John 1:43-51

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/The_First_Disciples_of_Jesus.htm

Skepticism can be a helpful trait in a day when it seems that there are so many false teachers.  It can also prevent us from being a part of some wonderful things.  We say that good news spreads fast.  The news that Jesus was Messiah was clearly declared by John.  However, in many ways it seems that there were very few who actually believed John’s testimony.  It seems that skepticism is winning the day.  Eventually there would be multitudes following Jesus but at this early stage in His ministry there are very few people who are following the Lord.  The reality is that Jesus did not match everyone’s preconceived ideas about what Messiah would be like.  They were expecting a rich ruler; not a suffering Savior.  Jesus is not concerned with or surprised by this reaction.  He simply moves forward with His plan to call men to become His followers.  He continues to seek men who will follow Him but, to this day, finds more skepticism and unbelief than people who are willing to recognize Him as Lord and trust Him as Savior.

PHILIP’S INVITATION FROM JESUS: The day after Andrew, Peter and likely John spent with Jesus; He decides to go to Galilee.  On the way He comes to Bethsaida which is where Andrew and Peter are from.  It seems likely that Andrew and Peter were telling the people from their home town about their experience with Jesus.  Perhaps Phillip was one of the people they had talked to.  When Jesus meets Phillip; He invites him to come and follow Him.  There are many things that we don’t know about this encounter.  We don’t know if Andrew and Peter were present at the time or if they had told Jesus about Phillip.  What we do know is that Jesus gave Phillip a simple invitation and that Phillip accepted that invitation.  It is a wonderful thing to be invited to become a follower of Jesus Christ.  He is extending that same invitation to people today.  There are many implications to being a follower of Jesus.  Those who follow are surrendering control of their lives to another.  When we choose to follow Christ, we yield the right to lead to Him.  Followers don’t dictate directions; they follow the directions of their leader.  Those who follow imitate their leader.  When Jesus calls us to follow Him, He is inviting us to submit to His leadership and conform to His image.  Those who call themselves followers of Christ but insist on dictating their own destiny and maintaining their own identity are fooling themselves.  Jesus is inviting us to go where He wants us to go, be who He wants us to be and do what He wants us to do.

PHILIP’S INSISTENCE WITH NATHANAEL: The pattern of followers calling others to follow continues with Philip.  When Jesus calls him to follow Philip immediately goes and tells Nathanael.  When Philip says “we have found Him” it seems likely that he is referring to Peter and Andrew.  Philip clearly identifies Jesus as being the son of Joseph from Nazareth which is very close to their current location.  Nathanael’s response is to question if anything good can come from Nazareth.  He did not expect for Messiah to come from the town down the road.  Philip is not put off by Nathanael’s skepticism but insists with him to come and see for himself.  When we invite people to come and follow Jesus with us; we should not be surprised or discouraged by skepticism or questions.  Nathanael decides to come and see and as he is arriving Jesus demonstrates His identity to him by telling him about his character as well as his location when Philip called him.  Nathanael is immediately convinced and declares that Jesus is Messiah, the Son of God.  It is important for us to remember that God knows everything about us.  He knows exactly who we are and where we are at every moment of every day.  Nothing we do, say or think is ever hidden from Him.  Even still He invites us to come and follow Him.  Jesus lets Nathanael know that he is correct in his identification and promises that he will see many great things as a follower.  Jesus says that he will see the heavens open and angles ascending and descending on the Son of Man.  Those who followed Jesus saw the heavens open and Jesus was taken up into heaven after His resurrection and then angels came and told them that Jesus would return for them.  Perhaps Jesus was referring to this event but what is very clear to us is that Jesus was letting Nathanael know that the best was yet to come.  Every follower of Jesus must constantly keep this truth in mind.  We may suffer or even die in the process of following Jesus because that is exactly what Jesus did.  No matter what happens to us in the present, we can rest assured that there is a glorious future in store for us.  It is a glorious thing to follow Jesus and we should actively recruit all we can to join us.  We will run into sceptics and can expect to face hardship in the process but the promises of Jesus for all who follow Him are eternal and glorious.   


APPLICATION: As followers of Jesus we need to be obedient to Him and strive to become like Him.  Our natural response to becoming a follower of Jesus should be to invite others to join us.  Don’t be discouraged or dissuaded by skeptical responses to our invitations.  Live in light of the truth that God knows everything about us all of the time.  Look forward to the glorious promises of Jesus. 

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