Jesus calls The First Disciples (John 1:34-51 )
Jesus calls the first disciples. The testimony of John the Baptist sets off a chain reaction. In the first of three related stories, the Apostle John explains how the first disciples moved from curious followers to apostles entrusted with spreading the gospel.
Review
The thesis of John’s gospel is the only way to gain eternal life in the kingdom of heaven is to believe Jesus is the Christ. John chose certain aspects of the ministry of Jesus to highlight certain themes.
- Theme 1: The importance of testimony. Why should we believe what we haven’t seen for ourselves? We believe because of the testimony of those who saw it.
- Theme 2: The only way to receive eternal life is to believe in Jesus. What’s the point of all this testimony? That we believe in Jesus. Why is believing in Jesus so important? Because he’s the only one who can grant us eternal life.
- Theme 3: Those who believe do so because of the activity of the Spirit of God. We don’t manufacture belief. The Spirit gives it to us.
Jesus calls the First Disciples
- The last story focused on the testimony of John the Baptist’s affirming that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ.
- John 1:35-51 examines the chain of belief that grows from John the Baptist’s testimony.
Chain of Belief
- Andrew and an unnamed disciple (probably author John) follow Jesus because of John the Baptist’s testimony.
- Peter believes Jesus is the Christ because of Andrew’s testimony about John’s testimony.
- Philip’s friends Andrew and Peter probably influenced him, and he quickly believed.
- The chain of belief breaks with Nathanael, who must see for himself.
- Jesus displays his identity by revealing knowledge about Nathanael only God could have told him. Nathanael quickly believes.
Promise of Greater Revelation
- Jesus marvels that Nathanael believes based on this minor sign. He will see greater signs than this one.
- Son of God and King of Israel (John 1:49) are terms that refer to the Messiah.
- Jesus alludes to the story of Jacob’s ladder from Genesis in telling them they will see greater signs which confirm he is the Messiah.
Importance of Apostolic Belief
- So far, John has shown us several men who decided that Jesus is the Christ based on the testimony of John the Baptist and this event within Nathaniel.
- These men will become the apostles who were given the job to teach us about Jesus after the resurrection and ascension.
- The apostles serve as eyes and ears for all the believers that follow them, including you and me. John wants us to know how they came convinced that Jesus is the Christ.
- The progress of their understanding is important because they’re the ones who teach us what this gospel is all about.
Please listen to the podcast for more detail and explanation.
Next: 05 Jesus turns Water into Wine (John 2:1-12)
Previous: 03 The Testimony of John the Baptist (John 1:19-34)
Series: Gospel of John: Believe and Find Life
Study: Gospel of John Bible Study Resources
Podcast season 25, episode 4