Anchor My Faith

Following Jesus

Scripture: John 1:35-38

With Jesus being identified by the dove and by the Father declaring that this was his Son, and having stood against the temptations of the devil, we are now ready for Jesus to begin his reason for being sent into the world. We now come to a point of transition when John begins to fade into the background and Jesus comes to the forefront.

Day 3: “The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”’ (John 1:35 – 36 ESV). If you are keeping count of the days, this next day would be day number three. Day one was the day those who had been sent from the Pharisees came to make inquiry as to whether John was the Christ; the Messiah. Day two was the day when John sees Jesus coming toward him, which prompts him to point Jesus out to those there with John as being the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” We are now at day three when John is standing with two of his disciples and he sees Jesus walking by and declares to them, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” This prompts them to follow Jesus.

“The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus” (John 1:37 ESV). John was with two of his disciples when Jesus walked by. John points this out to them and tells them that he was the Lamb of God. We are told what prompts them to leave John and follow Jesus. It could be a number of things, but probably it was the work of the Holy Spirit drawing selected men to Jesus to become his disciples. It is also probable that as a forerunner of Jesus, John had the responsibility to direct people to follow Jesus.

Clearly, John is committed to his calling to gather people together and tell them about Jesus and encourage them to follow him. How tempting it might be for John to gather people around him and feel important as their leader, but instead he was focused on exalting Jesus, not himself. We should take note of this in our work of seeking people, not to follow us, but to follow Jesus. We must also be careful not to remain focused on our teachers once we have been trained, but to refocus on Jesus to further learn from. That is my desire for writing these Bible studies; to direct people to Jesus and help them grow in him.

“Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”” (John 1:38 ESV). Jesus realizes that these two disciples of John are following him, so he stops and speaks to them. He asks them, “What are you seeking?” What crossed your mind when you read this question? Do you think he was seeking information, or was he rebuking them for following him, or was it a kind inquiry respecting their desires? Could it be that Jesus was giving an invitation for them to share what was on their minds, to state their wishes and maybe learn more about the meaning of being the Lamb of God.

To his question the two disciples respond with, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” They identify him as a teacher and they want to know where he stays to do his teaching. Their response communicates the desire to become his disciples.

Prayer

Father, now that Jesus has been identified as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, we see him begin to form a team to work with him in ministry. Two disciples of John have left him to now follow Jesus. I believe the invitation is open to us to follow Jesus as his disciples. Soon, through these lessons, we will be able to sit at his feet and also learn.