John 1 35 51 The First Disciples Disciples

John 1: 35 -51 The First Disciples

Disciples Disciple—mathetes—a learner; someone who follows someone’s teaching. Make Disciples “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. ” --Matthew 28: 19, 20 Witnesses but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. ” --Acts 1: 8

35 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked upon Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and *said to them, “What do you seek? ” And they said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying? ” 39 He *said to them, “Come, and you will see. ” They came therefore and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. --John 1: 35 -39

John the Baptist Known for: preparing souls for the coming of Messiah Verse: John 3: 30—He must increase “He must increase, but I must decrease. ” His witness about Jesus: The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” --John 1: 29

40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He *found first his own brother Simon, and *said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). --John 1: 40 -42

Messiah 2 The kings of the earth take their stand, And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed [Messiah]…. 12 Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! --Psalm 2: 2, 12 13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14“And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. --Daniel 7: 13, 14

Messiah 24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. 25“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. ” --Daniel 9: 24 -26

Messiah 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. --Isaiah 53: 3 -6

Andrew When it came to dealing with people, for example, Andrew fully appreciated the value of a single soul. He was known for bringing individuals, not crowds, to Jesus. Almost every time we see him in the Gospel accounts, he is bringing someone to Jesus. Andrew was not confused when someone wanted to see Jesus. He simply brought them to Him. He understood that Jesus would want to meet anyone who wanted to meet Him (cf. John 6: 37). --John Mac. Arthur

Andrew He was the first to hear that Jesus was the Lamb of God. He was the first to follow Christ. He was part of the inner circle, given intimate access to Christ. His name will be inscribed, along with the names of the other apostles, on the foundations of the eternal city—the New Jerusalem. Best of all, he had a whole lifetime of privilege, doing what he loved best: introducing individuals to the Lord. --John Mac. Arthur

Andrew Known for: bringing people to Jesus His witness about Jesus: “We have found the Messiah” --John 1: 41

John Known for: being close to Jesus There was reclining on Jesus’ breast one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. --John 13: 23 And Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, …When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” --John 19: 15; 26 His witness about Jesus: What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us…. --1 John 1: 1, 2

24 As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. --1 John 2: 24 27 And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. 28 And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. --1 John 2: 27, 28 24 And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. --1 John 3: 24

Peter was eager, aggressive, bold, and outspoken—with a habit of revving his mouth while his brain was in neutral. I have often referred to him as the apostle with the foot-shaped mouth. --John Mac. Arthur

Peter Known for: confessing Jesus as Messiah—Matt. 16: 13 -17 keys of the kingdom—Matt. 16: 18, 19 denying Jesus—John 18: 25 -27 being restored—John 21 being rebuked by Paul—Gal. 2: 11 -21 trusting his Lord—Acts 12: 1 -6 His witness about Jesus: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. ”

15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am? ” 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. ” 17 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. 19“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ” --Matt. 16: 15 -19

16: 18 Thou art Peter. The name Peter (Gk. , Petros) means "rock" or "rock-man. " In the next phrase Christ used petra (upon this rock), a feminine form for "rock, " not a name. Christ used a play on words. He does not say "upon you, Peter" or "upon your successors, " but "upon this rock“--upon this divine revelation and profession of faith in Christ. I will build shows that the formation of the church was still in the future. It began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). The word church appears in the Gospels only here and in Matt 18: 17. gates of hell. Lit. , Hades. The entrance into Hades, which is physical death; i. e. , the physical death of Christ (mentioned immediately in v. 21) will not impede the progress of the church simply because He would be raised from the dead. --Charles Ryrie

16: 19 the keys. The authority to open the doors of Christendom was given to Peter, who used that authority for Jews on the Day of Pentecost and for Gentiles in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10). --Charles Ryrie

Peter Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, in order to mistreat them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also…. So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. And on the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains; --Acts 12: 1 -3, 5, 6

12: 6 -11 That night. . . when Herod planned to bring him out, Peter was sleeping soundly, manacled between two soldiers. Someone has called his slumber a triumph of faith. He probably remembered the Lord's promise that he would live to be an old man (John 21: 18), and so he knew that Herod could not kill him prematurely. --William Mac. Donald

43 The next day He purposed to go forth into Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me. ” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. ” 46 And Nathanael *said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? ” Philip *said to him, “Come and see. ” --John 1: 43 -46

Philip Known for: being slow to understand His witness about Jesus: “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. ”

Philip 5 Jesus therefore lifting up His eyes, and seeing that a great multitude was coming to Him, *said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat? ” 6 And this He was saying to test him; for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little. ” --John 6: 5 -7 7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him. ” 8 Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. ” 9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, ‘Show us the Father’? --John 14: 7 -9

