October 24, 2016

YOU ALWAYS WANTED IT. NOW YOU CAN HAVE IT. COME AND SEE!

John 1:35–51

Dan Frazier
Monday's Devo

October 24, 2016

Monday's Devo

October 24, 2016

Central Truth

God sent Jesus, the Messiah, the Lamb of God, the King of Israel, and the Son of Man, not to meet our expectations, but to fulfill God's plan of redemption. That redemption could only be completed by His own Son who is revealed to those who "come and see."

Key Verse | John 1:46

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1:46)

John 1:35–51

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 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. 1 1:39 That is, about 4 p.m. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus 2 1:40 Greek him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter 3 1:42 Cephas and Peter are from the word for rock in Aramaic and Greek, respectively ).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, 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 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered 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 him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, 4 1:51 The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Footnotes

[1] 1:39 That is, about 4 p.m.
[2] 1:40 Greek him
[3] 1:42 Cephas and Peter are from the word for rock in Aramaic and Greek, respectively
[4] 1:51 The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse

Dive Deeper | John 1:35–51

Who was this “Lamb of God” that John the Baptist proclaimed to his disciples? And who was this asking, “What are you seeking?” The day before, John announced Him as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Jesus’ question to John's disciples seemed simple enough, but was it really? Like when Jesus talked about a new birth to Nicodemus, the everlasting water to the Samaritan woman, the Bread of Life to the Jews, and the Light of the World to a blind man, He surely spoke to the disciples' question on a spiritual level that was not immediately understood. He responded with a command and a promise, “Come and you will see.” They went, and they were transformed.

That transformation set off a chain reaction. Andrew, after seeing Jesus, went to his brother Simon with the conviction that they had found the Messiah! And when Jesus commanded Philip to follow Him, Philip not only obeyed, but he also told Nathanael, who was hesitant.

I love Philip's response to Nathanael's skepticism. He simply repeated Jesus, saying, “Come and see.” Phillip was “prepared to make a defense to anyone who [asked him] for a reason for the hope that [was] in [him]” (1 Peter 3:15). Wow, I can do that! I can tell someone to “come and see” why I worship Jesus.

So who was this Nazarene who knew everything about Nathanael before meeting him? And who was this man who had the authority to change Simon’s name to Peter? Who was this who could change the heart of a man under a fig tree, an adulteress, a murderer on the road to Damascus, a drunk in a bottle, anyone on drugs, anyone into pornography, or anyone stuck in the pit of life? 

Check it out. Jesus is the Messiah of the Bible who is not limited by our understanding and expectations. He is perfect as required by God's eternal plan of redemption! Jesus knows where we are and what we have done, but He is the Lamb of God who forgives sin. To us, He simply says, “Come and you will see.”

Discussion Questions

1. What is your response to Jesus' question, "What do you want?" Will your answer advance the kingdom of God?

2. Are you pursuing a Simon or Nathanael to bring to Jesus? Who and how many are on your list to introduce to the Lamb of God? Write down 10 people to pursue for the King.

3. How many titles for Jesus can you find in this passage? Did you find at least 10? Maybe 12? What does it say to you that there are so many in such a short passage?

4. How would you like to have Jesus change your name as He did for Simon? Are you a conqueror? "To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it." (Revelation 2:17b) What would it mean to you for Jesus to give you a new name?