John 1:19-51

Come and See

Prayer for Phil

Welcome Back We are in week 2 of the book of John.

This year we are walking through the book of John and last week I introduced the book as a book that you need to eat with chopsticks.

There are two meanings to everything in the book.

So we are early enough in the series that I would tell you that if you missed last week then get on our podcast and listen to last week…

But I will do like 20seconds of recap then we are just going to jump right in

John presents Jesus preexistent son of God, the one who was with God in the beginning and the one who had a hand in creation,…

John calls Jesus the Word of God: So if you are reading the old testament and you see things like…The word of the Lord came to XYZ…John would say…That was Jesus

John wants us to see that the coming of Jesus marks something amazing in the world…A new beginning…A new creation

And that life in him is more than just life…

We have so much to cover today that I am just going to jump right in

Last week we left off where John the Baptist was just just beginning to pave the way for Jesus Let’s just read a little bit of that for context

John 1:15–18 NIV

(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

I mean so much here:

John’s message right in the beginning of the gospel is that Jesus brings the grace of God…He brings undeserved favor

And while Moses brought the law, all grace and truth comes though Jesus

So here is your first fill in…This is the message of John the baptist

The Law shows us what is wrong but Jesus shows us who God is

So John the baptist is like look in the past we have seen God’s values in the law which has really shown us that we are sinners But now here is Jesus…to show us what it means to live in close relationship with the father!

This is a Big deal!

These are huge claims that John is making about Jesus

So what happens next is what will always happen for the rest of the new testament…

Whenever someone makes a big claim about Jesus…Or when Jesus does something big

That claim is investigated! That is going to get us going here in John 1:19

John 1:19–28 NIV

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ” Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Now this is impotrant, right in verse 19 it says the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priest and levites to question John.

Already John, just by his preaching is attracting crowds

We have talked a lot about how all of Israel was looking and awaiting a messiah

So John preaching in the wilderness would have caused a huge stir.

So they come asking who he is with questions that would expect the messiah

So they ask him, Are you Elijah: Why would you ask this question?

Malachi 4:5 NIV

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.

Man they wanted to know…Is it time for the Day of the Lord. The day when the Lord judges the living and the dead.

But John says no

Now John the baptist certainly came in the spirit of Elijah, he wore clothes like him, ate wild honey and Locust…So he was similar…But John the baptists..>Says nope…Not Elijah

Are you “The Prophet”

Deut 18 promised a prophet like Moses would come

The answer again…No not Moses

So then who are you?

And then John quotes this passage Isaiah 40:3

Isaiah 40:3 NIV

A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

John says he is the voice found in Isaiah 40…that his job is to prepare the way for the Lord…

Now the text of Isaiah 40 is all about a voice announcing Israels return from exile…

Why does this matter?

Well it was the voice of the Lord that sent Adam and Eve into Exile

Let me just read to you in the KJV Genesis 3:8

Genesis 3:8 (KJV)

King James Version Chapter 3

8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day

Now I read it in the KJV just because I want to show you something….If you read that in any other bible the word for voice here they translate to sound…But it is the EXACT same word found in Isaiah 40:3….

This is where we need our chopsticks here…

Because on one Level: John the Baptist is saying: Jesus is the one who will set you free…That is simple and easy to understand

But on the other hand…on the much deeper level: Jesus is the Word of the Lord…so he is also the voice!

Jesus is both the voice that expels humanity from the garden and calls us back to relationship with God

It reveals who Jesus is: Cosmic…The one who will judge the living and the dead and the one who will say well done…good and faithful servent

Jesus isn’t just some guy: he is the living and active word of God! The one who is always calling us out of Exile!

let’s look at what happens next And by the way:

Just a quick note….

John says about Jesus..>look I am unworthy to untie the guy’s shoes

In the Talmud it talks about a disciple of a rabbi can perform any service for their Rabbi but the one thing that is to lowly for them to do is to untie their sandals

John is making a huge statement about just how holy Jesus is

John wants you to know that this is the cosmic God become flesh

If you want to see what Holiness looks like…Look at Jesus

If you want to see what all truth looks like, look to Jesus!

