John 1: 43-50

I sat here and puzzled a few moments over why John tells us about the calling of Philip and Nathanael when he doesn't include the rest of the disciples. It makes sense that he would tell us about how Peter came to know Jesus, considering the role Peter would play in establishing the infant church. He does not go into the calling of the other disciples, except for Philip and Nathanael. Why?

Two reasons, I think.

First, because of Nathanael's response to Jesus. And second, because of Jesus' reply back to Nathanael.

When Philip goes to find his friend Nathanael, he doesn't say (like Andrew) "Come, we have found the Messiah." No, he says very specifically, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

What does this tell us? Nathanael didn't just know the prophecies about Messiah - passed down from father to son in any good Jewish family. He had actively studied the Law and the Prophets for himself. Jesus himself confirms this when Nathanael asks "How do you know me?" and Jesus replies "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." A true Israelite - one who studied the Scriptures and took them to heart, lived by them.

But even though Nathanael was well read on the Torah, how does he answer Philip's statement? With disbelief! "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Even one who knew the Scriptures backwards and forwards was not expecting Messiah to come in the way that Jesus came.

What makes Nathanael believe? When Jesus tells him that he saw him under the fig tree before Philip even went to fetch him. You can almost hear the wheels turning in Nathanael's head as he processes this, and then his eyes get wide and his jaw drops and he realizes both Who is talking to him and the full implications of it.

"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Why does he use both terms? Why not just one? Because the Jews were not looking for their Messiah to be anything but a man, a good man, a righteous man - but just a man, like King David. For the second time in John's gospel, he emphasizes that those who encountered the living Jesus with open eyes - immediately recognized Him as not just Messiah, but the Son of God.

I like to think that the next thing Jesus said is said with rueful amusement...."You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." (As in, I saw you before Philip went to get you and you're impressed by that? Boy have you got a lot of surprises in store for you!) And then he gives him a glimpse into what he will be witness to.

"I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

John's story abruptly ends there. I have to think it's because at that point all the disciples were utterly speechless. I think I would have been.

And you know, that's the thing. When I encountered the living Jesus, in his Word, through His people, then at work in my own heart - I was struck speechless. Sometimes I think we Christians spend too much time talking at people about Jesus, instead of showing them and bringing them to Jesus - like Andrew and Philip did.

God help me to remove this mask and let people see Jesus, not me.

John 1: 35-42

I find it interesting that the first thing Jesus says to Andrew and the other (unnamed but possibly John himself) disciple is "What do you want?"

I mean, it's obvious isn't it? Even if you're not God in the flesh. If someone starts following you around presumably they want to talk to you, hear what you have to say, find out more about you. But Jesus, who "knew what was in a man" would have known everything about them. And still he asks them. Why?

I believe he asks them so that they think about their motives. I even hear the question phrased differently to cover all bases:

What do you want?
What do you want?
What do you want?
What do you want?

As in:

Are you following me for the novelty of it?
Do you know why you want to follow me?
What's you're motivation behind this?
Look deep into your heart - what do you really want?

I think the question covers all that and more - Jesus knows what they want, but he wants them to know what their motivation is.

And then, when Andrew fetches his brother to introduce him to Jesus, Jesus summarizes their whole relationship in one sentence.

"You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas"

I know who you are. I know where you come from. I also know that you will not stay in that place. I see who you really are inside, and who you will become.

John 1: 29-34

One of the things I've been doing lately that helps me a lot with passages like this that I have read over and over is to try to imagine what the 1st century Israelites actually heard (as opposed to what I with my 21st century mind hear).

John the Baptist announces to everyone present "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" when he sees Jesus approaching. If you've grown up in the church, this is a very familiar title used when talking about Jesus. But it would have been an unfamiliar and possibly puzzling phrase to the ears of the 1st century Jews.

They were very familiar with the sacrifice of a lamb as a sin offering. The law of Moses lays out in great detail all the many occasions where the sacrifice of a lamb (or other animal) is required as an act of worship as a sin offering, purification offering, etc. All of it stemming from the very first sacrifice of lambs during the very first Passover - when the angel of death, sent by God to slay all the Egyptians' firstborn, passed over the Israelites because they had smeared the blood of the sacrificed lamb on their door posts.

What on earth does this phrase "Lamb of God" mean, anyway? Remember, Jesus death on the cross was a future event at this point.

He then says (referring to seeing the Holy Spirit rest upon Jesus at His baptism) "I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God". Now, the thing is, the Jews were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their Messiah. But they expected the Messiah to be a very powerful human deliverer-king. One who would restore the Israelites proper place in the world, punish their enemies, and ensure peace and safety for them all. Someone along the lines of another David or Solomon. There is no direct reference in the Jewish Scriptures (the Torah, and the Psalms and Prophets) that Messiah will be the son of God.

John the Baptist's declaration must have been nothing less than shocking.

God had left the Jewish people hints, but only those with eyes to see would recognize Jesus for who He really was.