Memory Quiz (John 20:31) - John’s theme verse for his Gospel account.  John’s explanation of why he’s writing what he’s writing. “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name”

Let’s look at 20:31 - John has carefully crafted what he’s written - “these are written” part - “so that” - his purpose is that we “may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” - meaning that Jesus is THE Messiah - THE Savior - our Savior - Who is the Son of God - meaning God Himself - Who has come to save us.  “and that” - meaning what flows out of our believing is “life in His - Jesus’ - name.”

We need to be careful that we understand just what John is getting at here.  98 times in this Gospel - multiple times per chapter - John writes about believing.  “Believing” is a huge deal for John.

What does it mean to “believe”?  Is John writing about accepting the facts about a historical person named Jesus?  Admiring Him?  Maybe trying to be like Him?  Trying to make a difference in humanity like Jesus did?  To have warm feelings about Him?  Jesus Who’s a friend next to ya?  Does “to believe” meaning devoting more time and energy and our stuff to trying to please Him?

Which all may be good.  But not exactly where John is going.

“To believe” translates the Greek word “pisteuo” - which has two basic meanings.  Both are important to John.

Meaning #1:  To acknowledge as true - an intellectual assent to the facts.  As we’ve been going through John we’ve said that part of what we’re looking at is why we believe what we believe.

John - writing to the Roman Empire - with similar issues that we experience today - with all our intellectualizing and philosophizing - the seemingly conflicting religions and world views out there - John is cutting through all that and declaring the truth of Who Jesus is.

John’s been laying out some pretty heavy teaching about Jesus.  Some of what we’ve seen so far just here in chapter one - the last two Sundays - is that Jesus is the eternally existing God Who created everything - including us - for His glory - for His purposes - Who has come into humanity - being fully God and yet taking on what it means to be fully human.

Meaning that God has not remained some abstract unknowable being - but has entered into our experience of humanity with us.  God Who comes to us to be our Savior - the sacrificial Lamb of God - Who offers to us life with Him now and forever.

That’s a mouthful.  Isn’t it?  Intellectual agreement with Who Jesus is.

Meaning #2 - the “that you may have life” part - is the “what difference does it make” part of John’s teaching.  Meaning number two of “pisteuo” - “to believe” - is about personal trust, our confidence in someone or something.  What we commit our lives to - totally.  Which is about our response to the truth of what we believe.

When we say we believe in Jesus Christ - that’s our declaring what we believe.  But, how does our life get lived because we are believing in Jesus Christ.?

There’s a difference.  Yes?

It is so easy for us as Christians to spend our time listening to preaching and taking notes or reading books and underlying or highlighting - listening and nodding in agreement - but not believing.  To go along with a what’s currently popular as a Christian - seemingly with all the right stuff.  Maybe even the right doctrine and theology.  But that’s not the life that John is writing about.

Its possible to believe without believing.  We’re not believing because we’ve not responded to the truth - to Jesus - with the surrender of our lives - the submitting of our hearts and wills - our absolute trust in God.  That God would create His life in us - new life - the life that John is writing about that comes by believing in Jesus Christ our Savior.

This morning we’re coming to the last part of chapter 1 - Jesus calling His first disciples - and what that can mean for us as we seek to follow Jesus by faith - by believing in His name. 

Verse 35:  The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,

Let’s pause.  “The next day” means that what’s here is part of a sequence of days.  Day one comes back in verse 19.  A delegation arrives from Jerusalem - out to the Jordan River where John the Baptist is… baptizing.  They ask a bunch of questions about John’s authority to do what John is doing.  John testifies of Jesus.

Day two comes in verse 29.  John identifies Jesus as the Messiah.  Points Jesus out to the crowd.  Day three comes here in verse 35.  Day 4 we’re coming to down in verse 43.

Grab that standing with John - as all this is going on - are two of John’s disciples.  We’re going to find out in verse 40 that one of them is named Andrew.  The other one never gets named.  Probably its John the Apostle  who’s the one writing this Gospel.  We assume that because of what John writes about himself later on.  But point being that at this point they are disciples of John the Baptist who is out by the Jordan doing ministry.

