Follow Me- John 1:35-51

Introduction

Prayer

Alright, 2nd—5th graders you guys are free to dismiss. And as a reminder, parents you can pick those children up at the Wetlands Building, and if you need any help finding where that is, don’t hesitate to ask someone with a lanyard.

If you’re new with us, my name is Andrew McClure and I’m one of the Pastor’s here, and if you wouldn’t mind please turn with me to John chapter 1,

I’m so happy to inform you that after 6 weeks in the Gospel of John, we will officially be out of Chapter 1 next week!

But we took our time in chapter 1, because the prologue (those first 18 verses) are so poetic, and theologically dense.

So we’ll begin to bite off bigger chunks of Scripture, like today.

John 1:35-51. But as you find that text, let me introduce our passage briefly.

We live in a dog eat dog world. Mercy, and compassion, and empathy and sacrifice are uncommon qualities.

But competitiveness, ruthless tenacity, and the selfish desire to get ahead others at all costs is par for the course.

And no petri dish demonstrates this reality more clearly than a school yard sporting event.

Kids rush out to recess, and they have 20 minutes to play their football game.

But how were those teams selected?

I’ll tell you how! Because it was always the same. And regardless of how many helicopter moms are trying to stop it… it happens today.

The two best athletes, the alphas, are chosen as captains.

And then the rest of us stand there, hoping and praying they see our value, because we all want to avoid that dreaded last pick.

Because everybody knows the last pick is reserved for the kid who can’t catch, can’t throw, and could barely run.

An absolute liability in school-yard football. Avoided.

On days where I was last pick… by the time it was whittled down to me I didn’t even want to play anymore. It’s humiliating.

It’s so wounding, so I’m sorry if I just ripped a scab off an old wound for you.

but I bring that up because… when it comes to our relationship with Jesus, being on Jesus’ team, we were the last pick!

Not because of order in which you were selected, instead you’re the last pick because there was nothing you had to offer to make Jesus pick you.

In fact, when it came to holiness, and righteousness, and the fruit of the Spirit… all strong characteristics of Jesus’ team… we were all absolute liabilities.

We couldn’t spiritually catch, throw, or run. We were spiritual liabilities.

Isn’t this what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:26 “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.”

Right, it’s not because of your giftings, or accolades, or what you had to offer Him.

But what odes he say?

1 Corinthians 1:27 “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;”

The foolish, the weak… the last pick.

That’s who God chooses.

All so that he may receive all the glory.

All so that when his team wins, it won’t be because of how great his picks were, but because of how great He is.

He chooses people who are ordinary, in order to show how extraordinary he is.

He chooses the unexceptional, so he may be viewed as highly exceptional.

He chooses the common, so he may be seen as truly uncommon.

That is the story of our text today, and it is the story of each of our lives too.

Today’s text concerns the calling of Jesus’ first disciples to come and follow Him, and as we look at their story, I want you to notice 3 things about their call to follow Jesus.

And I’m going to unpack those 3 things with the words

Initiative

Individualized

Invitation

So let’s read our text, and then unpack it together.

John 1:35–51 ESV

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 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?” 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. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 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). The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 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.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 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.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 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.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Following Jesus as the Last Pick

Let’s begin by looking at Initiative.

Initiative

I already mentioned this, but we are not the Team Captain.

God is. He makes His choices.

He Takes Initiative.

John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you…”

He chooses.

The first example we have of God’s initiative can be seen in the calling of Andrew, and another disciple who remains undisclosed.

Look at verse 35. John 1:35 “The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,”

Now this is John the Baptist.

He came upon the scene 2 days prior in verse 19, where he tells the Religious Authorities that He is not the Christ or Savior, but instead he is a voice.

A herald. One who goes before the Savior, to prepare people to recognize the Savior.

Well 1 day after that confrontation, he sees Jesus walking toward him in verse 29, and declares (BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD who takes away the sin of the world!).

Well apparently some of his disciples weren’t there that day, so the following day, in verse 35, he sees Jesus again and with his disciples present this time says it again,

John 1:36 “and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!””

And at this declaration, John 1:37 “The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.”

Church, this is remarkable isn’t it.

John the Baptist had amassed quite the following… Mark 1:5 “And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.”

This man had amassed a following.

He was what we call today, an Influencer.

Now for some of you, an influencer is someone who has amassed enough social media followers to significantly influence a market for a product or social campaign.

Via Google I learned this week that there are tiers of influencer.

And according to google Nano-Influencers Have 1K-10K followers.

but Mega Influencers Have more than 1million.

I’m not sure what they’d call me… I think I have a couple of dozen or so.

But John the Baptist, if he had Instagram he’d be a Mega Influencer.

