The God Who Calls

Two apples. An okay one, and a GREATER one.

Here we get out of the introduction and into the narrative part of John. From Chapter 1 to chapter 12 is often called the “Book of Signs” as Jesus performs 7 signs/miracles.

What we are covering today is 4 consecutive days at several disciples are called to Jesus and as Jesus prepared for His earthly ministry.

This entire section uses 8 different titles of Jesus: Lamb of God (1:29, 36), Chosen One (1:34), Rabbi (1:38, 49), Messiah/Christ (1:41), Son of God (1:49), King of Israel (1:49), Son of Man (1:51), and the one Moses and the prophets wrote about (1:45).

-Yet a closer look makes us realize the necessity of Jesus’ identity being known to those close to Jesus’. As we see those who were the disciples of John the Baptist go to follow Jesus’. But there is one reason they would do so, and that is because the one that John pointed to was now present with them.

-What becomes clear is that these titles of Jesus’ are misunderstood by the disciples and by others.

The Priests had concern about these fake Messiah’s even as they waited for who they believed the Messiah was.

The priests did not want this because they wanted to worship in peace without the interference of the Roman government. But one who claims to be the rightful king of Israel would cause issues. As we saw previously with Herod the Great at the time of Jesus birth. Yet many still waited for the Messiah to eventually come. In fact, many Jews still wait to this day.

Those who are starting to follow Jesus had questions about the words Jesus uses to describe Himself. A lot of them wondering? Is he really who we have been waiting for?

Each of these titles comes with different promises and different hopes.

This leaves them seeking to grasp these truths. But certainly, these are truths the disciples believe about Jesus because that is why they follow Him! As the disciples gain understanding of Jesus’ true identity, they are still left with many misunderstandings until after the death and resurrection of Jesus.

To follow Jesus as His disciple means we accept His call and testify to the truth of His character.

Everyone in the world is looking for hope and waiting for the promises given to them to be proven true in their life. People have the promises given to them by celebrities and influencers. Promises of prosperity. The hope of a politician. The hope of excelling at a sport.

People hear a “call” about who they want to follow, and what their goal in life should be, and their life lives out that truth.

Stated belief+actual practice=actual belief

We’re going to see Priests who SHOULD believe the Messiah is coming, yet won’t see him when he is right there in front of them.

While these fisherman will accept the call and tell others.

So we are going to break this passage down into 3 parts.

Answer the call to the real Jesus

We have been told that John is a “witness to the light”, here we read what exactly that witness is as JTB talks to Jewish “priests and Levites”.

-Levites were of the tribe of Levi but were not descendents of Aaron so they were not priests. They assisted in temple worship and guarded the temple.

-Priests were, then, descendents of Aaron.

What’s interesting is that John the Baptist is Himself the descended of a Levite priest. Therefore this is a discussion from men who most likely know his lineage.

They ask JTB who he is, and notice that even though they ask a general question, he gives a specific answer. He is “not the Messiah”. He knows what they are concerned about. There were many during this time who had used the title of Messiah and had caused riots that led to the death of many Jews.

Next, they ask him if he is Elijah. This had been prophesied in Malachi 4:5 “Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.”

-But JTB again says no.

-Although, interesting, even in Luke when the angel comes to John’s father Zechariah the angel says that JTB will come “in the spirit and power of Elijah”

-John’s humble opinion of himself probably led to him not wanting to relate himself to the great prophet Elijah.

They ask him if he is “the prophet”. This is referring to Moses.

-Again, no.

So instead of trying to guess, they ask him, “who are you then?” They need to bring a report back to those who had sent them.

Baptism happened in the OT, but it was always self-administered and not by someone else. So what JTB is doing is uniquely different.

John replies with a quote from Isaiah 40:3.

-JTB points them to the one coming greater for why he was baptizing.

-John identifies in v. 32 the moment where he saw the Spirit descend like a dove onto Jesus as the moment he recognized the true nature of Jesus.

