The second words of discipleship – John 1:43-51, Part 2

In our blog series last week, we learned the first important phrase Jesus demonstrates in the process of helping men become his disciples. That first phrase was “Come and see.” You can read about it in this post. Today we learn the second important phrase Jesus uses.

In verse 43, we read that Jesus decides to leave for Galilee.  He had traveled south to be baptized by John the Baptist.  Now Jesus decides to head back north, to Galilee, the region of the country where he was from, and where most of his ministry would take place. 

But before leaving, we read that Jesus met another man, Philip.  We learn nothing other than that “Jesus found Philip.” But that word “found” doesn’t necessarily mean that Jesus was actively searching for him.  It could be that Jesus and Philip bumped into each other, or that Jesus happened upon him.  The key point is not how they came together, but Jesus’ invitation to Philip, “Follow me.”

This invitation is quite similar to the method Jesus used the day before.  Remember that? Jesus invited Andrew to, “Come and see”.  Like “come and see,” “Follow me” is simple; it is not filled with all kinds of laws and regulations.  We tend to want so much more information, “Follow you where?  When?  How far?  How long?”  “What do you mean, Jesus, when you say, ‘Follow me’?” 

What did Philip think about this invitation?  Did he know that he was being invited to have his life turned upside down?  I don’t think so.  He might have simply thought, “Sure, I’ll follow you down the road a ways.” 

We learn in the next verse that Philip, Andrew and Peter are all from the same town, Bethsaida.  Bethsaida was a town on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee.  That means those guys are all from northern Palestine, just like Jesus was.  So it could be that Jesus is heading home, and it could be that the unnamed disciple, Andrew, and Peter are all walking with Jesus.  They run into Philip who is also headed that way.  Being from the same town, and all being fishermen, these guys almost certainly knew each other.  One says to the other, “Hey man, are you heading back to Galilee too?” When they realize they’re all going back home, Jesus says, “Follow me.”  Kind of like a “We’re all walking home, let’s go together.”  By the way, this was no short walk.  80+ miles.  So they were going to be walking for days, and it was wise to travel in packs.   

Or maybe Philip knew that Jesus was a teacher, and thus Philip could learn something from him.  Maybe Philip had that hard-to-define sense that Jesus was special and he wanted to hear what he had to say that day.  It’s hard to know what was going through Philip’s mind. Either way, Jesus knows he’ll have probably 3-4 days walking with these guys.  That’s a lot of time to invest in their lives, and knowing Jesus, he makes the most of it. 

But turn to Matthew 4:17, because there is a parallel account where Jesus said nearly the same thing to some others, including guys we’ve already met in John chapter 1.  In Matthew 4:17, we read what happened after Jesus’ baptism and temptation,

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.”

Let’s try to piece together the chronology of the story so far.  In John 1, Jesus meets some of the disciples immediately after his baptism.  They travel together back to Galilee, and then Jesus goes off on his own for 40 days where he is tempted by Satan.  What do Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathanael do during Jesus’ time away?  They’re fishermen who go back to fishing.  They have families to provide for.  When Jesus returns from his 40 days away, however, he goes to find the men he already met.  Walking by the Sea of Galilee, he finds them at their job, and he now formally invites them to follow him.

What happens next? We’ll find out in tomorrow’s post.

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Did Jesus really tell you to do that? – John 1:43-51, Part 1

This past week a Pew Research released research data suggesting that if trends which began in the 1990s continue, by the year 2070 Christians will only be about 40% of the American population.  Obviously, it is very hard to make good predictions about what will happen in 50 years.  Things can change. Our nation could experience a revival, maybe a Third Great Awakening.  But if that doesn’t happen, and if the current decline of Christianity keeps pace, we could see Christianity dip below 50%. 

Why?  Why has there been such a decline? From 1972 to 2020, the percentage of Americans who are Christians has fallen from 90% to 64%.  There are many reasons for such a decline.  Often we Christians tend to blame others for our failures.  We say the decline is due to a “culture of death” in our society.  Or it’s the fault of secular education.  We blame Hollywood and the media; it’s television, internet, celebrity, and cell phones.  It’s consumerism and wealth and sports.  Probably all of the above factor into the reason at least somewhat.  But I want us to turn the lens on American Christianity itself. 

