Who Are You Following?
John 1:35-51
Main Idea: Jesus calls us to know Him, follow Him, and share Him.
I. Know Jesus (1:35-39a, 47-48)
John 1:35–39a: 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!”The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 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? “Come and you will see.”
Notice the pattern:
They hear about Jesus
They see Jesus
They follow Jesus
They abide with Jesus
John 1:39b: So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
To know Jesus is to recognize him.
When Peter and John stand before the Sanhedrin, their boldness astonishes the authorities, who “recognize that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).
To know Jesus is also to be known by Jesus.
John 1:47–48: Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 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.
The One who knows us at our worst is full of grace and truth.
II. Follow Jesus (1:37–51)
Following Jesus changes everything.
John 1:37: The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
Following Jesus brings transformation.
John 1:40–42: One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
“All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.”
~ Judson W. Van DeVenter, “I Surrender All” (1896)
The One who calls us to follow is Lord and King, worthy of our surrender and obedience.
III. Share Jesus (1:40–51)
Romans 10:14–17: How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Share Jesus Case Study #1: Andrew’s Witness
John 1:40–41: One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” He brought him to Jesus.
Share Jesus Case Study #2: Philip’s Witness
John 1:43–46: The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 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 One who sends us to speak is the Lamb of God, whose glory is too great to keep silent.
