Abide in Him: John 1:19-51

Welcome back to our study of John chapter 1. In these next sections, we learn a little bit more about John the Baptist and his mission. We also see Jesus at the beginning of His ministry. Up to this point, He had been described to us as the Word in the flesh. Now, we read about Him appearing in the flesh as He approaches John the Baptist. Finally, in the last part of chapter 1, we’ll read about the calling of Jesus’s first disciples.

The Text

John the Baptist’s Testimony

In verses 19-28, John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus. According to the Gospel of Luke, John proclaimed “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,” (Luke 3:3). He attracted many people through his teachings and baptisms, so much so, people began to wonder if he was the promised Christ. Some priests and Levites, who had been sent to question John by the Jews, approached John. According to the Jewish New Testament Commentary (JNTC), “Jews” referred to a specific group, not all of the Jews collectively. The Greek word used here is “Ioudaios” which more than likely means they were from Judea and were known to be “more committed” to forms of Judaism. Because John the Baptist grew in his popularity as he preached repentance, the priests and Levites were sent to question John to find out who he was. They asked him if he was the Christ, or Elijah, the prophet who didn’t die (for more on Elijah, read 2 Kings 2:1-14), or the Prophet that Moses spoke about in Deuteronomy 18. He replied “no” to all of them. John then quotes from Isaiah, telling them he is the “voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,'” (John 1:18). John knew his calling was to prepare the way for Christ.

The Lamb of God

The following day, John sees Jesus. He calls out “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Though the author John doesn’t write about Jesus’s baptism, the other Gospels do. They tell how Jesus approached John to be baptized and how John didn’t want to baptize Him because he felt unworthy. Jesus explained they would be fulfilling “all righteousness.” So, John baptized Jesus (see Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, and Luke 3:21-22).

John the Baptist explains in verses 33-34 how he knew Jesus was the Son of God. He said the LORD told him to look for the Spirit to come down from Heaven like a dove and rest on Jesus. This would be how he would identify the Son of God.

Why did John call Him the Lamb of God? During those times, the lamb was the most common animal used for atoning sacrifices. As we will see later in the study, Jesus would become like the spotless lamb sacrificed to atone for our sins. It also refers back to the Passover in Exodus, where the Israelites sacrificed a lamb and painted its blood on their doorposts to avoid death (see Exodus 12). This is one of two times where Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God in the book of John. Interestingly, the only other book in the New Testament that refers to Jesus as the Lamb is the Book of Revelation (which, is also authored by John).

The First Disciples

Verses 35 – 51 narrates the calling of the first disciples. The first two were actually followers of John the Baptist. Once they heard Jesus was the Lamb, they started to follow Him. One of those disciples was Andrew, who was the brother of Simon. He shared the news of Jesus, the Messiah with his brother and said “We have found the Messiah.” He then took Simon to meet Jesus. When Jesus met Simon for the first time, He renamed him Peter (or Cephas, which is Aramaic for “rock”).

The following day, Jesus called Philip to follow him as well. Philip then told his friend Nathanael that he had found the one the prophets wrote about. Curious, Nathanael went to meet Jesus. When Jesus saw him, He declared him to be an honest man. Perplexed, Nathanael asked how He knew him. Jesus then says He saw him under the fig tree (this is all that is said about Nathanael and the fig tree). Astonished, Nathanael follows Jesus.

In the last verse, Jesus speaks of angels “ascending and descending on the Son of Man. He’s referencing “Jacob’s Ladder,” or rather the dream Jacob had of a ladder reaching to Heaven with angels ascending and descending on it (see Genesis 28:12-13). According to the Amplified Bible, when Jesus speaks of the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man, it means that He is the bridge between Heaven and earth. Also note that Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man.” It’s to show us He is equally God and human. He can relate to us as humans, because He also is human. Interestingly, Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man more often than any other title or name.

Application

Though most of this section is more of a narrative (rather than teaching), there are a few things we can take away from these stories.

To begin with, when Andrew and Philip first started following Jesus, they couldn’t wait to share the news that the long-awaited Messiah was here. As a result, Simon and Nathanael became followers as well. What would happen if more of us were bolder in our faith and declared Christ to the unbelievers in our lives?

When Jesus first meets Simon, He renames him Peter (or “rock”). As we’ll see in future studies, there were times when Peter was anything but a rock, yet that’s what Jesus called Him because He knew Peter and what he would accomplish for the kingdom of Heaven in the future. What would have been the outcome if Jesus renamed him “coward” or “faithless”? Would Peter have had the same impact? The take away here is that the times Peter failed (sinking in the water, denying Christ three times, and so on) were times he took his eyes off Jesus or depended on his own strength. Later, after Christ’s ascension into Heaven, Peter spread the Gospel, fully depending on the power of Christ (read Acts for examples).

Next, when Jesus and Nathanael first meet, Jesus calls him a man “in whom there is no deceit.” Amazed, Nathanael asks Jesus how He knows him. Jesus replies, “Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Personally, I want to know what happened under the fig tree. Did Nathanael’s honesty play a part in that scene? Is that what Jesus saw under the fig tree? Apparently, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is this: God sees us as we are and He sees us no matter where we are – and He still loves us.

Finally, when Jesus first sees Nathanael, He didn’t call Nathanael out for his sins – he called him an honest person. He didn’t condemn him, rather He truthfully uplifted him with His words. It reminds me of Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (ESV).

As we continue to read about Jesus, His ministry, and His interaction with others, we learn more about Him and His love for us. This helps us draw closer to Him which then leads to a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Him. When we know Jesus and have a strong relationship with Him, our faith grows and becomes anchored in Him, rather than the things of this world.

References

• Jewish New Testament Commentary by David H. Stern
• Amplified Bible
• English Standard Version Bible (ESV)
• https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Lamb-of-God.html
• https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Son-of-Man.html