Often, the opinion that we have of people is based on where they are from. Now I’m originally from Shelburne, Nova Scotia, but I hope you don’t hold that against me! However, some would, to be sure. When we want to know about a person we ask who their family are, what they do for a living and what side of the causeway they were born on! For example, the hometown boy is more likely to get the vote in the regional election, than someone “from away”! But of course, there are always exceptions to the rule.
Jesus was despised by His neighbours and his immediate family alike, because of His heritage, or the manner of His birth; and so far as Nathaniel (Jn. 1.45, 46) was concerned, even because of the town where He was raised. All pretty poor reasons to judge a person if you ask me, because after all, anyone, from anywhere, can come out of nowhere to become a great leader, or at least a great influence on the people around him…and thus it was to be with Jesus, and more!
According to Jn. 1.35, one day John (the Baptist) and two of his disciples noticed Jesus walking, and John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” By all appearances, an ordinary man, but no ordinary Lamb! And from that point on, in the Gospel according to John, Jesus’ ministry began to “take off”, because we read in the very next verse that those two of John’s disciples left him, and began to follow their soon-to-be Lord. Now, an ordinary man might have been offended by this, but not John. In fact, we read in ch. 3.30 that he said of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease”. John knew that his own mission had been accomplished; and so, we have this record of the calling of Jesus’ disciples into service, as He begins the three years of His own earthly mission…
1. The disciples were curious, vss. 35-37
Remember that salvation and service are inseparable, even though the one is very different from the other. However, they are both very powerful and convicting calls. And they are also very personal calls. Today, we live in what is commonly referred-to as “the information age”…emails and faxes and news-bytes, flashed around the world in a matter of nano-seconds; but at the same time, it could be called “the misinformation age”, because of the scarcity of truth in these troubled days! Well, the same could be said for John’s day, in a vastly different place and time.
You see, the Jews were prayerfully anticipating their Messiah, the Kinsman-Redeemer, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, as Jesus is identified throughout the scriptures. And likely, there had been many false Christs come on the scene, who had soon proven their inability to save anyone from anything, by military or para-military or by any other means…just like many wannabe leaders today. So when John (the Baptist) announced, “Behold the Lamb of God”, few people were moved, except, that is, those two of John’s disciples. They were curious, and they were curious because of their faith in John’s message, and because of their faith in the Old Testament prophets, beginning with Abel’s lamb, as recorded back in Genesis chapter four. His lamb had died for his family, but God’s Lamb would die for the nation…even the whole world! So when John announced Jesus’ true identity, his disciples got curious…”Does John really know what he’s talking about? Could this man really be The One?” Notice that these two men, along with John, had already “stood”, as vs. 35 says, “and looked upon Jesus”, as vs. 36 says. And then in vs. 37 we read that, “they heard Him speak”, and then that, “they followed Jesus”. They stood, they saw, they heard and they followed!
Do you realize that this very same principle has been repeated millions of times since that day, as recorded here? Just think of all the men and women and children since then who have stopped, looked and listened to the message of Jesus and of salvation! And while some have moved on, there have been one, or two or dozens at a time who have “followed Him”. One day, He was just a name on a page or a curse on the lips, and the next day, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (v. 29). He moved from our head to our heart; maybe in some cases, as was the case with these two disciples of John, from expectation to anticipation to experience! That is a real-life, life-giving reality!
These two men felt they were about to have an eye-opening and a heart-warming and a soul-awakening experience, and as a result, just hearing about Jesus was no longer enough. Their curiosity had been aroused and now they needed to hear and to see for themselves; and so indeed, they “followed Jesus”.
As you read this today, resolve, perhaps for the very first time, to give yourself to Him as well; and if you have done that already, perhaps many years ago, maybe even in a Sunday School class from your youth, it could be time to resolve again, to keep Jesus in your direct line of sight every waking moment; you’ll be surprised again, at how your life looks, through His eyes!
Next time, Parts 2 & 3…
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