John 1:35-51: The Early Disciples

John 1:35-51:

The Early Disciples

By Dr. Hal Harless

Foundation Fellowship of Greenville, TX

July 5, 2009

I. Introduction

A. Please turn to John 1:35.

B. While you are turning.... What if Jesus had used an employment firm to find His disciples?

To: Jesus, Son of Joseph

Woodcrafter’s Carpenter Shop

Nazareth 25922

From: Jordan Management Consultants

Dear Sir:

Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for managerial positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests; and we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.

The profiles of all tests are included, and you will want to study each of them carefully.

As part of our service, we make some general comments for your guidance, much as an auditor will include some general statements. This is given as a result of staff consultation, and comes without any additional fee.

It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability.

Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic-depressive scale.

One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind, and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious, and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.

We wish you every success in your new venture.

Sincerely,

Jordan Management Consultants[1]

C. Thankfully, Jesus did not listen to advice like this!

II. Exposition

A. Background

1. We are in the section with the earliest testimonies to Jesus Christ (John 1:19-51).

2. Last week, we looked at John the Baptist's testimony concerning Jesus Christ (John 1:19-34):

a. John the Baptist clearly confessed that he was not the Messiah (John 1:19-28).

b. He also confessed that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God (John 1:29-34).

3. This week, we will look at Jesus' calling of the earliest disciples (John 1:35-51).

a. John the Baptist "came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him" (John 1:7).

b. John the Baptist's repeated witness that Jesus is "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29, 36) started a chain reaction that led to the calling of Jesus' first five disciples.

B. Four intertwined themes

1. The revelation of Jesus' identity

a. The Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36)

b. The Son of God (John 1:34, 49)

c. The Son of Man (John 1:51)

2. Come and see: "Behold, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36).

a. John "looked at Jesus" (John 1:39).

b. "Jesus turned and saw them" (John 1:38).

c. Jesus "said to them, 'Come, and you will see'" (John 1:39).

d. "So they came and saw" (John 1:39).

e. "Jesus looked at him" (John 1:42).

f. "Philip said to him [Nathanael], 'Come and see'" (John 1:46).

g. "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him" (John 1:47).

h. Jesus said to Nathanael, "Behold, an Israelite indeed" (John 1:47).

i. Jesus said to Nathanael, "I saw you" (John 1:48, 50).

j. Jesus said, "You will see greater things than these" (John 1:50).

k. Jesus said, "You will see the heavens opened" (John 1:51).

3. Seeking and finding: "What do you seek?" (John 1:38).

a. Andrew "found first his own brother Simon" (John 1:41).

b. Andrew told Simon, "We have found the Messiah" (John 1:41).

c. Jesus "found Philip" (John 1:43).

d. "Philip found Nathanael" (John 1:45).

e. Philip told Nathanael, "We have found Him" (John 1:45).

4. Following Jesus

a. John the Baptist's "two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus" (John 1:37).

b. "Jesus turned and saw them following" (John 1:38).

c. "One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew" (John 1:40).

d. Jesus said to Philip, "Follow Me" (John 1:43).

C. Exposition: Jesus' earliest disciples (John 1:35-51)

1. An unnamed disciple of John the Baptist and Andrew (John 1:35-39)

a. John's testimony, "Behold the Lamb of God!" (John 1:35-36)

^1:35Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:35-36).

1) "Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples"

a) The chronology of this section:

i) John baptized Jesus.

ii) Jesus was tempted in the desert for forty days.

iii) Day one: the inquisition from Jerusalem met with John the Baptist (John 1:19-28).

iv) Day two: John the Baptist testified publicly to Jesus (John 1:29-34).

v) Day three: John and Andrew follow Jesus and spend the night with Him (John 1:35-39).

vi) Day four: Andrew finds Simon Peter (John 1:40-43).

vii) Day five: Jesus returns to Galilee (John 1:44-51).

viii) Day six or seven would have been the Sabbath.

ix) Day eight: Jesus is at the marriage in Cana (John 2:1-11) on a Sunday or Monday. The feast could last a week (Day eleven or twelve). Sabbath would be day twelve or thirteen.

x) After a few days in Capernaum, Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Passover (John 2:12-13). Acts 1:5 uses a similar expression "not many days" for ten days.

xi) Passover was on Nisan 15, 3789 or April 15, AD 29.