Is it possible that we American Christians, as Christianity is typically practiced in our country, need revival, just as much as the culture does?  I think it is possible.  It reminds me of the book Jim & Casper Go To Church. Jim is an evangelical Christian.  Casper is an atheist.  Together they visits churches across the country.  15 churches or so. A variety of shapes and sizes.  Famous megachurches, middle size churches, no-name tiny churches.  Independent churches and denominational.  Informal worship and formal worship.  At nearly every church, Casper, the atheist, asks Jim the Christian a question that haunts me, “Did Jesus really ask you to do this?” 

The answer is almost always “No.”  So much of what we call church and religion has been added on over the centuries.  Buildings, produced worship services, Sunday School, events, paid staff like me, and on and on it goes.  We have poured massive amounts of time, energy and money on Sunday-focused, church building-focused worship events.  All the while, from 1972 to 2020 faith in Christ has fallen through the floor, and that decline is showing no signs of slowing down.  Is it possible that Casper’s question is pointing us to another question, “What did Jesus actually tell us to do?”       

This week on the blog, we’re going try to at least begin to answer that question by studying John 1:43-51. So keep that question in mind.

What did Jesus tell us to do?  In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus teaches his disciples, and therefore us as well, not that our mission is to make church buildings in which to hold Sunday services. Instead, Jesus says our mission is to make disciples who are able to obey what he taught.  We look to Jesus, then, as both our teacher and our model in the mission of being and making disciples.  What did Jesus do to help his disciples become disciples who could obey him and make more disciples?

What methods, practices or habits did Jesus employ on Minute 1, Hour 1, and Day 1 with his disciples?  In meeting those three men, we observed in the previous week’s blog posts how Jesus made disciples, as described in John 1:35-42, starting here. We saw Jesus doing three things: 1. using the spiritual practice of questioning, 2. inviting the men to “come and see,” and 3. giving Simon the nickname to lift his heart and mind to greater things.

This week on the blog, as we study John 1:43-51 we will continue observing how Jesus interacts with his disciples.  Observing Jesus is so instructive for us because he will help us understand and practice how we can help other people become Jesus’ disciples. 

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The important words Jesus says to his disciples on Day 2 – John 1:43-51, Preview

This past Sunday, I had a situation occur that has been quite rare in all my years of preaching.  I only made it halfway through my sermon.  As I did some final tweaking to the sermon early Sunday morning, I knew it was on the longer side, but I still thought there was going to be enough time in the service to fit it all in.  There wasn’t.  Not even close.  When the clock on the back wall of the sanctuary displayed 10:10, I knew I had probably 15-20 minutes of material yet to cover, and our service is intended to conclude at 10:15.  We also planned for communion after the sermon and the closing song. So I decided to stop the sermon, admittedly kind of awkwardly.  Still the service went long past 10:15. 

Instead of starting John chapter 2 this coming week on the blog, I’ll talk about the rest of John chapter 1.  I didn’t try this, but when I stopped preaching mid-sermon this past Sunday, I had just finished talking about John 1, verse 42.  In verse 43, a new day in the life of Jesus begins, which means that I inadvertently ended at a natural break point.  In last week’s sermon I was originally planning on covering the events of the next day, as told in John 1:43-51, because in those verses John continues the story of Jesus’ interaction with his first disciples.  In other words, there is thematic unity between the two sections.

As we learn in our blog post this past week, starting here, in John chapter 1, verses 35-42, on day 1, Jesus meets Andrew, Peter and the unnamed disciple of John the Baptist (who might have been the Apostle John), and his words to them are “Come and see.” 

In verses 43-51, on day 2, Jesus meets two more men, but he has a new phrase, and someone else says “Come and see.” Something is happening between Jesus and these men, even at this early stage in their relationship.  What is happening between them?  It has everything to do with Jesus’ new phrase and the fact that someone else says “Come and see.” Join us on the blog next week, as we’ll talk about the fascinating and important discipleship principle that is happening between Jesus and these men.