Going on:  and he - John the Baptist - looked at Jesus as He walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”  The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

Jesus comes by.  John’s two disciples hear John as John identifies Jesus - clearly states that Jesus is the long-anticipated Hebrew Messiah.  The sacrificial Lamb of God.  Jesus is the man that will save the world from sin.  So, John the Apostle and Andrew then follow Jesus.

In the world of baseball, Tuesday was what?  The All Star Game.  Won by... the American League.  Which is life changing.  Yes?

That’s why baseball has stats.  The most wins by a left handed pitcher chewing sunflower seeds on the mound in an American League ball park in the month of May - while pitching with his shoes untied - in the eye of a hurricane.  There are people who can tell you exactly who that is.  They follow baseball and baseball players.  People hang on to what players say and what they think and what they do.  Just like people do for stars in other industries.

To which most of us would say, “Get a life.”

Back in John’s day a disciple followed after the Rabbi trying to observe his life as well has hear his teaching.  There’s a potential total commitment of one’s life here.  Arguably a tad more serious that chewing sunflower seeds.  John the Apostle and Andrew begin to follow after Jesus.  To walk following where Jesus’ is walking.  There’s life changing intent there.

Verse 38:  Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?

In other words:  “What is it that you want?  Do want to just ask a question or is it more than that?  Do you want to become My disciple?”

And they said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”  And He - Jesus - said top 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.  Meaning it was getting late in the day - probably about 4:00 in the afternoon.

Rabbi means that they’ve already identified Jesus as their teacher.  Their question about where their Rabbi is staying means their intention is to follow and keep on following.

“Staying” translates the Greek word “meno” - which means “to remain” or “to abide.”  John uses the word 3 times in this short exchange to make a point.

Later on Jesus would use the same word when He was teaching about Jesus being the true vine and His disciples being the branches.  Remember that?  Jesus said that we’re to what…  “abide” in Him.  The word has the idea of a dwelling together in a vital - drawing life and strength from - kind of relationship.  (John 15:1-11)

To follow Jesus - as John and Andrew are desiring to do here - as Jesus calls them to follow and “stay” means a whole lot more than just going along because they believe stuff about Jesus or just hanging out in the same tent with Jesus because they like what he’s teaching.

What’s going on here is a commitment of trust - faith - commitment of life to follow wherever Jesus leads.

Verse 40:  One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

Here we get the identity of one of the men - Andrew.  The other is probably... John the Apostle.

Going on - verse 41 - Andrew - brother of Simon Peter - probably before he ends up at the place where Jesus is staying - He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).  He brought him to Jesus.

Peter is… Peter.  Probably one of the top 5 most well know people in the Bible.  By trade he’s a…  fisherman.  Who is from...  Galilee.  Specifically the town of Bethsaida.  Which we can see on the map.

Bethsaida is about 60 to 70 miles north of where Jesus is at this time.  Which means that Peter was someplace near where all this was going on.  Maybe he’d even heard John the Baptist teaching.  Andrew finds his brother.  Tells him, “We found the Messiah.”  Brings him to Jesus.

Verse 42 - Jesus looked at him - Peter - and said, “So you are Simon the son of John?  You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

Names have meaning.  Yes?  Often as descriptions of people.

Simon comes from the Hebrew “shema” - meaning “to hear.”  As in the great theological statement of Judaism - Deuteronomy 6:4:  “Hear, O Israel:  The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”  “Hear” - “Shema.”  Peter is Jewish in the full sense of the word - from the family of John.  Probably coming from a very devout Jewish family.

Simon is the name of Jacob’s second oldest son:  Simeon.  Who - along with his brother Levi - ruthlessly avenged the violation of their sister by a Canaanite prince.  The rash and impulsive character of Simeon is mirrored in Simon.  Something we read about all over the Gospels.  (i.e.  John 18:10)

Jesus looks at Simon - identifies him as Simon son of John - and then says Simon will be called Cephas.  No questions asked.  This is who you will become.

Cephas - or “kepha” is the Aramaic word for “rock.”  John is writing to the Empire.  People who probably weren’t too conversant in Aramaic.  So John transliterates “kepha” (Aramaic) to “cepha” for the sake of his wider Greek reading audience.  Then John tells them - “Cephas” means “Peter” or in Greek the word is “petra”… rock.  Which is where we get our English name… Peter. 

All of which is descriptive - in many ways - of what Peter did actually become.

