John 1:19-51
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Introduction
Last week with verses 1-18 we read the introduction of John’s gospel which lays out the theology of who Jesus is. John called Him the Word, The Light of Men, and touched on Him as the Son of God. Verse 19 begins the narrative of the gospel -the life and ministry of Jesus. As he continues, we will see Jesus referred to as The Son of God (repeatedly); The Lamb of God; The Messiah; King of Israel; and Son of Man.
As we read, you will notice that these are 5 separate days.
So we will read them and consider them each in order.
The identification of John
The identification of Jesus
Following Jesus
Witnessing of Jesus
The Ministry of Jesus
Read John 1:19-28 The first day
The identification of John
John now begins to describe John the Baptist’s ministry. John had gathered large crowds as he was preaching and baptizing people. He was preaching that people needed to repent. And that through repentance they could be be forgiven… Luke 3:3
3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;
The religious leaders wanted to know who this guy was. After all, he was attracting a large crowd. So they asked him: “who are you?” Since Israel was waiting for the Messiah, it would have been the first question on the mind of every Jew… “is this Him?” So it was the first thing that John made clear: I am not the Christ. They asked: “Are you Elijah?” “Are you the prophet?” You see Israel was not just waiting for the Messiah, they were waiting for Elijah -a promised prophetic forerunner to Christ.
Malachi 4:5
5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.
14 “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.
This is the ministry John fulfilled. He answered in verse 23 -John 1:23
23 He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
He’s quoting from from Isaiah 40:3-4
3 A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. 4 “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
The ministry of John was the ministry of preparing people’s hearts for Jesus.
You see, what John understood was his own life in light of Jesus’ life. His life’s calling, that which defined him, was as a witness (1:7) to point to Jesus and to help people recognize their sin and repent. Repentance prepares the heart for Jesus.
Look at how John sees himself in the light of Jesus… John 1:27
27 “It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
John’s ministry began before Jesus’ but he understood that Jesus was infinitely more important than himself. I wonder sometimes if we get that? What is more important in your life, your will or His will? Do His priorities guide your life or do your own? These are important, defining questions.
Read John 1 29-34 The second day
The identification of Jesus (Read John 1:29-34)
The Lamb of God
Look at how John introduces Jesus: “behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”
In Genesis 22, when Abraham was ascending Mt. Moriah to offer his son Isaac as an offering, Isaac asked, where is the Lamb?… : Genesis 22:7
7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
WE know the rest of the story, right? WE know that Jesus will be crucified as as an atoning sacrifice, but how does John know this?
He goes on to identify Jesus again, essentially repeating the idea that Jesus is more important than himself… look at verse 30.. John1:30
John 1:30 (NASB95)
30 “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’
Not only is He saying that Jesus is preeminent, but preexistent. Do you see the singular purpose of John here? Jesus! Look at Jesus. Don’t look at me, look at Jesus.
Evidently John did not even know or understand this until he baptised his cousin Jesus.
He says I did not recognize Him twice… (vs. 31,33)
Now John recognizes Him, not as his cousin, but the Son of God.
God told Him “when you see the Holy Spirit descend upon this one, you will know that is the Christ” Matthew gives us the details of that… Matthew 3:16-17
16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
John is testifying that Jesus is the Christ and that He is the Son Of God, but actually it’s God Himself testifying… Both John’s are simply being witnesses to what they saw and heard
Read John 1:35-39 The third day
Following Jesus (read John 1:35-39)
Day three is when it really all begins to come together. Day one John tells us he knows who he is, he is just a witness… a voice crying in the wilderness. He knows who he is because he knows Who’s he his. He sees his own life in light of God. Then in day two he says -there He is!
Now look at the activity of day three...
John has his own disciples, there are thousands perhaps who have been coming out to hear him preach the word of God. He’s having epic baptisms… now he is standing here with a couple of his followers. He sees Jesus, and he directs the attention to Him.
Don’t miss this simple thing… he directs attention to Him. “Behold the Lamb of God” (36) -Look at Him.
I think there are too many christian Pastors and worship leaders and ministries that are dancing around saying look at me… they have professional photographers following them around and they have their stage make-up on all the time, and while they may be talking about Jesus at the same time they are crying out look at me.
Here is healthy Christian ministry: look at verse 37. John 1:37
37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Some of you are old enough to be familiar with Billy Graham’s ministry. He would be preaching the gospel in packed stadiums calling tens of thousands of people to follow Jesus. And when he gave the call to respond, as people were coming forward he would say… “your not coming to me” You see he understood his position. Like John, just “one crying in the wilderness” a witness of Jesus.
Today with social media and the internet, one of the byproducts is celebrity. Anyone can become famous. And this has infected the church. Less people are attending church and more people are identifying as following or listening to “so-and-so” preacher. You often hear “I listen to so—and-so or I watch him.” It’s not all bad, but a lot of it is.
More and more "church content” is curated to watch, it appeals to our tendency to be spectators rather than participants. I mean didn’t we all experience this? This is so nice I can watch in my pajamas. It’s easier. I don’t have to get up early, hey, you don’t have to get the kids ready, you are not going to be compelled to serve or to give, you can just receive on your time table from the comfort of your couch.