Like Liver King, he was a wild man. Living out in the wilderness, wearing camel’s hair, and eating locusts with honey.

And preaching with passion.

He had a following. He was a Mega-Influencer.

Yet, here in our text he willingly turns his disciples over to Jesus.

Instead of being a personal empire builder, he chose to be an empire dissolver.

How rare is that! I mean the human tendency is to make a name for ourselves, amass views, gain a following, but John shows us that a true minister of Jesus Christ is willing to decrease attention on self in order to increase attention on Jesus.

On this subject commentator Bruce Milne writes, “At a time when public trust in Christian leaders is at an all-time low, the world is in desperate need of preachers and witnesses prepared to mortgage their personal ambitions and popularity out of a consuming concern for Jesus’ pre-eminence and the advance of his cause, by whatever human instrument.

We must become less, He must become more.

I must not gather followers, I must point others to follow Jesus.

Just like John the Baptist does here for Andrew, and another mysteriously unnamed disciple.

Now to guess at who this other disciple would be, is pure speculation, but I don’t believe its without merit that this disciple is none other than the author, John the Apostle. Brother of James.

But the point today, is that John the Baptist pushes his disciples away from self onto Jesus. And they taking John’s endorsement, immediately begin following Jesus.

But if they started following Jesus, doesn’t that mean that they took the initiative? That they chose Him?

No, no no…

Because they are merely responding to the witness and testimony of their trusted friend and mentor John the Baptist.

John the Baptist was the torch that initiated the followership of Jesus.

And how did John the Baptist know who Jesus was?

It was revealed to Him, by God alone— John 1:33 “I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’”

And who sent John the Baptist in the first place?

Read Luke 1 when you get some time. There God tells Zechariah, John’s father, that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb and that he will go before Jesus in the spirit and power of Elijah, to make a people ready for the Lord.

John was chosen by God before the foundation of the world.

God set all this up.

God led Andrew and John to John the Baptist.

God called and anointed John the Baptist.

God called Andrew and John to himself.

God takes the initiative.

But the other example is clearly spelled out in the calling of Philip.

Look at John 1:43 “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.””

Jesus on the way to Galilee, finds Philip. he found Philip. He told him to follow.

He takes the Initiative.

And it’s one of the things that sets Jesus apart from the traditional view of Rabbi’s in that day.

Historically, Rabbi’s were always surrounded by learners, but 100% of the time a student, if he really wanted to apply himself to the Torah, had to find a teacher for himself… but not so with Jesus. He takes the initative to call his own students.

And ya’ll, he didn’t chose the Alphas.

Andrew and Peter were fisherman.

Philip was too, and probably Nathanel as well. And although students of the OT, as we’ll see shortly, these were all just “unschooled, ordinary men.” As the book of Acts later attests.

And this is the same for each one of us.

He takes the initiative. He calls us.

2 Timothy 1:9 “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,”

So… following Jesus as the Last Pick, begins with gratitude.

All glory belongs to Him, For he takes the Initiative.

Yet, at the same time, everybody’s calling or choosing is different.

It’s individualized.

Individualized

God chooses all of His followers, before the foundation of the World.

John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…

But the way he does it is different, or individualized for each person.

There’s no formula. There’s no cookie cutter.There is no uniform pathway.

Every story is unique, every pathway is individualized.

Andrew and John the Apostle came to Jesus through their connection to John the Baptist.

Peter came on the endorsement of His brother, as well as the destiny affirming renaming from Simon to Peter of christ.

Philip was found by Jesus, while minding his own business.

And Nathanael was introduced to Jesus by his buddy Philip, although he was deeply cynical and needed his own encounter to solidify his followership.

Matthew was sitting in a tax collectors booth

Paul was confronted by a blinding light

The Philippian Jailer witnessed an earthquake.

Mary Magdalene was healed

There is no formula.

There is one God, one team Captain, and He takes Initiative but everyone’s path is individualized.

This is true for you and I isn’t it?

Some come to Christ after finally reaching rock bottom through addiction, or loss, or grief… while others can’t remember a single day without Christ because they were called to HIm at such a young age.

And those that have been Christians from an early age tend to covet the extreme testimony of the addict.

While the addict tends to regret their past, coveting the testimony of the early Christian.

But it doesn’t matter, the pathway, it only matters that God took Initiative and drew us to Himself.

Annie was saved at age 15 at an FCA retreat.

I was called at 18 at a church summer camp.

My mother, placed faith in Christ at age 6, being raised in a strong Christian Household,

While another lady in our church, was chosen by Christ last Sunday at the age of 82 years young!

There is no formula. There is no uniform pathway.

Every story is unique, and every person is individualized.