Why the play on names - the name change?  Ultimately we don’t know.  John never gives us an explanation.  But that John records all that here does seem to emphasize this:  Jesus saw people deeply.  He saw them not just as they were coming to Him but as they could become in God’s hands.  Surrendered and God transforming them - us.

That’s cool.  Isn’t it?  We should never think of ourselves as a finished product.  Right?  Especially when that product is all about how we’ve messed up in life.  God has so much more for each of us.  Jesus sees each of us as we are and sees the huge potential for which God has created and called each one of us. 

Let’s go on.  Verse 43:  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.

Day 4 - Jesus decides to go to Galilee which is… about 70 miles north - about a 3 days journey.  On the way - He - Jesus - found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Philip is from… Bethsaida which is - by amazing coincidence - where Andrew and Peter are from.  We don’t know why Philip is hanging around or how Jesus knew him.

He may have been hanging around for the same reasons Andrew and Peter were.  Which prompts the question:  “Why didn’t Andrew bring Philip to Jesus?”  “Why didn’t Peter or John the Apostle bring Philip to Jesus?”

We do know.  But we do know that Jesus was intentional in finding Philip.  Which is huge.

Reading through the Gospels the only record of Philip doing anything is found in John.  In the other Gospels he’s simply a name on a list - a number.  He’s always #5 on the list.  Later on in John, Philip does eventually ask Jesus some perceptive questions.  But he’s pretty much invisible except for here.  No one ever really seems to think about Philip.

Except Jesus intentionally found him.  Jesus finds us.  We may think we’re invisible.  Sometime we may want to be invisible.  But not to God.  There are no insignificant followers of Jesus.

Jesus found Philip.  Said, “Follow Me.”  And - in the way John records it - Philip followed - without reservation - without hesitation.  Believing.  Commitment.

Verse 45:  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.”  Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

The first thing Philip does as a disciple of Jesus is go find his friend Nathanael and tell Nathanael about Jesus.  Philip describes Jesus in three ways.

First - Philip says that Jesus is the One that Moses wrote about in the Law and also the prophets wrote about Jesus.  Which on one hand is all about identifying Jesus as THE Messiah that the whole nation is waiting for. 

And other hand tells us something about Nathanael that Philip knew.  Nathanael is a student of Scripture.  Philip’s description of Jesus is going to influence a man who had studied the Law and the Prophets and was looking for the Messiah.

Second - Philip tells Nathanael that Jesus is from Nazareth.  Nazareth being a small dusty ag town of about 2,000 people that apparently had a reputation - which was not good.  Nazareth was near Sepphoris - which was a Roman military base.  Think soldiers with weekend passes looking for a good time and wine and women to have that good time with.

Nathanael’s sarcasm:  “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” was probably well deserved. 

Third - Philip tells Nathanael that Jesus is the son of Joseph.  Which is not physically true of Jesus.  Right?  Being born of the Mary the virgin.  But it is true that Jesus was of the household of Joseph.  Raised in that household.  Jesus was identified with that household.

Why these three descriptions?  We don’t know.  But somehow they seem important to Nathanael.  Which is the point.  Maybe Philip is FORMing or FARMing - looking for ways to hook Nathanael - to draw Nathanael towards Jesus.  “Imagine, the one you’re waiting for is from just down the road.  Just come and see.”

Verse 47:  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” - He’s an honest - forthright Jew.

Verse 48:  Nathanael said to Him, “How do you know me?”  Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

For the Hebrews fig trees are huge.  Pun intended.  Fig trees for the Hebrews were significant for at least 3 reasons.

First:  Food.  You all like figs?  Figs come from the Mediterranean.  Calimyrna figs are from Smyrna - just up the road from where John is writing his Gospel - figs from Smyrna grown in California.  They knew figs.  We know the same figs.

Second reason they’re significant is because they provide shade - even here.  Fig trees can get huge.  Big leaves.  Shade.  Protection from the sun.

Third - Spiritual significance.  Spiritually the Talmud - which is a collection of writings by Jewish scholars on practical living - the Talmud encouraged men to meditate under a large tree to read and meditate on Scripture at least once a day.  Think fig tree.  Cool place for a nap or our devotions.  Maybe a snack.  Most probably that’s exactly what Nathanael was doing.