John 1:29–34 NIV

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

Lamb of God…who takes away the sin of the world:

One of the things we have to remember is that in the mind of the first century person…When John actually said these things…They didn’t have the book of Revelation where Jesus is pictured as the lamb who was slain

jesus has not yet died on passover and become the passover lamb…

probably anywhere from 50 - 100 years before the birth of Jesus there was a jewish text that became popular Now its not biblical text but the way I like to describe what Jewish commentary was is almost like what fan fiction is today…These Jewish scholars and scribes would be reading the text and in an attempt to give commentary to the text they would write commentary in the voice of a biblical character…In this case Joseph…

Now again…This is not scripture but just something that people were reading in the first century

Testament of Joseph 19:8

Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament 19

8 And I saw that [from Judah was born] a †virgin [wearing a linen garment, and from her] was born a lamb, [without spot]; and on his left hand there was as it were a lion; and all the beasts rushed against him, and the lamb overcame them, and destroyed them and trod them under foot. 9 And because of him the angels and men rejoiced, and all the land. 10 And these things shall come to pass in their season, in the last days. 11 Do ye therefore, my children, observe the commandments of the Lord, and honour Levi and Judah; for from them shall arise unto you [the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world]

I put this up here to show you that in the first century world people were looking for a person who was the “lamb of God” that takes away the sin of the world

The problem humanity could never fix—God fixes Himself.

Guys, when we sin, something cosmic happens, it is a violation against God….You can not fix that…All your best efforts and works can not make it right. It is on God to give us forgiveness…And that is why he sends his son…

The ancient authors knew that no matter what we did we couldn’t make our sinful lives right…That it was something that only God could do!

John the Baptist wants the world to know that the problem of sin can only be settled in Jesus…That is it!

Now the Author John is also doing something here that is really impotrant:

Now here is some more intro about why John was writing…At the time of John’s writing there is a Heresy that is running rapid in the early church

Its called Docetism:

Docetism is an early Christian heresy teaching that Jesus Christ only appeared to be human, not truly flesh and blood

So if that’s true then Jesus didn’t actually die

The Apostle John directly address this in his letter to 1 John but also takes up the issue all over his gospel

So one of the things you will see littered all though the gospel of John is that the Godhead exists in Trinity….Now John will never use the word trinity

The word Trinity was given later to define what we see in scripture

And this is core to who we are

The trinitarian formula:

Nowhere in the bible does it say: God is Triune. That is three distinct beings but one in essence

BUT this is something that christians have articulated and believed really since the beginning.

The father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God

So John the Baptist in the earliest association with jesus affirms a triune God.

John 1:18 NIV

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

So here we have a relationship with the father and the son…The son who “took on Flesh” which is directly contradicting the Docetist

John 1:32 NIV

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.

Now the spirit that was present at creation…is resting on Jesus…We have father, son & Holy spirit right in the first chapter

The doctrine of the trinity is what sets us apart. And it is something that is a major theme in Johns works

Now let me just give us a few reasons why it matters

We have to agree on who Jesus is:

The doctrine of the trinity is what distinguishes us in a pluralistic world:

To Mormon’s Jesus is a God, among many! , not a member of the unified Godhead…To Jehovah’s witnesses, Jesus is a biological man, in fact in their translation of the bible they have edited out the divinity of Jesus…To Muslims, Jesus is merely a prophet, to jews, Jesus was a prophet and really a magician swindler…

Christianity is unique in claiming that the Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God

Now along with the fact that it distinguishes us: It grounds us in salvation

Back to the phrase, “The lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”

Only God, is capable of taking away your sin.

Only Jesus who is God is able to bring you into relationship with the father

Only Jesus who is from the heart of the father can really reveal what real life truly is

The spirit

Then John the Baptist talks about the spirit descending on Jesus like a dove..

Where is the first place that we see a dove in the scripture?  Noah Genesis 8…he sends out a dove right? 

Noah’s Arc is a man made thing that brings physical deliverance

Jesus is a God given person that brings total spiritual deliverance

And the Dove was a sign to Noah that land was near and they would be safe. 

The Dove is a reminder that Jesus is a new and greater Noah…That Jesus is the new Arc for all humanity to shelter in!

Just as the ark saved a family—Jesus becomes a new ark to find shelter in.

John 1 is this continual echo of Genesis…In Genesis, the world is coming undone…and in John’s Gospel, Jesus is stitching everything back together again…

And John 1 is this fuller picture of who God is. We do see the trinity in the old testament, actually all over the place…But in Jesus we see it most fully!

Ok I really want to get to the next two sections:

John 1:35–42 NIV

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

John’s calling was clear.

He had to be a witness to who Jesus is and was!

And that is what he did. he called out who Jesus was, the lamb of God…

and two of John’s disciples stop following John and start following Jesus

Am I more concerned with people following me or Jesus?

John didn’t care that he was in a sense…Unfollowed!

This is what good witnesses do…They point out Jesus in everything

Now There something so Key in the very first words of Jesus here:

he sees the two follow him and he asks: What do you want?

This is a question on 2 levels

In one sense you can translate this: How can I help you

But on the second more deep level jesus turns towards his first followers and demands that they articulate what they really want out of life

Now think about it.

What do you want out of life?