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How to learn Jesus’ nickname for you – John 1:35-42, Part 5

Do you have a nickname? Did you have one growing up? Often nicknames are just variations of our actual name. Sometimes they are very…well…odd. “Bear.” “Peanut.” I used to call my daughter, “Girl Head Bean,” which was the weirdest of about ten other nicknames I’ve called her over the years. Like most nicknames, hers are all terms of endearment. What nickname do you think Jesus might have for you. I ask that because in our continuing study of John 1:35-42, Jesus reprises his role as a nickname-giver.

There they are on Day 1 of meeting Jesus. Look at John 1:41, which tells the story of Andrew and his brother meeting Jesus for the first time.  Andrew tells his brother Simon, “We have found the Messiah,” meaning, “We have found the one who will free our nation from the oppression of the Romans.”  Did they get it wrong? Probably yes (as we discussed in the previous post), but they are very excited nonetheless. 

Andrew brings Simon to Jesus, and Jesus’ first words to Simon are to give him a nickname.  This is now the second nickname that we have learned about in our study of the Gospel of John.  The first was not in the text of the Gospel of John, but it was about the author of the Gospel of John, who, along with his brother James, Jesus nicknamed, the Sons of Thunder.  Read what I wrote about that story here.

When Jesus sees Simon, he first says his name real name, “Simon son of John,” which is now the third person named John in our study of the Gospel of John, all different people.  John the Apostle (who we believe is the writer of the Gospel), John the Baptist, and John the father of Simon and Andrew. 

So Simon is “Simon, son of John,” or as we would more typically say English, “Simon Johnson.”  The implication of this phrase is that Jesus knew his name without being told it.  How?  We don’t know.  Maybe Andrew told him ahead of time (“Hold on Jesus, let me go get my brother Simon…I really want him to meet you!”), or maybe it was a miracle.  This gets to the discussion of how much of the power of God Jesus had access to.  Clearly, he had access to miraculous power.  Was it through the filling of the Spirit?  Was it because he didn’t fully empty himself of God’s power?  We don’t know.  All we know is that this is a potential miracle, Jesus knowing Simon’s name. 

Then he right away gives Simon the nickname, “Cephas,” which is the Aramaic word that is the equivalent of the Greek word “Peter,” both of which mean “Rock.”  Put together all of Peter’s names and what do you get?  He is not just “Simon son of John,” or “Simon Johnson,” or “Simon Cephas Johnson,” or “Simon Peter Johnson,” he is, believe it or not, “Simon the Rock Johnson.”  And for those of you who don’t know what I did there, you might have heard of the movie star and former WWE wrestler, Dwayne Johnson, whose nickname is also “The Rock” Johnson. 

What do nicknames have to do with Jesus attempting to form these men into disciples?  Nicknames can be hurtful.  Nicknames be silly.  Nicknames can also be formative.  Jesus seems to creatively use nicknames to build up, to inspire, to give people a vision of something about themselves that the people didn’t realize or think was possible.  In Peter’s case, he was The Rock, and Jesus later said to Peter in Matthew 16:18, “Upon this rock, I will build my church”. 

Many scholars believe Jesus was shaping Peter to be the leader of the church, which is especially meaningful when you consider that Peter would later do the most un-Rock-like thing by denying even knowing Jesus in Jesus’ most dire moment of need, and Jesus would then restore Peter.  Peter would go on to be the leader of the church. 

What nickname might Jesus give you? Obviously we can’t answer that question, but we can guess. Jesus’ nickname for Peter gave Peter a vision of something about himself that was beyond what Peter could have imagined. Perhaps Peter’s view of himself was stunted. Perhaps Peter had a negative or corrupted view of himself. Here comes Jesus saying, “Peter you are The Rock.” So the first step to imagining what nickname Jesus might give you is to consider how you think about yourself. Do you look down on yourself? Do you have a negative perspective about yourself?

Jesus comes to you and says, “I love you. You are made in God’s image. In me you have everything you need. Depend on me, and you will bear much fruit.” That doesn’t mean you are perfect or do not need to grow and change at all. We all need to become more like Jesus. But Jesus’ nickname for us reminds us that he is our sufficiency. Peter was not a rock who didn’t need Jesus. Peter was a rock only as he rested on the one true Rock, Jesus (see Matthew 7:24-27). When Peter showed rock-like behavior and got out of the boat to walk with Jesus on the water, in the middle of a storm, that rock-like confidence didn’t last long. Peter reached out to the Rock who was his true foundation.