Philip If we were interviewing Philip for the role to which Jesus called him, we might say, "He's out. You can't make him one of the twelve most important people in the history of the world. " But Jesus said, "He's exactly what I'm looking for. My strength is made perfect in weakness. I'll make him into a preacher. He'll be one of the founders of the church. I will make him a ruler in the kingdom and give him an eternal reward in heaven. And I will write his name on one of the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem. " Thankfully, the Lord uses people like Philip—lots of them. Tradition tells us that Philip was greatly used in the spread of the early church and was among the first of the apostles to suffer martyrdom. By most accounts he was put to death by stoning at Heliopolis, in Phrygia (Asia Minor), eight years after the martyrdom of James. Before his death, multitudes came to Christ under his preaching. --John Mac. Arthur

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” 48 Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me? ” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. ” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel. ” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these. ” 51 And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. ” --John 1: 47 -51

10 Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. 12 And he had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. --Genesis 28: 10 -12

Jesus instantly let Nathanael know that He knew him inside and out. He knew that Nathanael was a man without guile or deceit (1: 47). He told it like he saw it. Jesus’ words to Nathanael are a play on Jacob’s name and character. Jacob was a deceiver, whose name was changed to Israel. Here, it’s as if Jesus is saying of Nathanael, “Look, Israel without a trace of Jacob left in him!”…Jesus apparently knew that Nathanael had been sitting under a fig tree, meditating on Jacob’s dream of the ladder coming down out of heaven (1: 51). So He said to him (1: 50), “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these. ” Nathanael is the first man in John’s gospel who is said to believe in Jesus and he is the first to receive a promise from Christ. His testimony teaches us that there are degrees of growth in coming to know Christ. --Steven Cole

Nathanael Known for: studying the Scriptures His witness about Jesus: “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel. ”

The most important aspect of Nathanael' s character is expressed from the lips of Jesus knew Nathanael already. He "had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man" (John 2: 25). So His first words upon seeing Nathanael were a powerful commendation of Nathanael’s character. Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" (John 1: 47). Here was a man whose heart was circumcised, cleansed of defilement. His faith was authentic. His devotion to God was real. He was without guile, not like the scribes and Pharisees. He was a truly righteous man—flawed by sin as we all are—but justified before God through a true and living faith. --John Mac. Arthur

Nathanael's familiarity with the Old Testament messianic prophecies is clearly seen in his reply to Jesus ("You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"). Psalm 2 clearly indicated that the Messiah would be the Son of God. Many Old Testament prophecies spoke of Him as "King of Israel, " including Zephaniah 3: 15 ("The LORD has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD , is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more") and Zechariah 9: 9 ("Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey"). Micah 5: 2, the same verse that predicted His birth in Bethlehem, referred to him as "The One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting"—identifying Him not only as King but also as the Eternal One. So when Nathanael saw proof of Jesus' omniscience, he instantly recognized Him as the promised Messiah, the Son of God and King of Israel. --John Mac. Arthur

In the Old Testament, Jacob had a dream in which "a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it" (Genesis 28: 12). Jesus' words to Nathanael were a reference to that Old Testament account. He was the ladder. And Nathanael would see the angels of God ascending and descending upon Him. In other words, Jesus is the ladder that connects heaven and earth. --John Mac. Arthur

Leading Others to Christ 1. Witness--Acts 1: 8—you shall be My witnesses (Tell your testimony; what Jesus did for you) 2. Sow the seed (the Word)—Luke 8: 11 (Say what He says) 3. Ask questions-Mt. 22: 42—what do you think about Christ? (Ask people questions) 4. Don’t do the Spirit’s job—John 16: 8 (Let God save; pray for your friend) 5. Teach and obey the Lord together—Mt. 28: 18 -20 (Make disciples of Jesus)

What has Jesus done for you? Forgiveness—Acts 10: 43 New life— 2 Cor. 5: 17 His Word—Col. 3: 16, 2 Tim. 3: 16, 17 Church family— 1 Tim. 3: 15 Purpose—Mark 8: 34, 35

Disciples Jesus First 26“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 33“So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. --Luke 14: 26, 27, 33 The Word 31 Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ” --John 8: 31, 32

Disciples Bear Fruit 8“By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. --John 15: 8 Love 34“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. ” --John 13: 34, 35

Questions 1. Are you willing to let Jesus be your priority? 2. Are you hungry for His word? 3. Do you want to walk in the Spirit and bear fruit? 4. Do you want to love as Christ loved?