Bellingham Church of Christ Teaching & Preaching Series
October 2, 2011 The Gospel of John
Part #3 John 1:35-42
Passages & Notes
John 1:35-42
v.37 “…they followed Jesus.” The disciples of Jesus’ day had the unique opportunity to follow Jesus, in a direct and literal way. In other words, they could actually and physically follow him. We often think that this would be easier than following today. We would know exactly where Jesus wanted us to go and the path would be more clearly marked out. At times in this life we want to take the brains and heart out of following him because its challenging. We face some decisions where the “right way” is just not so black and white. We want the certainty and security of knowing we’ve made the correct decision. We are impatient about the lesson to be gained from the decision process, or we want to avoid the character-building part free choice completely.
v.38 “What do you want?” Jesus poses an interesting question for a man who wants to gain followers. There are no persuasive or pleading words that will win them to his cause here. It’s almost as if he is prepared to push them away or send them back to John the Baptist. Why wouldn’t he be more welcoming, more accepting to potential new disciples? As we will see at other times throughout the gospels, one of Jesus’ teaching methods his laser-guided, motive-probing questions. It may be that he asks these difficult questions so that we may understand our own hearts better. If today Jesus were to ask you, ‘what do you want?’, what would be your response to him?
“where are you staying?” These two student followers avoid answering Jesus’ question by firing a question right back at him. Many of us have dodged Jesus’ piercing questions of followship because if we were to answer his question truthfully, our own words might surprise or even shame us.
v.39 “Come, he replied, and you will see.” Jesus also refuses to give a simple, direct answer. He could have told them the town and street. Rather, he invites them to “come”. He is illustrating the timeless truth that the process of following is equal to or even more valuable to the soul than the right destination. Of course, going to the wrong place spiritually is a tragedy. Most people know where to go though, they are just unwilling to “come” and “follow” Jesus to get there. They would rather find their own way. Jesus invites these men to follow and promises that they will “see” the answer. Many people want a “show and tell” ministry from God where he does things for them and convinces them of all his benefits. Jesus’ ministry model is quite different, it is a “follow and see” concept. Jesus calls us to come and follow, then we will experience him and see what this Christian thing is all about. It requires direct participation, rather than intellectual observation or just plain entertainment.
“So they went” and “spent the day with him.” When was the last time you “spent the day” with Jesus? How does our most important relationship reflect itself in our life? I remember falling in love with my wife in 2006 and how it was possible to burn long-hours together just talking and enjoying each other’s company. Spending a whole day together was easy. How might we treasure Jesus with a large block of time each week or each month?
v.41 “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him…” Andrew’s “first thing” was to find someone he cared about and “tell him” about Jesus.
In the greater Christian community, there has been an ongoing discussion lately about missions and missional strategies for churches. Many churches follow an attractional ministry model. They consistently host programs, shows, concerts, classes, and events to draw the public into their church. It is their primary method of reaching people in their city who don’t know God. In contrast to this, we see Andrew deliberately going (probably back to his town and his home) and retrieving his brother without delay. This concept of leaving the comfort of your schedule, your typical daily patterns and intentionally going out into the lives of others is often coined as missional.
v.42 “And he brought him to Jesus.” To what extent do we share this priority and intent in our lives with friends and family? Bringing someone to Jesus means bringing them into the Bible, not our opinions, personal wisdom or life experience. The scriptures are the only way for someone to get to know who God is in Jesus.
Applications
Point #1
People begin following Jesus as a result of the testimony of trusted friends, neighbors, teachers, and co-workers.
This is basic, its not rocket science, but it’s great to see John the Baptist exemplify it for us. He points beyond himself, to Jesus. He’s not looking for popularity. We often want to be accepted and liked by our neighbors. On the other end of the spectrum, some of us tend to act more boldly than lovingly and tend to be harsh truth tellers in peoples’ lives.
Again we must look to Jesus’ complete example. John 1:17 tells us that he ushered in grace (favor, lovingkindness, undeserved blessing) and truth (scriptures, honesty about someone’s spiritual position) to the world and so should we with our friends.
Point #2
Jesus begins his ministry by (1) welcoming people into a home and (2) spending time with them.
Often our default mode of evangelism is “inviting someone to church.” Of course this isn’t a bad thing, but Jesus does not do this to begin his ministry, he doesn’t hand out invites or flyers welcoming people to hear him teach at the synagogue. Jesus wanted to invite these men into the place where his spiritual life would be most clearly seen and lovingly expressed.
I had a conversation recently with a guy from another church. Being new to the area, I asked him, how do you and your church meet new people and share the gospel? His 2-part answer was that (1) their church would set up a big carnival once a year and pass out flyers in the neighborhood and (2) they took over the operations of local a non-profit that helps kids with after school tutoring. That’s how they “meet” new people. My heart broke because inside I knew that these methods were “good and moral” but would rarely introduce someone to Jesus through scripture. As the Bellingham Church, we want to be a people who follow Jesus’ example of ministry.
Point #3
Does Jesus know you are following him?
See 1st John 2:6. Would Jesus at that time know you were following Him? Examine your spiritual life. Eliminate all of the good intentions and favorable thoughts you have about your relationship with God. Apply your lifestyle today into the time of Jesus. What would Jesus see?
Is your relationship with Jesus like someone you run into every couple weeks at an event, a party, a wedding? It continues based on coincidence or circumstance? How intentional is your most important relationship?
Ideas and Suggestions for a Jesus-following week:
Invite someone into your home this week and make a plan to spend time with them.