-The Spirit falling on Jesus is important for several reasons. That God would “baptize” His people again like He did when he brought them through the Red Sea, into new life. That God was active with His people again, since God (including the Spirit) had been silent for 400 years. That Jesus was the Son of God, the One who would come to save God’s people. JTB recognizes that the one he is preparing the way for is far greater than Him. In fact, he is even unworthy to untie his shoes.

The John calls Jesus the “Chosen One” is significant. This is the one that God has chosen to take away the sins of the world, the one spoken about in the OT, from Genesis 3, God has prepared for the arrival of Jesus.

When John see’s Jesus, he makes clear that people know the true identity of Jesus’ so that they follow Jesus and not him. Not just one, but twice, he makes clear to his disciples who Jesus is. John’s goal is to point people to Jesus, not himself. Jesus himself says that no one born of a woman is greater than John. Yet, John see’s his job as pointing to Jesus himself!

-How much of our life is spent trying to point others to us rather than to Jesus? Or how much of our life is spent pointing others to great people rather than to Jesus?

-We can be in conversations and talk about this great movie that we watched that someone “has to see!” or an incredible concert that we went to, or that amazing new restaurant down the street. All of these are good things, but our lives should be spent pointing people to Jesus more than anything else.

John makes a statement about Jesus, that He is the “lamb of God, who takes away the sin or the world!”. To us, this statement is familiar to us. But John is making an entirely unique statement at this time, and one that isn’t directly connected to Jesus as the Messiah. It does point us to Isaiah 53:7-12, where the “lamb” of God carries “their iniquities” and “bore the sin of many”.

Be present with Jesus when He calls you

Two of John’s disciples hear what John says and they follow Jesus. Who are these men? Peter and likely John (the one who wrote this book).

Jesus asks them “what are you looking for?

-As the Word, Jesus makes them confront what they really want in life. Why are you wanting to follow me? And what do you think you’ll get out of it?

Why do these two disciples ask Jesus where he is staying?

It was common practice when you follow a “Rabbi” to experience the way they live their life. You want to look at how they live so that you can mimic it in your own life. They want to live like the Rabbi. But also it is a way of asking Jesus if he can disciple them without being as “overt”.

-It’s like if you want to ask a girl out you never say “do you want to go out on a date”. You say, “you wanna go see a movie sometime?” You want to spend time with them but you won’t want to be too forthright about it.

But we can also do this if we want to be mentored by someone or someone we look up to. We’re scared that they won’t have “time” for us. But let me tell you, people will find time for you if you show you want to learn from them.

But more than this, there is something else going on. They aren’t saying “Jesus, come spend time with us.” They go where Jesus is going.

-Oftentimes, we ask Jesus “why aren’t you staying with me” rather than ask Jesus “where are you staying?” We want Jesus to fit into our lives rather than ABIDE in Jesus as our King and Savior. We live the peasant life rather than enjoy spending time with the King in His castle!

-Jesus answers “Come and you’ll see”. Do we go and experience Jesus?

-What they will find, though, is that he is not staying where we would expect him to stay.

-No matter their expectations, they came away AMAZED by Jesus, so much so that they go and tell others that they have found the Messiah.

Share the call with others

Now Jesus travels to Galilee. Why does he travel there? Was it for the sole purpose of finding Philip and Natanael?

Instead of Philip finding Jesus, Jesus finds and calls Philip. Why are these four disciples all from the same hometown?

Philip, after spending time with Jesus is also convinced of the identity of Jesus and calls Nathanael to join him.

-Philip says “Come and see” just as Jesus had said to the two disciples earlier. It is a calling to experience something different. To enjoy the character of God.

-Do we call people to “come and see”?

-“This is the foundational principle of truly Christian expansion ever since: new followers of Jesus bear witness of him to others, who in turn become disciples and repeat the process”. - Carson

Why did Nathanael not believe anything good could come from Nazareth?

What does it mean that Nathanel is an “Israelite in whom there is no deceit?”

Jesus “knows” Nathanael, just as he knows us. Even before others call us to Jesus, Jesus is already calling us and knows us. He is aware of all that we do in our lives. He knows our sins, He knows our passions, He knows what happens to us every second of every day. Yet He still loves us, and He wants us to know Him.

-It is the fact that Jesus knows Nathanael that points him to the fact of Jesus’ true nature as God.