“How did you know me?”  Is Nathanael responding to how Jesus knew how to describe him.  The fig tree is Jesus’ response that is about a whole lot more than a fig tree.  Jesus identifying Nathanael’s heart.

Let’s keep going and then we’ll come back to that.

Verse 49:  Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!”  Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe?  You will see greater things than these.”

Nathanael’s response demonstrates what Jesus has pointed out.  Nathanael understands the theological and practical implications of Who Jesus is.  Jesus is both THE God and THE King of Israel.  Nathanael is a student of the Law and Prophets who’s heart has been prepared by God’s word to received God’s truth - to respond in faith.  The why we believe what we believe and what that means intellectual believing part.

But Jesus’ response has a certain tongue in cheek to it.  “Just because I said I saw you under the tree you believe.”  Meaning you got the theology down.  But what about the “believing that you may have life part”?  Which is the serious side of Jesus’ response.  What are you willing to commit to?

There are and will be many people that God will hit over the head with a spiritual 2X4 - who will stubbornly - defiantly - choose to reject the truth - of Jesus standing there before them - dying on a cross for them.  Stubbornly choose to not step forward in faith with the total commitment of our lives to Him.

Verse 51 - Jesus final words here to Nathanael are His purpose for coming to humanity.  Verse 51:  And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

What was Nathanael reading under the fig tree?  We don’t know.  Probably the Law and Prophets.  Based on what Jesus says here its probable that Nathanael may have been reading about the Patriarch Jacob.  What we have in recorded in Genesis 28:10-17.

Let’s remember that Jacob was filled with deceit.  Lied to his father.  Swindled his brother.  Is forced to leave home.  Maybe Jesus contrasts all that by describing Nathanael as an Israelite - a son of Jacob - without deceit.  A revelation that seemed to wake Nathanael up to the reality that there was something supernatural going on here with Jesus.

In the account of Jacob - Jacob is out in the wilderness.  He’s having a dream.  God gives Jacob a vision of a ladder going from earth to heaven.  And angels using that ladder - ascending and descending on it - from earth to heaven.  In that dream God emphasizes to Jacob that even though Jacob has messed up God won’t.  God’s presence will be with Jacob and God will fulfill His promises to Abraham through Jacob.

Point being its God who has bridged the gap between heaven and earth.  Not us.

Jesus - here in verse 51 - is revealing His purpose in coming - which is to bridge that same gap - that schism between heaven and earth which is created by our sin.  Which He - Jesus - bridges as our ladder - once for all.  Which is an even greater truth to grab onto than Jesus being able to see into the depths of someone sitting under a fig tree.  It’s the core of what we believe that Nathanael - that we - need to commit ourselves totally to in believing in Jesus our Savior.

In these verses 31 to 51, there’s a whole lot of “finding” going on.  Andrew found Simon while claiming to have found the Messiah.  Jesus found Philip.  Philip found Nathanael while claiming to have found the Messiah.

That word “found” in Greek has the idea “to locate by searching.”  Thinking about what John records here its a little fuzzy as to who found whom.  From our perspective people are finding people.  But God bridges the schism.  God prepares the heart.  Let’s be humbly honest.  Its God Who finds us and prepares us and allows us to “find” Him.

Bottom line point being that behind all the calling of disciples - followers of Jesus bringing others to Jesus to become followers of Jesus - behind all the calling of disciples is God - Jesus - Who is calling us to Himself.

What can all that mean for us as we head out there to do life believing in Jesus?

Jesus - familiar statement - Jesus said, “Follow Me and I will make you... fishers of men.”  Fast forward through Jesus’ ministry - the other bookend with His disciples - Jesus having taught them how to fish for men - Jesus commissions them - another familiar statement:  “Go make... disciples.”  (Matthew 4:19; 28:19)

Here in the verses we just looked at there are at least 4 different examples of ways to do what Jesus commands His disciples to do.

John the Baptist is an example of mass evangelism.  Like a Graham Crusade.  Spreading the net wide.  Which some of us here have been involved in.

Andrew is an example of personal evangelism.  One on one sharing the gospel with a friend or relative.  Which, by God’s grace, hopefully all of us have done. 