There is also no uniform personality.

Andrew, from what we can make of Him was almost always second fiddle to his brother Peter.

Look at verse 40 John 1:40 “One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.”

Peter was impulsive, and constantly inserted his foot in his mouth.

Nathanael was cynical, and said what he was thinking.

Thomas was a doubter.

Paul was self-righteous.

There is no uniform personality.

Nor is there a uniform profession.

Andrew, Peter, James and John were fisherman.

Matthew a tax collector.

Paul a Pharisee in Training.

Simon a Zealot warrior seeking to overthrow Rome.

Luke a Physician, and Lydia in the book of Acts a successful business woman who sold luxurious clothing.

And the same is true for everyone of us today Church.

He chooses His own, and every pathway, personality, and profession can experience the loving Grace of God in Christ.

He can use it all, and every story will be individualized.

But the last point for us this morning,

Is When he takes Initiative, and Individualizes your pick… there is always a deep invitation.

Invitation.

Invitation

When God takes the Initiative, and calls the Individual, it is first and foremost always an Invitation to KNOW GOD.

To explore, and discover who He is, His purposes, and His plans.

There is an invitation to Know God.

As good disciples of John the Baptist, Andrew and John the Apostle had been eagerly waiting for the coming Messiah.

Well all of a sudden, John declares, “Behold, the lamb of God.” And they immediately begin following Jesus.

Like literally walking behind him, and look at verse 38, John 1:38 “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?””

They wanted to investigate for themselves, and wisely, instead of launching into their theological questioning, they asked, “where are you staying” so that they could get a little more relaxed, and linger time to explore for themselves who this man actually was.

Adn they get their wish, Jesus invites them over

John 1:39 “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.”

The 10th hour is about 4pm according to the Jewish day.

So from 4pm to dark, they sit with Jesus, ask questions, learn from him.

And we don’t know what they discussed. We don’t know what questions they asked. But we know the result!

Andrew left that rendevous and verse 41 reads

John 1:41 “He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).”

After inquiring, Andrew was convinced… this is the MESSIAH.

He came to know Jesus, as the Messiah. Which means “Anointed One” The long awaited, Christ, Savior. Redeemer, and King.”

Similarly, after Philip encounters Jesus, what did he discover.

John 1:45 “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.””

The fulfillment of their sacred writings. That was the discovery Philip had made.

But Nathanael wasn’t so sure. He says, John 1:46 “Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.””

Now Nathanael said this, not because he was inherently prejudiced, but he was from Cana (John 21), which was about 4 miles from Nazareth. So there was a little rivalry between the 2.

And Nathanael was also a student of Scripture, and he knew that the Savior was prophesied to come from Bethlehem, not Nazareth… so he thinks… this is all wrong.

But at his buddy’s invitation, he goes to meet Jesus himself, and immediately encounters Jesus’s Omniscience.

Omniscience is knowledge of everything. Jesus knows all.

And says, John 1:48 “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.””

there’s no way Jesus could have logically known that Nathanel had just been sitting under a fig tree, and Nathanael gets the picture.

And what Jesus is communicating here is that “Nathanael, when you weren’t thinking about me, I was thinking about you. When you didn’t know me, I knew you.”

In that moment, Nathanael was invited to KNOW Jesus’ omnisicence and immediately confesses

John 1:49 “Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!””

Church the point here is that when Jesus calls us to Himself, that although every person’s path is unique, it is always an invitation to KNOW HIM.

In this text, these ordinary men discovered Jesus to be

Lamb of God

Messiah

Fufillment of OT

the Son of God

And the King of Israel.

But it isn’t just an invitation to Know God once… but to keep on knowing.

But there’s always more… this was just the beginning, as jesus said

John 1:50 “You will see greater things than these.””

An Invitation to Know God.

But finally, in this invitation is also an opportunity to KNOW SELF.

St. Augustine once prayed, “Lord Jesus, let me know You, O you who know me, Then shall I know myself even as I am known.”

John Calvin in his first chapter of his famed Institutes of Christian Religion wrote, “Nearly all wisdom we possess consists of 2 parts, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves.

Everybody wants to know who they really are.

But it is only through the Knowledge of God, that comes from following Jesus, that we can actually know ourselves.

And in our text, it begins with knowing our own Motivations.

As you draw close to Jesus, your motivations of thought, and behavior, and life will be revealed by His kind, and loving gaze.

When Andrew and John start following Jesus, Jesus turns and asks, John 1:38 “ “What are you seeking?”

What a searching question. A piercing question.

Church, sooner or later as you begin to take following Jesus seriously, you too must answer this question.

“What do you really want from Him?”

Now fortunately, our motives don’t always have to be pure or selfless at first.