So what nickname might Jesus give you?

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What it means that the disciples found the Messiah – John 1:35-42, Part 4

Jumping back into the story of Jesus’ first interaction with his disciples, in John 1:35-42, we met two men who were already disciples of John the Baptist. John the Baptist points out Jesus, and the two men start following Jesus. Jesus, it seems, catches them in the act, saying to them, “What do you want?” They appear to me to be taken aback by Jesus’ question, and they stammer out a bizarre answer in the form of a question of their own, “Where are you staying?” But as we learned, Jesus is gracious in his answer, “Come and See.” In the previous post, we learned about how “Come and See” is invitation to observe a new possibility about life. Today we learn that Jesus’ call to “Come and See” was also literal.

The two had asked him where he was staying, and he responds with a simple, “Ok, let’s go.”  In verse 39, we learn they went and saw where he was staying. 

I wonder if they were embarrassed.  I can totally see one of them whispering to the other, “Why did you ask him, ‘Where are you staying?’  He’s going to think we’re weirdos.  Now we actually have to go there with him!”  

Then when Jesus shows them where he was staying, what was there reaction?  “Uh, okay, thanks, this is awesome…”  It just sounds like a really awkward situation, but notice that Jesus indulges them.  He could have easily said, “Sorry guys, you don’t need to see my house.  There’s way more important stuff we have to talk about. So let’s talk.”  Now, of course, we don’t know that they didn’t talk.  Knowing Jesus, he was the kind of teacher who made the most of opportunities, and usually in very creative ways.  In fact, we read in verse 39 that they spent the day together, and my guess is that Jesus did talk further with them, and likely asked more questions of them, learning about them. 

Instead of those details, we read in verse 40, that the name of one of the two men was Andrew.  We also learn he had a brother named Simon Peter.  In verses 41-42, we learn that Jesus must have made quite the impression on Andrew, and perhaps that impression was boosted by John the Baptist calling Jesus “The Lamb of God, Spirit-filled, and the Son of God,” that the first thing Andrew does is get Peter and brings him to Jesus, saying, “We have found the Messiah!” 

We don’t get any reaction from Peter.  But what Andrew has claimed here is earthshaking.  The Messiah is the savior that God promised in many Old Testament prophecies.  The Jewish people were eagerly praying for, looking for, and waiting for the Messiah, especially because the Jewish land of Palestine and their holy city of Jerusalem were occupied by the Romans.  They hated the Romans and wanted freedom. 

So the Jews looked to numerous ancient prophecies and believed that God would keep his promise to send a deliverer.  For the most part, they also had quite specific ideas about the Messiah.  He would be a great military and political leader, of the line of their great King David, and this new Davidic King would lead the people to wage war against the Romans and free their land. 

Notice that John the Baptist didn’t say any of that.  Instead John the Baptist called Jesus “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and the Holy Spirit-filled Son of God.”  So what did John’s disciple Andrew understand about the Messiah?  We don’t fully know, but it seems that though the disciples over the course of the next few years with Jesus sometimes confess their belief that Jesus was the Messiah, they still likely had a military and political leader in mind.

Fast-forward to John 18:10-11, when Jesus is arrested in the Garden and Peter whips out a sword, cutting off the high priest’s servant’s ear. Peter is ready to fight.  He is ready for war.  That gives you an inside look into Peter’s understanding of the Messiah. 

And Jesus says, “Peter, put your sword away.”  Peter lowers his sword, the soldiers take Jesus away and put him on trial.  What does Peter do next?  He denies Jesus three times, totally going back on his earlier promise to Jesus that he would die for Jesus.  Why the sudden reversal, Peter? 

Could it have something to do with Peter’s misconception of what it meant that Jesus was the Messiah, and when Jesus is not going to fight, Peter’s world is rocked and he has lost his moorings?  All the disciples but John would run away and hide, fearing for their lives.  Thankfully, we know they would come around after Jesus’ resurrection, and finally understand what it meant that he was Messiah, who takes away the sins of the world. 

