Following Jesus (John 1:35-42)
"Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, 'What do you seek?' They said to Him, 'Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?' He said to them, 'Come, and you will see.' So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas' (which is translated Peter)."
The topic for today is at the heart of Christianity: What does it mean to follow Jesus? Because the term "Christian" has lost much of its significance in our culture, Christians have resorted to calling themselves Christ-followers or disciples. But even this can lose much of it's meaning if not viewed through the biblical lens. Just using the right label will not suffice no matter how good of a term it is, unless we use the term rightly. In the passage for today, the apostle John gives us a narrative of possibly the first two followers of Jesus, and from this short account, we will be able to see four aspects of what it means to follow Jesus.
1. Know who you have to follow - The two men that are mentioned in this passage were very religious. They were very serious about their faith. We know this because they were disciples of John, the very man that was to point out the Messiah. John was called the greatest man every to be born of a women by Jesus. These two men were under the teaching of this great man. Yet, he was just a man. When John the Baptist pointed out the Messiah, his two disciples recognized that they weren't supposed to hang around him any more; someone greater had come.
"Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, 'What do you seek?' They said to Him, 'Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?' He said to them, 'Come, and you will see.' So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas' (which is translated Peter)."
The topic for today is at the heart of Christianity: What does it mean to follow Jesus? Because the term "Christian" has lost much of its significance in our culture, Christians have resorted to calling themselves Christ-followers or disciples. But even this can lose much of it's meaning if not viewed through the biblical lens. Just using the right label will not suffice no matter how good of a term it is, unless we use the term rightly. In the passage for today, the apostle John gives us a narrative of possibly the first two followers of Jesus, and from this short account, we will be able to see four aspects of what it means to follow Jesus.
1. Know who you have to follow - The two men that are mentioned in this passage were very religious. They were very serious about their faith. We know this because they were disciples of John, the very man that was to point out the Messiah. John was called the greatest man every to be born of a women by Jesus. These two men were under the teaching of this great man. Yet, he was just a man. When John the Baptist pointed out the Messiah, his two disciples recognized that they weren't supposed to hang around him any more; someone greater had come.
When we talk about following Jesus, we need to make sure we're following Jesus. Today I heard of a woman who was visitng my friend's church who loved John Macarthur. My friend told me that she would not come to the small home groups because they weren't studiyng one of John Macarthur's books. Yes, there are great men who teach truth boldly and well, but they are simply men pointing to the ultimate. When sitting under good teaching or lead by a charismatic pastor, it is easy to feel like you're following Jesus when you're simply following a man. The two disciples of John the Baptist could have easily fell into that trap, but they moved on because they understood that their duty was not to follow John the Baptist but the Son of God.
2. Know why you follow - Simply knowing who to follow is not enough, at least for Jesus. When he sees the two men following him, Jesus turns around and asks a striking question, "What do you seek?" A more probing question could not be asked. One of the two might be tagging along, but this question calls both of them to consider their purpose in following Jesus. The two replied, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" This seems to be a very random reply to Jesus' question, but it really is not. They first recognized Jesus as Rabbi, meaning they wanted to learn from him. Second, they asked where he was staying, meaning they wanted to have a private encounter with Jesus. They did not follow Jesus because they wanted things. They followed Jesus because they wanted to know Him intimately. How gracious of Jesus to say, "Come and see."
Do we follow Jesus with that sort of motivation? Are we followers of Jesus because we are awed by His majesty and captured by His beauty? Do we eagerly wait to hear His invitation, "Come and see"? We follow Jesus because we want to know Him intimately. Jesus, later in this Gospel account, will say, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3). Let us be overjoyed that the Lord of Glory has revealed Himself to us, and will not deny our plea to enjoy sweet fellowship with Him.
3. Know the reward of following - The text implies that the two disciples spent the night where Jesus was staying, and that the very next day, one of them, Andrew, went to find his brother, Simon Peter. The Greek implies it was the first thing Andrew did that day. When Andrew finds his brother, he tells him, "We have found the Messiah!" The tone of his voice must have expressed great joy, as a man who has found a pearl of great price. The Jews were long awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, eagerly expecting the coming of their King. For Andrew, having found teh Messiah would not have been a small thing; it would have been the greatest joy he ever experienced.
