NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 22
J ohn 1 : 3 4
•
page 1798
is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ n 34I have seen and I testify that this is
God’s Chosen One.” a o
The First Disciples Follow Jesus (21 )
35 The next day John p was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw J
esus
passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” q
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” r (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw w
here he was staying, and they s pent that day with him. It was
about four in the afternoon.
40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and
who had followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and
tell him, “We have f ound the Messiah” (that is, the C
hrist). s 42And he b
rought him to J esus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called t Cephas”
(which, when translated, is Peter b ). u
43 The next day J
esus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, v he said to him,
“Follow me.” w
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. x 45 Philip found Na
thanael y and told him, “We have f ound the one Moses w
rote a
bout in the Law, z and a
bout
whom the prophets also wrote a — Jesus of Nazareth, b the son of Joseph.” c
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” d Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite e
in whom there is no deceit.” f
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.”
1:33
nMt 3:11; Mk 1:8
1:34
over 49; Mt 4:3
1:35
pMt 3:1
1:36
qver 29
1:38
rver 49; Mt 23:7
1:41
4:25
sJn
1:42
17:5,15
16:18
tGe
uMt
1:43
vMt 10:3; Jn 6:5-7;
12:21,22; 14:8,9
wMt 4:19
1:44
11:21; Jn 12:21
xMt
1:45
21:2
24:27
aLk 24:27
bMt 2:23; Mk 1:24
cLk 3:23
yJn
zLk
1:46
7:41,42,52
dJn
1:47
eRo 9:4,6
fPs 32:2
a
34 See Isaiah 42:1; many manuscripts is the Son of God. b 42 Cephas (Aramaic) and Peter (Greek) both
mean rock.
Holy Spirit. He would send the Holy Spirit to all believers, empowering
them to live as transformed people and to proclaim the Good News of
salvation. This outpouring of the Spirit came after Jesus rose from the
dead and ascended into heaven (see 20:22; Acts 2).
1:34 John the Baptist’s mission was to point people to Jesus, stating
clearly that Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah. Today, people are
looking for someone to give them security in an insecure world. We must
point them to Jesus and show them how he gives certainty, direction,
and fullness of life.
1:35-51 John the Baptist and these new disciples used several names
for Jesus: Lamb of God (1:36), Rabbi (1:38), Messiah (1:41), Son of God
(1:49), and King of Israel (1:49). As they got to know Jesus, their appreciation for him grew. The more time we spend getting to know Jesus, the
more we will understand and appreciate who he is. We may be drawn
to him for his teaching, but we will come to know him as the Son of
God. Although these disciples made this verbal shift in a few days, they
would not truly understand Jesus until three years later (Acts 2). What
they so easily professed had to be worked out in experience. We may
find that words of faith come easily, but deep appreciation for Jesus
comes with living by faith.
1:37 One of the two disciples was Andrew (1:40). The other was probably John, the writer of this book. Why did these disciples leave John the
Baptist? Because that’s what John wanted them to do—he was pointing
the way to Jesus, the one he had prepared them to follow. These were
Jesus’ first disciples, along with Simon Peter (1:42), Philip (1:43), and
Nathanael (1:45).
1:38 When the two disciples began to follow Jesus, he asked them,
“What do you want?” Following Jesus is not enough; we must follow
him for the right reasons. To follow him for our own purposes would
be asking him to follow u s—to align with us to support and advance our
cause, not his. We must examine our motives for following him. Are we
seeking his glory or ours?
1:40-42 Andrew accepted John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus
and immediately went to tell his brother, Simon, about him. There was
no question in Andrew’s mind that Jesus was the Messiah. Not only did
he tell his brother, but he was also eager to introduce others to Jesus (see
6:8-9; 12:22). How many people in your life have heard you talk about
your relationship with Jesus?
1:42 Jesus saw not only who Simon was but who he would become.
That is why he gave him a new name—Cephas in Aramaic, Peter in Greek
(the name means “rock”). Peter is not presented as rock-solid throughout
the Gospels, but we learn in the book of Acts that he became a solid
rock in the days of the early church. By giving Simon a new name, Jesus
introduced a change in his character. (For more on Simon Peter, see his
profile on page 1649.)
1:46 Nazareth sat near the crossroads of several trade routes and thus
had contact with many cultural influences the Jewish people considered
sinful. Tradition says there was also a Roman garrison located there, which
no doubt would have greatly influenced the town. Some have speculated
that the people of Nazareth had an aloof attitude or a poor reputation in
morals and religion, which may have been what was behind Nathanael’s
harsh comment. Nathanael’s hometown was Cana, about four miles from
Nazareth, where Jesus would perform his first miracle (2:1-11).
1:46 When Nathanael heard that the Messiah was from Nazareth, he
was surprised. No prophet had ever mentioned Nazareth in association
with the Messiah, and it was a place with a questionable reputation. Philip
responded, “Come and see.” Fortunately for Nathanael, he went to meet
Jesus and became a disciple. If he had stuck to his preconceived ideas
without investigating further, he would have missed the Messiah! Don’t
let people’s stereotypes about Jesus cause them to miss his power and
love. Invite them to come and see who Jesus really is.
1:47-49 Jesus knew about Nathanael before the two ever met. Jesus
also knows what each of us is really like. An honest person will feel
comfortable with the thought that Jesus knows him or her through and