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The first words of discipleship – John 1:35-42, Part 3

Two men, who up to this point have been disciples of John the Baptist, get caught in the act of following Jesus, and they don’t really know what to say.  I wonder if they mumbled for awhile while they figured out what to say?  “Uh…uh…umm”  Clearly they had not thought this through.  They just figured Jesus was important, based on John twice calling him the Lamb of God and saying that the Holy Spirit rested on him, so they were curious.  They might have been trying to be sneaky.  And Jesus caught them. 

In John 1, verse 38, Jesus turns to them and says, “What do you want?” Like I said in the previous post, I totally get that question, because if strangers were following me, it is the right question to ask. “What do you want?”

All the two men can come up with is the really awkward question, “Where are you staying?”  What would you ask Jesus if you got the chance?  You might be just as tongue-tied and awestruck and dumbfounded as they were.  We might say something as boring as “Uh…We really got more rain yesterday than we thought, didn’t we?” or some other nonsense. 

But Jesus is ready with what appears to be a gracious response, “Come…and you will see.”  There is so much more in that brief phrase than just, “Oh, you want to come over to my house?  OK, sure.”  Jesus is subtly inviting them into a whole new world, and it is almost certain those two men had no idea what they were in for. 

The first words of discipleship, then, are “Come and see.”  This invitation is all it takes.  We can over-complicate the matter, thinking that people need to sign off on the 25 Articles of Faith or some other doctrinal statement.  Jesus is not very concerned about what the disciples believe at this point.  Of course, as we have seen already in our study of John’s Gospel, that word “believe” is central, and Jesus will get to talking about it with his disciples.  But not on Minute 1, Hour 1 or Day 1.  At that initial moment, he simply says, “Come and See.” 

When you are interacting with people who might not be followers of Jesus, take this cue from Jesus himself, and invite them simply to “come and see.”  Or very similarly to what the psalmist says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”  David wrote those words, found in Psalm 34 verse 8, reflecting on the time he pretended to be insane when he was in trouble in enemy territory.  Like David, there are plenty of situations in life that give us good reasons to be anxious, upset, scared, or angry.  Jesus’ calm invitation to come and see is just what we need, and it is the invitation that all people need. When we experience Jesus, we will see that he is good, or like he once said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus issues this call of discipleship to us, “Come and see” and what we will find is amazing. 

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Discipleship begins with the spiritual practice of questioning – John 1:35-42, Part 2

After hearing John the Baptist declare two days in a row that Jesus is the Lamb of God, in John 1, verse 37 we read that John’s disciples stop following John, and they start following Jesus.  Jesus hasn’t uttered a word.  And because of that, the scene strikes me as humorous. 

The two disciples just follow Jesus.  No asking permission.  No invitation.  No conversation.  How would you feel if you’re walking in the city or in the mall, some crowded space, and people just start following you?  Creeped out, right?  How often are we driving, and behind us a person makes the same turn as us, and we notice it.  Then then we make another turn, and they make the same turn.  How many of the same turns does it take for you to start wondering, “Are they following me?  Do I need to be concerned?”  And then finally you make a turn they don’t make, and you feel relieved.  When people just randomly follow us, we feel awkward and uncomfortable, and we don’t like it.

Perhaps that’s exactly what Jesus felt. Look at how he responds.  In verse 38 we read that he sees them following, turns around and says, “What do you want?”  I really wish we could see his face, his body language and the tone of his voice.  Was he calm?  Was he a little freaked out why these two men had started following him?  Did he start to have that awkward or nervous feeling like we can have?  He was human after all.  Or was he totally calm and maybe with a twinkle in his eye, asking them a question to get them thinking. 

Jesus was a questioner.  People have counted them, in fact.  Jesus asks 307 questions in the Gospels, and his practice can be very instructive for us.  Too often, we are declarers, sharing our opinions and making bold proclamations.  But what we see from Jesus is a consistent practice of question-asking.

