Untitled Sermon (2)

John 1: 29-51

Introduction

As we jump back into John 1, lets do a bit of a reminder of who and why.

The Gospel of Johnis the fourth book of the New Testament and one of the most profound and theologically rich accounts of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection.

Who Wrote It?

The Gospel is traditionally attributed to John the Apostle (also called John the son of Zebedee), one of Jesus’ twelve disciples and part of His inner circle (along with Peter and James). Early church fathers often called him “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” a phrase used several times in the Gospel itself (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20).

It was most likely written in Ephesus toward the end of the first century (c. 90–100 AD).

Why Was It Written?

John explicitly states his purpose in John 20:31:

“But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Unlike the other three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), which are more chronological and event-focused, John is deliberately theological. He selected specific “signs” (miracles) and long discourses to reveal Jesus’ divine identity.

Key themes include:

Jesus as the eternal Word (Logos) who became flesh (John 1:1–14)

Jesus’ unique relationship with the Father

The importance of belief and the new birth

The Holy Spirit as the Helper

Eternal life available now through faith in Christ

John wrote to strengthen the faith of believers, reach both Jewish and Gentile audiences, and counter emerging false teachings that diminished Jesus’ full divinity or humanity.

It is often described as the most “spiritual” Gospel, inviting readers into a deep, personal encounter with Jesus as the divine Savior.

In short, the Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John so that readers would believe in Jesus as the Son of God and receive eternal life through Him.

Last week, Pastor Jim took us thru the first 28 verses on Chapter 1.

In short: Jesus is God in the flesh — the Creator, the Light, the Life, and the full revelation of the Father — and He came so that we might believe and receive eternal life through Him.

- This prologue sets the theological foundation for everything else in the Gospel of John.

Today we pick up in verse 29 where John Testifies about Jesus.

            - lets read this first few verses

John 1:29-34 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." 32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 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.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God's Chosen One."

First, the words spoken here are spoken from John the Baptist

            - This is John the Baptist’s testimony written out by John the Apostle

                        - Not the writer/author of this gospel

Vs. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him:

            - This more than just a hey look its Jesus moment if you can put yourself there

- By most reckonings, this was after John baptized Jesus and after the 40 days of temptation in the wilderness. Jesus came back to see John in his baptizing work.

- “Some weeks probably had elapsed since Jesus received baptism at John’s hands; he had been away since then, but now he is back, and John draws the crowd’s attention to him.” (Bruce)

-So then, these verses must be understood as happening after the baptism

For John, unlike the other gospel writers, this was more important than detailing the actual Baptism account.

            - If you want to read the full account, Matthew does a great job

Mat 3:13-17

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Why doesn’t John tell the whole story?

- The reason lies in John’s theological agenda.

- Rather than describing the baptism itself, John uses the Baptist’s witness to identify Jesus as the one upon whom the Spirit descended and remained

- This shifts attention from the ritual act of baptism to its spiritual significance.

John says a few important things here that should stand out to us, but I wonder if the simple fishermen hanging around John the Baptist really picked up on.

Vs 29 - "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

This is the central declaration.

-In Jewish culture, people regularly sacrificed lambs in the Temple to atone for (cover) their sins.

-John calls Jesus the Lamb of God—meaning:

- Jesus is the ultimate, perfect sacrifice provided by God Himself.

- His death would deal with sin once and for all, not just for Israel but for the whole world.

Vs 30 - 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' Jesus'

            - John the Baptist was a popular preacher who came before Jesus.

- Yet he says Jesus ranks higher because "he was before me."

- This hints at Jesus' eternal existence

- Echoing John 1:1 — "In the beginning was the Word").

Vs. 31 was that he might be revealed to Israel

- The purpose of John’s ministry was preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah.

- The Gospel of John tends to use “Israel” as a positive label for God’s chosen people

John then testifies that he saw the Spirit come down on Jesus and remain on him, and that God told him Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

- Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit— meaning He pours out the Holy Spirit on His followers.