xii) Therefore, the events of John 1:19 took place approximately 24 days before Passover or Adar II 23, 3789 (March 25, AD 29).

b) The Gk. word translated "disciple" is mathētēs (from manthanō, "learn") meaning "one who engages in learning through instruction from another, pupil, apprentice."[2]

i) John the Baptist had disciples (John 1:19).

ii) The Pharisees had disciples (Mark 2:18).

iii) Judas Iscariot was a disciple, but was not saved (John 6:70-71).

iv) Disciples can and do turn away from Jesus (John 6:66).

v) Therefore, disciple is not synonymous with believer.

c) One of these disciples is Andrew (John 1:40).

d) The other, following John's practice of not mentioning himself by name, is probably the Apostle John.

2) "And he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!'"

a) Jesus' age

i) Jesus was "about thirty years old" (Luke 3:23).

ii) Jesus was born 5-4 BC.

iii) John's ministry began about AD 29.

iv) Therefore, Jesus was thirty-three years old.[3]

b) "Behold!" means "look!" This is one of our themes: Come and see.

c) This repeats John the Baptist's testimony of verse 29.

d) The time was near to the Passover (John 2:13).

b. The two disciples follow Jesus (John 1:37).

³⁷The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus (John 1:37).

1) Disciples literally followed behind their masters to show respect.[4]

2) The Gk. word translated "follow" (akoloutheō, see our word "acolyte") came to mean "to follow someone as a disciple."[5]

3) One has observed that "vast as that church is now, there was a time when it consisted of only two weak members."[6]

4) This introduces another of our themes: following Jesus.

c. Jesus' question, "What do you seek?" (John 1:38)

³⁸And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?" (John 1:38).

1) "And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, 'What do you seek?'"

a) This introduces the theme of seeking and finding.

b) Jesus asks a very penetrating question. Do we seek Jesus or something less?

c) God's promise:

i) "⁷ Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Matt 7:7-8).

ii) "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Heb 11:6).

2) "They said to Him, 'Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?'"

a) The Heb. Rabbi means "lit[erally], my great one; teacher."[7]

b) This is a timid way of asking for an interview.

c) The translation indicates that John was writing for a Gentile audience.

d. Jesus' invitation, "Come and see!" (John 1:39)

³⁹He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour (John 1:39).

1) "He said to them, 'Come, and you will see.'"

a) "Come and see" is a very common saying in rabbinical writings being used 150 times in the Talmud and Midrashim.[8]

b) Jesus graciously invites them to get to know Him.

c) Jesus said, "Come and see," and they "came and saw."

2) "So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour."

a) Roman sundials were marked with eleven hour lines and the first was sunrise.[9] Therefore, noon was marked VI on sundials and the tenth hour would be about 4 pm.[10]

b) Middle Eastern manners would necessitate inviting them to spend the night.[11]

c) John still remembers decades later the exact time that he met Jesus.

2. Simon Peter (John 1:40-42)

a. Andrew found Simon (John 1:40-41).

⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. ⁴¹ He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which translated means Christ) (John 1:40-41).

1) "One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother."

a) Andrew means "manly."[12]

b) Humanly speaking, no Andrew, no Simon Peter.

2) "He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which translated means Christ)."

a) Every time that we encounter Andrew, he is bringing someone to Jesus (John 6:8; 12:20-22).

b) Pastor Chuck, "Healthy sheep reproduce."

c) Witnessing is bringing people to Jesus and letting Him do the work.

b. Jesus' sees Simon for who he will be (John 1:42).

⁴²He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter) (John 1:42).

1) "He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon the son of John.'"

a) Simon is the same name as Simeon, the patriarch who with his brother Levi rashly killed all of the population of Shechem (Gen 34:25-31).[13]

b) The patriarch Israel condemned them in his deathbed prophecy:

Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are implements of violence. ⁶ Let my soul not enter into their council; let not my glory be united with their assembly; because in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they lamed oxen. ⁷ Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel. I will disperse them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Gen 49:5-7).

c) Simon showed similar tendencies to rashness and violence, "Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave's name was Malchus" (John 18:10).[14]

2) "'You shall be called Cephas' (which is translated Peter)."

a) The Aram. Kēpha' means "rock."[15] Peter (petros) means "stone" vs. petra, that means "bedrock or massive rock formation."[16]

b) Jesus saw Simon, not just as he was, but also how he would be.

3. Jesus found Philip (John 1:43-44).

⁴³The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, "Follow Me." ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter (John 1:43-44).

a. "The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, 'Follow Me'"

1) The next day is day five.