The first words out of his mouth in the Gospel of John are a question.  That is not the case with Matthew and Mark, but it is also true in Luke’s account, in the story when his parents, Mary and Joseph, thought Jesus was lost in Jerusalem.  In a ball of nerves and fear, they rushed around searching for him, until finally they found in the temple having biblical and theological discussions with the religious leaders.  His mother, Mary, is hurt and shocked, probably also angry, and she asks him, “Why would you treat us like this?  Your father and I have anxiously been searching for you.”  A mother’s question and statement that we parents can resonate with.  Jesus, at 12 years old, looks at them and asks a question…well, actually two questions: “Why were you searching for me?…Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 

That is one of the most pre-teen questions ever.  “Mom, why are you freaking out? I’m fine!” 

Well, Jesus’ practice of questioning seems to have matured out of his teen years into an amazingly creative spiritual practice.  Think about that, the spiritual practice of questioning.  When we question, we show that we don’t have it all figured out, that we don’t view ourselves as dispensers of knowledge that everyone should bow and listen to.  Instead we humbly put ourselves in the posture of a learner, a listener who wants to know more about the people around them.  Asking questions builds relationships.  It is a practice that highlights the other.  It also shows us the genius of Jesus, because for most people interaction is a far better way to learn, than just listening to a lecture.  Questions create interaction.

In my opinion, there’s not much worse than the know-it-all, the talker who barely lets you get a word in edge-wise.  Interestingly enough, if there was any human person who might lay claim to being a bona fide know-it-all, it is Jesus.  But he did not behave that way. 

In Philippians 2, Paul writes that Jesus emptied himself of his divine right, privilege and power (at least to some degree) when he took on human flesh.  How much of the divine did Jesus give up to become human?  Scholars debate that.  We don’t know for sure.  But there are certainly times in the Gospel accounts where Jesus admits his limitations.  For example, when he is talking with his disciples about when he will return, they ask him point blank, “When will you return?”  Isn’t that the big question we all want to know, and that all Christians for 2000 years have wanted to know?

Jesus answers, “Only the Father knows that, not even the Son.  It is not for you to know, so be ready for my return at all times.”  Jesus didn’t know.  So we can make the case that his practice of asking questions was right in line with the limitations he imposed on himself when he became human.  In other words, Jesus sometimes asked questions because he didn’t know the answer, and his question was his attempt to learn the answer.  He took a serious, loving, caring interest in people, and the way to show it was to ask questions. 

Are you a question-asker?  If you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you’ve heard me talk about my Old Testament professor in seminary, Dave Dorsey. Dorsey once said that when we are in a conversation, as much as possible, we should listen and ask questions 60% of the time, and talk 40%.  You might wonder, “Wait…talk 40%?  Didn’t you just say that Jesus was a questioner? Shouldn’t we listen or ask questions a whole lot more than 60%?” 

Dorsey made the wonderful point that a real relationship includes both give and take.  Both parties talk, and both parties listen.  If we, in our attempt to be humble and teachable, are just listening and asking questions all the time, or even most of the time, then we are enabling the other person to be a talker and a know-it-all.  So we should absolutely invest ourselves into the conversation as well. But in order to follow Jesus’ example of the spiritual practice of questioning, we would do well to emphasize questioning and listening, so go for that at a rate of 60%, Dorsey suggested.  Please don’t pull out your phone and start using the stopwatch and time your conversations.  But instead pay attention to yourself.  Keep a running tally in your mind: Am I talking too much?  Have I made any attempt to learn about the other person?

Discipleship begins and continues with the spiritual practice of questioning.

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What is discipleship? – John 1:35-42, Part 1

Discipleship.  What is it, really?  Over the years we’ve talked a lot about discipleship, and there has been some confusion.  Some have equated evangelism with discipleship.  Evangelism is when we proclaim the story of Jesus in both word and deed.  Though related, discipleship is different.  When we are attempting to define discipleship, we are attempting to answer the question, “What did Jesus actually do to help people become his followers, so that they could take over his ministry, and make more disciples?” 

That is the calling of every Christian: we are to be disciple-makers.  As Jesus would eventually teach his disciples in Matthew 28:16-20, their calling was to “make disciples of all nations,” and that calling was passed on from disciple to disciple, year after year, so that it remains our calling 2000 years later. So what is a disciple-maker?

To be disciple-makers, we first need to be disciples.  What is a disciple?  Those are other questions that are related to my first question, what is discipleship?