Philip is a good example of contact evangelism.  Sharing the gospel with someone we may not know so well or we just met.  Doing Table.  Taking advantage of Divine appointments.  God space.  Which many here are a part of.

Nathanael is an example of word evangelism.  God using His word to convict and lead someone to Him.  Sowing the word - the Scriptures.   Something the Gideon’s do.  An organization that some here are a part of.  Or leaving tracts around.  Which some people here do.

All four are text book examples of great evangelism.  Following and fishing.  Examples to follow.  But all that can - for some be massively intimidating - and can actually miss the point of what it means to be called as a disciple of Jesus.

The account of Andrew - for example - really isn’t about anyone amazingly remarkable.  In fact he really isn’t that impressive a person.  He stands in the shadow of his brother Peter.

In fact, none of these five men are really remarkable as men.  They all have issues and drama and stuff.

And yet Jesus finds them.  Calls them to be His disciples.  And they end up living remarkable history changing lives.  Meaning that there’s more going on here than their knowing how to use one of these four models of evangelism.  Or because of any other wonderful abilities or spiritual insights that they’ve brought to the table.

Which should be massively encouraging to us.  Because if we’re honest.  We got nothing.  What do we come to Jesus with but our issues and drama and stuff and then proudly declare:  “I found you!”?  “I found Jesus.”  Like discipleship is all about us and how insightful we are.

Which is the point.  Isn’t it?.

A disciple - by definition - a disciple is a student - a learner.  Someone who is learning how to do life so that they way they’re doing life so closely resembles what they’ve learned from their teacher that the way they’re doing life actually looks like their teacher is living their life through them.

Paul wrote the Corinthian church.  Defined discipleship way more simply:  “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 11:1)

The great struggle we have when we hear is that and we think that discipleship is somehow our imitating what Paul did or what Jesus did.  That to be a good disciple we have to reproduce that our lives - or do even better to make up for how we’ve messed up in the past.

That somehow by our gutting it out - or efforts at humility or sacrifice - or self crucifixion - that somehow we can reproduce the genuine self-less expression of the love of God - or any other attribute of a follower of Jesus - or of Jesus Himself - that we see in Jesus.

But the great mystery and secret of being a disciple is this:  Discipleship is not a work of man.  Discipleship is the direct and exclusive consequence of God’s activity in man.

Let me rephrase that.  Discipleship is not the consequence of our capacity to imitate God, but the consequence of God’s capacity to reproduce Himself in us. (1)

Jesus - the Word made flesh - set aside His right to use His divine attributes - took on what it means to be human - minus the sin part - and chose to live human doing only the work the Father had given Him to do.  Doing all that only by the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through Him.

Let’s be clear on that.  Everything Jesus did in His humanity He did in subjection to the will of the Father.  Including death.  Remember the prayer?  “Not what I will, but what you will.”  (Mark 14:36)

That’s what Paul is imitating.  What we’re called to follow.

Paul wrote to the Philippians - using Jesus as the example.  “Have this mind in you that was in Christ Jesus.”  Do you hear imitation in that?   (Philippians 2:5)

Total surrender - submission - dependence - trust - faith - believing in God for everything - period.  To follow - to imitate - Jesus as His disciple - to do the work He commands us to do as His disciple - has nothing to do with us and everything to do with God.  His will leading us.  His Spirit transforming and enabling us.

That’s not intellectual assent.  What’s dependent on my whit, wisdom, and working.  That’s total commitment.  That’s what John means when he writes that believing we may have life in His name.

Let’s be really practical.  It’s a brutal thought and I’m still working through the consequences of this.  But if all I have to offer someone is my efforts at following Jesus I have very little if anything to offer - especially as an invitation to join me in being a disciple of Jesus.

Put another way:  When people look at your life who do they see?  Do they see another person trying to live out the Christian life or do they see Jesus living out His life in you?

Five unremarkable men that God used in remarkable ways.

Question:  What might God do in and through you if believing you had life in His Name?

________________________

1. Reference:  I’m paraphrasing (adapting a great teaching by) Major W. Ian Thomas from his book “The Mystery of Godliness”, Zondervan, 1964 - see page 11

General Reference for this series:  Charles R. Swindoll, “Insights On John:  Swindoll’s New Testament Insights,”  Zondervan, 2010

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®  (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.