2) "Philip" means "Fond-of-horses."[17]

3) Jesus invited Philip to become his disciple.

b. "Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter."

1) The Aram. Bethsaida means "house of fishing."[18]

2) Bethsaida, although East of the Jordan and technically in Gaulanitis, was considered part of Galilee.[19]

3) Either Peter moved or there was another Bethsaida close to Capernaum (Matt 4:13, 18; Luke 4:38-39).

4) The city is condemned for its lack of faith (Luke 10:13).

4. Nathanael (John 1:45-51)

a. Philip found Nathanael (John 1:45-46).

⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see" (John 1:45-46).

1) "Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph'"

a) Nathanael is probably the same as Bartholomew (Aram. Bar Tolmai, "son of Ptolemy") in the other Gospels. The name means "God's gift."[20]

b) This fits into the theme of seeking and finding.

c) The Law and Prophets is another way of saying the entire OT.

d) Of course, "son of Joseph" is somewhat in error, but Philip could not yet know that.

2) "Nathanael said to him, 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?'"

a) Nazareth was an unimportant village of 1,600 to 2,000 people about 4 mi. from the cosmopolitan Gk. city of Sepphoris.[21]

b) Nathanael has a prejudice against Nazareth.

b. Jesus saw Nathanael as he truly is (John 1:47-48).

⁴⁷Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" ⁴⁸ Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you" (John 1:47-48).

1) "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!'"

a) The OT patriarch Jacob who was renamed Israel was infamous for his deceit (Gen 27:35; 31:26).[22]

b) Nathanael is honest even about his prejudices; Jesus commends that honesty.

2) "Nathanael said to Him, 'How do You know me?'"

a) Nathanael had never met Jesus.

b) Nathanael is surprised that Jesus accurately describes his character.

3) "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.'"

a) The Talmud sees fig trees as a picture of Torah study:

R. Hiyya b. Abba in the name of R. Johanan expounded: With reference to the Scriptural text: Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof, why were the words of the Torah compared to the 'fig tree'? As with the fig tree the more one searches it the more figs one finds in it so it is with the words of the Torah; the more one studies them the more relish he finds in them.[23]

If one sees a fig tree in a dream, his learning will be preserved within him, as it says: Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof.[24]

b) In the Midrash, fig trees are a location for prayer, study, and meditation:

R. Akiba and his disciples-were accustomed to rise early and sit under a certain fig-tree, the owner of which used to rise early to gather its fruit. Said they: 'Perhaps he suspects us [of taking his fruit]; let us change our place.' Accordingly they changed their place. He then went to them and said: 'My masters! This one merit that ye had conferred upon me by sitting and studying under my fig-tree-ye have now deprived me of it.' 'We thought perhaps you suspected us,' they replied. But he reassured them, and they returned to their original places.[25]

c) More than his location, Jesus knew the thoughts of his heart.

d) The implications of that shook Nathanael to the core!

c. Nathanael's confession (John 1:49)

⁴⁹Nathanael answered Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel" (John 1:49).

1) Both the titles "Son of God" and "King of Israel," i.e., Messiah are echoes of Ps 2.

2) Jesus' knowledge convinces Nathanael that He is the Messiah.

d. Jesus' response (John 1:50-51)

⁵⁰Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these." ⁵¹ And He said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" (John 1:50-51).

1) "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.'"

a) Jesus seems to think that Nathanael was easy to convince.

b) He indicates that Nathanael will see more than that. Perhaps this refers to the eight miracles of John's Gospel.

2) "And He said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man'"

a) In verse 51, the Gk. word translated "you" is plural. Jesus is addressing all of the disciples, not just Nathanael.

b) This is an allusion to the story of Jacob's ladder in Gen 28:12.

c) The title Son of Man comes from Dan 7:13-14:

I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. ¹⁴ And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one, which will not be destroyed (Dan 7:13-14).

d) This would mean that Jesus is the point of contact between heaven and earth.

III. Applications

A. If we seek Jesus, we will find Him, but we must be sure that He is what we truly seek after.

B. If we are looking for Jesus, He asks us to come and see; investigate His claims and we will be convinced.

C. If we follow Him, He will reveal Himself to us.

D. Note the differing ways that God dealt with each of these men.

E. Like Andrew, our job is to bring people to Jesus, because He is the point of contact between heaven and earth.