It is totally fine, to be honest with your answer.

Many wanted Jesus to have their bellies filled, or illnesses healed, or family members touched.

And being the compassionate, loving, sacrificing savior he is… he meets us all where we are.

BUT YOU HAVE TO BE HONEST.

Leave pretension aside. Don’t try to pretty up your motivations. He sees through them anyway.

Instead honestly, answer the question, “What are you seeking?”

What are you seeking church?

Help? Strength? Affirmation? Comfort? Financial Help?

What is it?

Let his question pierce your motivations, inviting you to know yourself.

Now, I’m not saying that He is your genie in a bottle that exists to give you what you seek. But if you’re honest, he can mold your motivations and seek to give you what you need!

Following Jesus helps us to know our motivations.

He also invites us to know our Purpose.

I don’t have time to belabor this point, but as soon as Andrew comes to know Jesus, all of a sudden he seeks to make Him Known.

He begins to live with eternal purpose.

He seeks out Peter, and invites Peter to meet Jesus.

And with hindsight, Andrew’s bringing Peter to Jesus was perhaps as great a service to the Church as any man ever did.

The same with Philip. He began to live with Kingdom purpose, inviting Nathanael to Jesus.

And Philip gives us a master class on how to deal with argumentative, cynical people.

Nathanael was a cynic. He didn’t believe Philip’s testimony, but instead of trying to argue him into the Kingdom Philip simply says, John 1:46 “ Philip said to him, “Come and see.””

Scholar D.A. Carson writes, “Evangelism is not usually advanced much by apologetics because apologetic arguments usually convince those who are generally already convinced or who are at the point of seeking to be convinced. Evangelism usually is advanced best by genuine, concerned, loving proclamation and invitation.”

And let me add this quickly, “Statistics repeatedly demonstrate that while gospel preaching is undoubtedly important, personal witness and friendship continue to be the primary means by which people are brought to Christ.”

Following Jesus helps us know our Purpose.

Finally, he invites us to know our Identity

I wish I had another 30 minutes here. But as often as we tend to see ourselves through the lens of our pasts, Jesus truly sees us through the lens of our futures.

Church you are not defined by your failures, or shortcomings. Nor are you defined by the pains or failures of your present.

jesus doesn’t see you as who you’ve been, or even as who you are… but who you can be when you follow Him.

Following Him is an invitation to a new identity.

This is first evidenced with Peter.

John 1:42 “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).”

Cephas is Aramaic for Rock

Peter is Greek for Rock.

And at this point in Simon’s life, being a ROCK, or stable, was a far from reality.

But Jesus saw what He could become as he followed Him.

This is Jesus,

he approaches people from the perspective of their potential.

He reshapes identity.

We see it again, with Nathanael.

John 1:47 “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!””

This statement, along with the idea of angels ascending and descending is a direct reference to Jacob in the book of Genesis.

Jesus is painting Nathanael as an authentic Israelite, in whom there is no deceit, where as in Genesis 27 Jacob is identified as a deceiver twice.

But the point here, is that Jesus sees Nathanael for who He really is.

And growing close to Jesus, is an invitation for us all to know who we are.

Following Jesus, helps us know our Identity.

Conclusion

Church, FOLLOWING JESUS is the greatest gift any one of us can receive.

But we must remember, we’re all like the last pick.

he takes the initiative, it’s individualized for each of us, but it is always an invitation to Know Him and Know Ourselves.

And he is uniquely qualified to do all of this, because he is the Son of Man.

This is how our text closes.

John 1:51 “And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.””

In Genesis 28, after Jacob was deemed a deceiver, Jacob dreams has a dream.

Now the night he had this dream, he was on the run from his brohter esau. A wanted man. Lonely, isolated. Desparing.

But in the dream he sees the heavens opened up, and a ladder connecting heaven and earth. A portal between God and Himself.

And he wakes and says, Genesis 28:16 “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.””

There under at the ladder… He was no longer alone. Heaven had touched earth, allowing Him the opportunity to touch heaven.

Church, Jesus is the Ladder.

In Christ, God descends to us.

In Christ, we ascend to God.

He is the messiah. He is the lamb of God that saves us from our sins so that we may follow him, due to his initative, individualized to us, with an invitation to Know Him and our selves.

Thankful for Jesus.

Communion

To solidify our time together, I’d like for us to take Communion.

fence

but want to invite you to consider following Jesus. To explore for yourself who he is because he will meet you where you’re at.

amd if you are a Christian, as you take these elements I want you to reflect.

who were you when he called you? Who have you learned him to be? And are you living with purpose? So take the elements, reflect and in a moment I’ll come back up and lead us together