For many years the evangelical church in our nation has emphasized educational opportunities as the answer for discipleship.  Go to a class.  Study a workbook.  Learn a program.  I think if you look across the evangelical landscape, you’ll find this method hasn’t worked out too well, in the sense that the evangelical church is in large part a declining mess wrapped up in celebrity worship and a desperate grab for political power, which are very unlike Jesus.

So how did Jesus make disciples?  Did Jesus have his disciples over to his house once a month and go over workbook questions?  Is that how he discipled them?  I’m not saying educational opportunities are bad.  I’ve given quite a lot of time and energy in my own life to lead people in educational opportunities. I believe that the educational approach to discipleship can be good, but that it also has its limitations. I’m concerned that we have placed our hopes in educational methods to create disciples, and I don’t think that’s what Jesus did.  So what did he do?

In the passage we’re studying this week, I think you’ll see we have a wonderful answer to those questions. Turn in your Bible to John chapter 1, verses 35-42.

In verse 35, we are right where we left off in verse 34, with John the Baptist.  It is the day after John has declared that a man, whom John called, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” was there where John was baptizing people in the Jordan River.  John gave a testimony about this man, saying that the Spirit of God came down upon the man.  In verse 29 the Gospel writer, the Apostle John, tells us that this man, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, this person upon whom the Holy Spirit rested, is Jesus.  Earlier in verse 17 we also learned that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one, the savior of the world.  John goes on to say in verse 34 that not only is Jesus the Messiah, not only is he filled with the Spirit, but he is also Son of God.  What that means is John the Baptist has declared one of the earliest affirmations of not only the deity of Jesus, but also that God is three in one.  Father, Son, and Spirit.

Keep that in mind, because as we turn to verse 35, we learn something interesting.  A day has passed, and John the Baptist was at Bethany by the Jordan River, with two of his disciples.  Did you know that John the Baptist had disciples?  I tend to think of John as a lone ranger prophet in the desert, but no, he also had disciples.  As we learned last week, John’s ministry was to be the forerunner for the Messiah, and yet there were people who began following John. How will John handle this? Does he want to be a person with disciples? Will there be a competition between him and Jesus to see whose ministry will have the most success? 

No. In verse 36, we see John committed to his role again.  John sees Jesus, and like he did the day before, he calls out, “Look, the Lamb of God.”  John remains faithful to his prophetic mission, to prepare the way to the Messiah, pointing people to the Messiah. John doesn’t want the glory. He wants to give glory to Jesus.

This will have significant ramifications for John.  How so?  We’ll find out as we keep studying this passage in the next post.

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Who do you follow? – John 1:35-42, Preview

Who do you follow?

If you have social media accounts, you might follow people or organizations on those accounts.  When you follow people or groups on social media, you receive their updates in your news feed.  Your following is informational. 

But perhaps your following of close family and friends, and of some organizations, is more than just learning information about them.  When it comes to your family and friends, you also participate in their lives.  When it comes to an organization you believe it, you might donate financial gifts or volunteer in its programs. 

So there are different levels of following.  One level might require very little investment on our part, while other levels might require significant investment.  Many organizations, in fact, have names for their levels of followership.  You might be a platinum member or a silver member, for example.  There are entry-level commitments and there are senior-level commitments.  One level might require checking a box that says you just want to receive a free monthly newsletter.  Another level might require a serious financial buy-in, opening the door for you to experience exclusive benefits and opportunities.

What I have just described is how many businesses or clubs work.  But what about God?  Are there levels with God?  Is he okay if we all we do is make an entry-level commitment to him?  Is there such a thing as an entry-level commitment?  What does it mean to follow him?

We’re continuing our study through the Gospel of John, next continuing chapter 1, and what we’ll discover are the first words out of Jesus’ mouth.  See for yourself in John 1:35-42.  Jesus’ first words are all about what it means to follow him, and you just might find what he says to be shocking.

I invite you to join us on the blog next week to find out.

Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash

John the Baptist’s mystery friend, and why we need prophets in our lives – John 1:19-34, Part 5

In John 1:19-34, John the Baptist makes a surprising statement that there was someone alive right there, nearby, perhaps even in the crowd that day as John was baptizing people by the Jordan River, someone of whom John is not worthy even to untie his sandals.  Untie sandals…what’s that matter?  In John’s culture, that was a very lowly job only a servant was supposed to do.  John is saying that even though he, John, has a prophetic ministry that thousands of people were flocking to, John is inferior to this other person. Who is John talking about? You can imagine the people in the crowd looking around wondering who John is referring to. Had the king shown up? The Roman governor? The high priest? No. John allows his alarming comment to pass without explanation, and he continues baptizing people.

The next day, John sees him, this other person, and John cries out, “Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The lamb of God?  What is that?  For the people in the crowd there by the Jordan River the Lamb of God that takes away sins is an image they were very familiar with.  In the Mosaic Law the sacrificial system laid out clear instructions for how an animal could be sacrificed and atone for the sins of the people.  But John puts a twist on it, saying that he, John, just saw the Lamb of God which will take away the sins of the world!  Again, John is being a bit mysterious?  The people, as they were the previous day, are wondering who John is talking about.

Thankfully, John tells them who the Lamb of God is, but he tells them in the darndest way.

John actually mentioned this in what we read last week, but last week we didn’t talk about it.  Look at what John says in John 1, verse 15.  Then notice how John repeats it in verse 30.  The repeated phrase is a bit of a riddle, but it is important in establishing the identity of the Lamb of God. Here’s the riddle: “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” Huh? What does John me?

John is preparing the way for someone who comes after him.  But there’s more John says.  This man surpasses John, is greater than John.  Why? Because actually, the man was before John.  How is the possible? A man who comes after John, surpasses John, because he is before John.  Did the people get riddle?  Did the people understand the connection between that person and the Lamb of God?  Probably not.  But you and I know, the Lamb of God is Jesus, who would go on to give his life as a sacrifice for sin.

Interestingly John says he did not know the Lamb of God.  You might ask, “Wait, didn’t John know Jesus?  Weren’t they relatives? Cousins, maybe?”  Yes, there was a family connection, before they were born, which we read about in Luke.  But that’s all we know.  30 years of in-between time goes by without any information about their relationship.  Here along the Jordan River as John is baptizing, he is saying, “I did not know in advance who the Lamb of God was going be.  I just fulfilled the prophetic duty God had given me.”  That prophetic duty was to speak the truth to the people, that there was sin in their lives, that they needed to turn to God, because the promised Messiah was coming.  So, then, how did John know that his relative was the promised one?  John tells us.

In verses 32-34 John tells us that he saw the Spirit come down from heaven and remain on this person, and that was the sign that God said John should look for.  God had previously spoken to John, telling John what to look for, and John was listening.  John should look, God said, for the one on whom the Spirit remains, and that person is the Son of God.  And what’s more, that person will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel of John is filled with testimony about who Jesus is, and here in John 1:19-34, we have just heard John the Baptist serve as the first witness.  John the Baptist testifies that Jesus is the son of God, because on Jesus the Spirit of God dwelt. John was a prophet who prepared the way for Jesus.  John declared the truth about people’s lives so that they might be ready for Jesus. 

That is why we need prophets.  Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:11-12, that God called some to be Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds and Teachers to build up the church.  Prophets are the people who speak the truth, in love, about the situation of God’s people.  Prophets call us towards hope, to Jesus, towards change for goodness and justice.  That means the prophetic task is often very difficult.  People generally don’t want to hear the truth about their lives, unless it is totally good.  But we humans are not often totally good, are we? 

We need people with the prophetic gift to speak the truth about ourselves to us.  A prophet is a gift from God, given to a group of people for a time.  A prophet brings us another chance for change, growth and connecting to God. That’s why we need prophets in the church.  Prophets are truth-tellers, pointing out the hypocrisy and sinfulness in our lives, not so that the prophets might get glory and honor and disciples, but so that Jesus might get glory and honor and disciples. 

Invite prophets into your life.  Invite people to speak truth to you, pushing you to greater faith in and faithfulness to Jesus.  Invite them to push you in love and hope towards living more and more of the heart of God in your everyday life.

Photo by Luis Morera on Unsplash