29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. (John 1:29-46, New International Version)
Theme: Discipleship
Context:
Thanks for all the comments yesterday! Your commentary on what Jesus asked (“What do you want?”) and what he requested (“Come…and you will see.”) highlighted His concern for the needs, desires, and commitment of the disciples. Also, you concluded that Jesus wanted the disciples to experience him up close. Consistent with your insightful conclusions, two discipleship steps emerge: 1) seeing (an experiential encounter), and 2) staying (a commitment to live with the Rabbi).
Today we will switch our focus to Philip. Though not stated in the Scripture passage, some scholars believe Philip was also a disciple of John the Baptist before encountering Jesus. Note that Philip gets an invitation from Jesus like the “come and see” invitation we saw yesterday. After seeing and staying, observe what Philip does next.
Bible Study Passage:
Our Scripture passages are again presented above. Today, pay particular attention to verses 43 – 46.
Questions:
- How does Philip’s experience compare to the involvement of the disciples we considered yesterday?
- In addition to seeing and staying, what important next step does Philip take after encountering Jesus?
Sharing your thoughts could be a big help to someone else. Please leave a comment on the blog.