called Cephas (or Stone) and the first disciples began to follow Jesus. The rock that the church is built on was laid that day.
How does this simple story transcend time to influence us in 2015? It is a story of men having faith and simply following. Jesus did not seek them out- in fact, he asked “What do you seek?” They opened their hearts and recognized him as the Messiah. As we are consumed by the rigors of work, friends, family and world events that seem to be spiraling out of control, we need to stop, breath and follow. We need to “come and see” where Jesus is staying. Realize that it is not the Lord's role to seek us out. To be disciples, we must seek. We must be willing to follow. We have the benefit of two thousand years of scholarly thought and investigation into the story of Jesus. These first disciples only had the words of John the Baptist and were willing to turn and follow a man they had never met. This serves as a wonderful example of faith and a guiding light to help us through darker times.