2. Know why you follow - Simply knowing who to follow is not enough, at least for Jesus. When he sees the two men following him, Jesus turns around and asks a striking question, "What do you seek?" A more probing question could not be asked. One of the two might be tagging along, but this question calls both of them to consider their purpose in following Jesus. The two replied, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" This seems to be a very random reply to Jesus' question, but it really is not. They first recognized Jesus as Rabbi, meaning they wanted to learn from him. Second, they asked where he was staying, meaning they wanted to have a private encounter with Jesus. They did not follow Jesus because they wanted things. They followed Jesus because they wanted to know Him intimately. How gracious of Jesus to say, "Come and see."
Do we follow Jesus with that sort of motivation? Are we followers of Jesus because we are awed by His majesty and captured by His beauty? Do we eagerly wait to hear His invitation, "Come and see"? We follow Jesus because we want to know Him intimately. Jesus, later in this Gospel account, will say, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3). Let us be overjoyed that the Lord of Glory has revealed Himself to us, and will not deny our plea to enjoy sweet fellowship with Him.
3. Know the reward of following - The text implies that the two disciples spent the night where Jesus was staying, and that the very next day, one of them, Andrew, went to find his brother, Simon Peter. The Greek implies it was the first thing Andrew did that day. When Andrew finds his brother, he tells him, "We have found the Messiah!" The tone of his voice must have expressed great joy, as a man who has found a pearl of great price. The Jews were long awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, eagerly expecting the coming of their King. For Andrew, having found teh Messiah would not have been a small thing; it would have been the greatest joy he ever experienced.
The point in mentioning this is to show that following Jesus is not done for the sake of following. There is a great reward. Following Jesus is not a joyless duty or mechanical necessity. Following Jesus means having the reward, the greatest reward: Jesus the Christ, the Messiah. Though Andrew did nothave at that time the same fuller understanding of the title Messiah as we do, he still reacted with joy from what he did understand. Therefore, we, who live after the cross, have a greater reason to rejoice at our reward. As we understand the person of Christ and the God-man we follow, may we also say with Andrew with joyous conviction, "We have found the Messiah!"
4. Know the cost of following When Simon first met Jesus, he did not introduce himself. Actually, Jesus knew exactly who Simon was and gave him a new name: Peter. Jesus explains the significance of this name in Matthew 16:18, "I say to you, you are Peter and upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Jesus had plans for Simon, and He made that clear to him even from day one. Jesus had no ice-breaking moments with Simon, but from the beginning made it unquestionable who the Leader was.
Following Jesus means... you really have to follow Him and let Him lead. Jesus is the leader; we are the followers. Jesus is our Lord; we are His slaves. The cost is great. We are called to submit our wills completely to His and follow him even to death. Death for following Jesus was a reality that Simon faced one day, but he had decided long before that He would rather be called Peter and die for Jesus than to have his own way. Thinking himself unworthy to be executed in the same manner as his Lord, Peter asked that he be crucified upside down. Are you ready to follow Jesus wherever He leads? Are you willing to pay the cost?
4. Know the cost of following When Simon first met Jesus, he did not introduce himself. Actually, Jesus knew exactly who Simon was and gave him a new name: Peter. Jesus explains the significance of this name in Matthew 16:18, "I say to you, you are Peter and upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Jesus had plans for Simon, and He made that clear to him even from day one. Jesus had no ice-breaking moments with Simon, but from the beginning made it unquestionable who the Leader was.
Following Jesus means... you really have to follow Him and let Him lead. Jesus is the leader; we are the followers. Jesus is our Lord; we are His slaves. The cost is great. We are called to submit our wills completely to His and follow him even to death. Death for following Jesus was a reality that Simon faced one day, but he had decided long before that He would rather be called Peter and die for Jesus than to have his own way. Thinking himself unworthy to be executed in the same manner as his Lord, Peter asked that he be crucified upside down. Are you ready to follow Jesus wherever He leads? Are you willing to pay the cost?
Conclusion - Following Jesus means much more than going to church and living a good moral life; it is much more. We have looked at four aspects of following Jesus today, and I pray that it stirs you up, gets you excited to follow after Him. Let us beckon the call of Jesus, "Come and follow Me." Stay strong and God bless!
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