The other thing that I have noticed is that a lot of what has become popular, actually feeds division between you and your unbelieving neighbor rather than love for them.
We need to be careful. We need to be looking to Jesus.
And that guy isn’t your pastor. He’s not going to dedicate your children or grandchildren. He’s not going to baptize you, he won’t be comforting your family when you pass away.
Does the message you hear make you want to follow Jesus?
And… perhaps more importantly, what does that even look like practically?
Look at verses 38, 39… (re-read) John 1:38-39
38 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?” 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.
okay again… note the timeline of activity here:
John says look! –there He is! (36)
They heard John and began to follow Jesus (37) (they are not following John)
They began to interact with Jesus (38)
They came closer to Jesus, and stayed with Him (39)
So, it’s the end of the third day.
Now, let’s continue following the activity into day four
John 1:40-42 The fourth day
Witnesses of Jesus
Now don’t miss this, because this is really important.
They in turn became witnesses. Look at verses 40-42 John 1:40-42
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. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
You see, following Jesus doesn’t just result in you knowing more about Him, but understanding what His purpose and mission is. That is wrapped up in His identity.
John’s identity was only understood because he knew Jesus’ identity.
He’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Christian listen to me. If your understanding of Jesus does not result in you wanting to tell people about Jesus, you don’t really understand Him. Let me rephrase that and make it more clear, if your understanding of Jesus does not result in you telling others about Him, you not only don’t understand Him, you don’t understand who you are.
This is the beginning of Christianity -day three, and as you read your bible, this is what you see. When people discover who Jesus is, they tell others. This isn’t complicated.
Andrew saw Jesus, he began to follow Him, he told his brother Simon Peter… and it wasn’t a complicated “four point gospel message” he just said, I have found the Messiah, come meet Him.
Look at verse 42… “He brought Him to Jesus.” That’s it. He didn’t have to argue or convince him, he wasn’t responsible to convert him… just invite him, just to testify. And look–Jesus took it from there. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter) (42) Jesus said: “I know you.”
Do you see how the idea of witnessing is the main emphasis here?
Jesus has come to testify as to who God is. That is His mission, to explain Him.
John the Apostle is writing to explain that to the reader -he is pointing to Jesus.
We read his purpose statement last week John 20:31
31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
John explains John The Baptist’s role… he too is pointing to Jesus. He is simply a witness.
Now Andrew, who begins to follow Jesus becomes a witness.
If the main goal and purpose of your life has become about relaxation, or making money, or spoiling your grandkids, or traveling, or whatever… you are off mission. Take another look at Jesus. Who is He, what is He doing? I heard this the other day and it’s really stuck in my brain.
Your position will be determined by your disposition. What you are doing and how you think of your position in life is directly related to how you see, or maybe if you rightly see God.
Finally…
John 1:43-51 The fifth day
The ministry of Jesus (Read John 1:43-51)
Okay, now we are seeing the ministry really begin to blossom. And notice it’s not one method or another… Jesus calls individuals personally. We all have different testimonies right? Some were raised in Christian homes and heard the gospel early and were trained to love Jesus. Others were brought to a Christian event or to church where they heard about Jesus, and the word of God spoke to them. Some heard the gospel from a friend… it may have been thorough and complete, or maybe it was simple and childlike. Yet others had almost no other contact but through Jesus himself. In this room many methods of evangelism and calling are represented. I love to hear these stories. I love Jamie Bigelow’s story… she just found a children’s bible in a thrift store and God used it to bring her to faith in Jesus.
Jesus directly “finds Philip” and says follow me. (43)
Philip tells Nathaniel. What did he tell him? Was it a thorough and theologically rich gospel presentation?
This exchange has always been intersting to me. Of course it is in the Jewish culture, so Philip basically says we have found Messiah. Nathaniel initially mocks the idea. Nazareth?
this is one of the things that adds believability to the story… Jesus was born in obscurity and raised in relative obscurity… he is not who we expected.
But when Nathaniel comes to Him, Jesus takes over. I think this is something really important to understand about bringing your friends to Jesus. He will take over. Just get them to Him.
Get them to Him in prayer
Get them to Him by invitation
Get them to hear the word of God
And here is what Jesus does. He says “I know you”
Even before Nathaniel get to Jesus he commends him as an honest fellow.
When Nathaniel gets introduced to Jesus and heard His word, He sees Him for who He is.
And Jesus says: “you are going to see more” -the christian life, really following Jesus, is progressive. If you have stopped progressing it’s not because He stopped moving forward, it’s because you stopped. Somewhere along the way, we lost sight of Him, we stopped seeing ourselves in light of Jesus and His mission. We became attenders rather than participants.
Look at Jesus.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His
Wonderful face
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His
Glory and grace
What is He doing?
Close
13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
I think we would all agree that this is an essential verse. In order to be saved, one MUST respond to, receive Jesus.
But the next verse, is equally important...
14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?