Not like well, I’d like to get a faster gravel bike or I’d like to get a new house

But what will really satisfy you out of life

Let that first question of Jesus sink into you today

What do you want?

Why are you here at church today?

What would make you satisfied?

What would satisfy all of your wants and desires…

Now if you can answer that then you have just made a prayer list.

So Jesus asks what do you want and, They are like…UMMM>>>Where are you staying?

It seems like a practical question: Jesus where are you sleeping tonight?

But In the book of John there is always a second chopstick..>Something deeper

The question to Jesus is

Where do you “Meno”….You are going to hear jesus say this word a ton in the gospel of John

Allow me to re-tranlate the question that is asked by the disciples

Jesus, Where do you abide?

Jesus where will you remain?

If you know John 15 you know this verse

John 15:4 NIV

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

So they are saying..>hey Jesus where are you laying your head?

And the rest of the gospel of John is going to answer the deeper question to where are you going…

The rest of the Gospel is going to show us where Jesus really abides…where he really remains…He remains with the father!

So Jesus simply says

COME AND SEE!

I can not think of a better thing for the son of God to say

Jesus shows us his love and his grace before he articulates it

It is a love and grace that has to be experienced first!

Now…There is one more thing…The word Meno or Remain is actually used before this…

When John talks about the holy spirit descending like a dove and remaining on Jesus…It is Meno with Jesus…

The Lord abides with Jesus and Jesus will abide with his father!

So the question the disciples ask is Jesus where are you abiding

and the answer of Jesus is Come and See

Now I live in south land park, many of you live in pocket…if someone asked you where you live you would just say…I live in pocket…

If you said: COME AND SEE we would be like…Okay dude…just give me your address

But when jesus says come and see

He is saying come and learn from me about life that is really life!

let’s finish out Chapter 1

John 1:43–51 NIV

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “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.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

Ok so the gist of this is that Jesus has picked up a third disciple and he is going for a 4th

The first two are Andrew and Peter Johnson….Oh sorry…Son of John haha, the Brothers

Then he comes across Philip

And the invitation that Philip gets is come and see….

Well apparently Philip saw because he invites Nathaniel

And when Nathanael asks that famous question: Can anything good come from Nazareth…

What does Philip Say?

COME AND SEE!

He doesn't try and lay out convincing proof

He doesn’t say ok lets do a bible study..

he just says come to Jesus and

Faithful witness invite people to come and see

Now Nathanial was blunt in his criticism of Nazareth…But he is not being duplicitous

What you see is what you get with him

Now that matters because all of the sudden Jesus shifts gears and starts talking about Jacob from the book of Genesis.

Remember Jacob deceived his brother twice and his uncle once and finally he wrestled with God and had a dream about angels ascending and descending on this latter

And then his name is changed from Jacob to Israel

and out of Jacob’s line comes the 12 tribes of Israel

So Jesus tells Nathanial…You are a true Israelite who has no deceit…A reference to Jacob…who for the first half of his life was full of deceit

What Jesus is doing here is continuing the theme of reversal that runs through this chapter

Jesus is the lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world and he is going to redeem Israel:

The contrast between Jacob and Nathanael resolves into a deeper typology:

Jacob has a dream of a ladder or staircase with angels going up and down…Jesus says…I am that Ladder…In other words…My life connects heaven and earth!

Jesus is going to the decedent's of Jacob…to Israel to give them another shot…to be reborn

His whole thing is look,….Come and See…I connect heaven and earth…Come to me!

Conclusion: Come to the table and See

John chapter 1 moves fast—but the pattern is simple.

John the Baptist says, “Look.” Andrew says, “Come.” Philip says, “Come and see.” And one by one—names are added. Lives are changed.

This is how the kingdom of God moves forward. Not through crowds first—but through people.

Andrew brings one brother. Philip brings one friend. Jesus sees one man under a fig tree.

And here’s what I love about this chapter: Nobody argues anyone into the kingdom. Nobody pressures anyone into belief. They just invite.

“Come and see.”

And that’s our calling too.

Not to fix everyone. Not to convince everyone. But to notice someone.

Because in the economy of God—one matters.

You matter before God. This is why he is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

So the invitation to you today is to come to the table

To come to eat from the life of Jesus…

To come and learn from him and put your life in his hands…

When you come to the table it is a way to say yes to Jesus…

You pick up his life and lay yours down! This is what it means to follow jesus

On the night that he was betrayed, Jesus held up the bread and he said…this is my body, given for you

and he passed around the cup with a big claim…this is the new blood of the covenant…It is my blood

So as you come to the table today

Come and see the life that is really life

Come and see the lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world

come and pick up the life of God and lay yours down in the process!

Lets pray