This prophecy was fulfilled later:

- At Pentecost (Acts 2), when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples.

- It continues today: when people believe in Jesus, they receive the Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist concludes by declaring Jesus is “God’s Chosen One.”

So this passage makes three key points to those listening and to us today:

- Jesus is the sacrificial lamb who saves people from sin, Jesus has God’s Spirit in a unique way, and Jesus is the promised Messiah.

- John the Baptists role was simply to point people toward Jesus, not to be the main focus himself.

            - That too is OUR ROLE  - Point people to Jesus

The entire message of John’s Gospel—that Jesus is God’s Son who saves and will save the world—is announced right here in these few verses.

- Simple and straight forward words

Now what we see next is the beginning of the gathering in of the disciples who will walk with Jesus for the next 3 years +

John 1:35-42

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?" 39 "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. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 42 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).

So here we have John the Baptist hanging out wherever John liked to hang out.

- According to the immediate context of John 1: 28, John was actively baptizing in an area known as Bethany beyond the Jordan

            - So most likely that is where we find him here

Not that his location is even important

            - It was about who he was with and who he saw walking by – Jesus

                        - JESUS WAS JUST WALKING BY – Wow!

He was standing talking to men who called themselves John’s Disciples

            - Both disciples here are not named

                        - Just Andrew in verse 40

Who was the other disciple?

- He is not named but some scholars believe that it was the writer himself, John the Apostle

- John the Apostle is traditionally believed to have been one of John the Baptist's disciples before he became a follower of Jesus.

                                    - It honestly would have been incredibly hard for John NOT to follow along

The text does not specifically say, but the implication is that these two disciples did this with John’s permission and direction.

- John the Baptist did not care about gathering disciples after himself.

- He was perfectly satisfied to have these disciples leave his circle and follow Jesus.

- It fulfilled his ministry; it did not take away from it.

So they followed Jesus

            - And Jesus knowing full well that they would be coming still putt them on the spot.

                        - “What do you want?” (I love that question)

                                    - Straight forward and direct as Jesus first recorded words in this book

Jesus asked these two disciples an important and logical question — and a question He continues to ask to all humanity today.

            - It’s a question for each of us honestly    - “What do YOU want from Him?”

                        - What is YOUR answer?

Their answer was to ask to follow Him to where he was staying

            - They were saying “We are with YOU! Where are we going? We are in!”

                        - Good Answer

                                    - Can YOU say that to Jesus today?

- “We are going where you are going!”

Vs. 39 “It was about four in the afternoon”

- Some translations say “the tenth hour” which followed the societies time structure of day break to sunset or “Roughly” 6 AM to 6 PM

- The statement of the exact time also shows that this was most likely John the Apostle himself.

- This was such a memorable occasion for the writer that he remembered the exact hour that he met Jesus.

And then we see the excitement this created in the disciples

Vs. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah"

            - Andrew met Jesus, and then wanted his brother Simon Peter to meet Jesus too.

- One thing we see about this man is each time Andrew is mentioned in the Gospel of John, he is bringing someone to Jesus

            - We see it in Chapter 6 and 12

                        - A good follower of Jesus brings others to meet Him

                                    - I want that to be my story as well

Vs. 42 "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).

- In giving Simon a new name (Cephas or Peter, meaning A Stone), Jesus told Andrew’s brother what kind of man he would be transformed into.

- Before Jesus was done with Peter, he would be a stone of stability for Jesus Christ.

In following Jesus, he doesn’t leave us as we are.

            - If we follow Jesus closely, he will change us

John 1:43-51

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 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." 46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit." 48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel." 50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that." 51 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."

The ranks are growing quickly!

            - Word is spreading fast!

                        - The disciples, not randomly, are being called up to follow Jesus.

                                    - Can you imagine what it must have been like around Jesus at this time?

                                                - New faces seeing Him as he truly Is…. The Son of God

Vs. 43 Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."

-  If we only had John’s Gospel we might think that this was the first time Jesus had met these men from Galilee.