-There are a lot of people who live who pretend to know you. There are a lot of false gods in this world who pretend to know what you want.

Do you ever get commercials or ads and you’re like “there is nothing that would ever get me to buy that product.” Even “targeted” ads, that just don’t seem interesting at all to you! The problem is that each commercial has to capture a wide range of people effectively, which is hard to do! But we have a God that knows each of us personally. Notice how the way Jesus engaged which each of these disciples is vastly different, He knows what each person needs to hear!

Notice how Jesus draws Nathanael even closer. Nathanael is mesmerized that Jesus remembered him from under the fig tree, but then Jesus tells him “you ain’t seen nothing yet!”

-This is the beautiful truth of the Gospel, the best is yet to come!

-We live in a world that can only offer you so much. At some point, the money can’t buy you anymore. At some point, the vacations aren’t as fun. But Jesus offers something eternal, something that is greater than we can imagine.

What moment is Jesus talking about that Nathanael will be present for? Is this the ascension of Jesus after the resurrection?

What Jesus describes in the heavens opening and the angels ascending and descending is a new configuration of Jacob’s ladder. That Jesus is the “true Israel”. That Jesus is the “house of God”, it is no longer Bethel (which means ‘house of God’). What Jesus is telling them is that something miraculous is happening again and that the heavens have opened up again for God to return to His people. But God has returned in Jesus. It points us back to the beginning of the chapter, “The Word became flesh and TABERNACLED among us”.

The term son of man points back to Daniel 7:13–14 “I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.”

What Jesus points them to is not just his death, resurrection, and ascension. But to the entirety of Jesus’ ministry.

John fuses the themes, not to create an entirely different picture, but so that the climactic glorification of the Son of Man is the combination of all these different themes referred to. John’s Gospel makes it clear that for Jesus there can be no glory without obedience, no glorification without the cross. Above all else, it is Jesus’ death/exaltation that provides for Nathanael and the other disciples, as for countless followers of Jesus since then, the most powerful fulfillment of the promise in this verse (cf. 8:28). - Carson

John 8:28 “So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own. But just as the Father taught me, I say these things.”

Philip, and John by writing it, identify Jesus as “the son of Joseph, from Nazareth”, an identifier that will make Nathanael question how this man could be the Messiah. John presses on the doubts that we, and many have. How could this man, the son of a carpenter, be God. In fact the claim itself, that Jesus was the son of Joseph, SEEMS to contradict the claim that He could be the Son God. “How could the one spoken about in the law and prophets be the son of a carpenter in Nazareth?” Even more than that, the Messiah was supposed to come from the town of David, Bethlehem, not Nazareth! But this use of irony is used by John for those who want to be ignorant to the truth. Because later this will be used by Jews to deny the claim that Jesus is God.

-John 6:42, “They were saying, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

-By putting this here, John gives those an out who want the out to not believe Jesus is God. People have the excuse, because rather than looking deeper to find the truth, they take the easy answer. There are many who see the contradictions as a reason to confirm what they want to believe, because believing the truth is harder. Believing the truth about Jesus is harder than living our lives the way we want to live them. I am going to say something that sounds crazy. The Bible gives us excuses. If you look closer enough, you can find the easy way out. You can cherry pick verses in the Bible that confirm our own worldview.

Or we can be like Nathanael and Philip. Nathanael asks the question “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” and Philip answers “Come and see”

-We all have similar questions, “Could God really come to earth as a man?”, “Can God really make this broken world new?”, “Is there really a God who cares about me?”, “Can a church of broken people really be a place I receive love and community? I hear on the news those Christian are only about judging others”. What we are invited by the Gospel to do is explore the claims of Jesus and see if they are true. This is what we invite others to. “Come and see”. Sometimes we can get caught up trying to have the perfect answers to peoples questions, we can go on social media and hear people give explanations for why the Bible is false and others who tell you why the Bible is true. But sometimes we make it more complicated than we need it to be. Having answers to hard questions is important. But in the end it is as simple as telling people “come and see”.

To “follow” Jesus, you have to believe who He is, even when you don’t fully understand WHO He is.