- The other gospel accounts inform us that Jesus had met many of them before; yet this was His formal invitation to Philip.

- This is probably true of most if not ALL of the disciples.

- John did not cover those original interactions because he knew they had already been told, and that was not the purpose of his wiring

There was nothing dramatic recorded about the call of Philip. Jesus simply said to him, “Follow Me,” and Philip did.

-I love this quick action on Phillips part.

                        - Follow Me and he did….

- Simple obedience that would change his life FOREVER!

The verb ‘Follow’ is used here in its full sense of ‘follow as a disciple’.

- The present tense used here has continuous force, ‘keep on following’.

            - Follow me but follow me forever! YES LORD YES

From here it continues to spread as Phillip goes to Nathanael

- Phillips says "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." And Nathanaels response is "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?"

Nathanael is only mentioned in the Book of John

- However, Bible scholars and theologians widely agree that Nathanael is the exact same person as the apostle Bartholomew, who is mentioned in the synoptics.

This conclusion is based on several key connections:

The List of Twelve: In all three of the other gospels, Bartholomew is listed among the twelve disciples. In John's gospel, Nathanael is included among the disciples but Bartholomew is never mentioned.

The Companion of Philip: In the synoptics, Philip and Bartholomew are always paired together. In John, it is Philip who finds and brings Nathanael to Jesus.

"Bartholomew" as a Surname: The name Bartholomew means "son of Tolmai" (Bar-Tolmai), meaning it was likely a surname, with Nathanael being his given first name.

But I love the interaction with Jesus here

- When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit." 48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."

- Now this is a WOW moment for Nathanael as he experiences the all-seeing power of the Son of God.

- But I also wonder if in that moment her thought “OH NO, did He hear what I said about Him being from Nazareth? Ooops!

And then Nathanael reply’s “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel."

            - And I love Jesus response…

                        - “You only believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree.”

                                    - Sometimes I hear scarceness it Jesus words

And Jesus finishes out this study by telling the disciples that they ain’t seen nothin yet!

- You will see greater things than that. Very truly I tell you, you will see 'heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on' the Son of Man.

- Jesus’ announcement of the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man probably connects with the dream of Jacob in Genesis 28:12, where Jacob saw a ladder from earth to heaven, and the angels ascending and descending upon it.

- Jesus said that He was the ladder, the link, between heaven and earth.

When Nathanael came to understand that Jesus is the mediator between God and man, it would be an even greater sign.

- Some say that possibly it was the very portion of Scripture Nathaniel meditated on under the fig tree.

Closing/Application

So our scripture for today closes with a striking pattern that demands action from us:

            -First they were quick to act and to follow Jesus

- Second, the disciples don’t keep Jesus to themselves.

- Andrew immediately finds his brother Simon to announce, “We have found the Messiah,” and Philip tells Nathanael, “Come and see.”

- This isn’t passive belief—it’s active evangelism born from personal encounter.

Here’s where the average person lives:

- We’ve likely had our own “come and see” moments—a prayer answered, a crisis resolved, a truth that shifted everything.

- Are we going to sit there with it or do something with it?

The application is brutal and simple: your testimony is not yours to keep.

- People cannot hear without someone preaching to them, and no one can preach unless sent.

Rom 10:14-15

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

- You are the “sent ones” in your spheres of influence —your workplaces, your neighborhoods, your families.

This passage models the mechanics too.

- Andrew doesn’t argue Nathanael into faith or hand him a theological thesus.

- Philip simply says, “Come and see,” inviting personal encounter with Jesus rather than secondhand claims.

You don’t need to become apologists; your just need to be witnesses.

- You need to share what you have experienced, then invite others into that same meeting with Christ.

The closing tension matters:

Nathanael’s skepticism—“Can anything good come from there?  reflects real objections you will face.

            - And we will face objections!

- But notice Philip doesn’t defend Nazareth; he extends an invitation.

            - Just Come and See what I have Seen!

Stop defending and start inviting. One conversation. One “come and see.”

That’s where the rubber meets the road.