Blog Archives

John 1:37-51 (NKJV) The First Disciples

4/7/2020

37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" 39 He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone). 43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 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." 46 And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" 48 Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." 51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Questions to Consider:

What is your reason for being a follower of Christ?
Why is the question of "who" Jesus is so crucial to our faith?
Take yourself back into the time of Christ, do you think that you would have been inclined to be a disciple of Christ or a part of the opposition to Christ?

Personal Thoughts: The first disciples were not followers of Jesus because they had nothing better to do. They followed Jesus because they were convinced that He was the Christ. The declaration of who Jesus was is made over and over again. It is the same reason we follow Jesus. We Believe! Jesus said the following words to Thomas: "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29) And so we are blessed!

Two of John the Baptist's disciples heard John call Jesus the "Lamb of God." They must have had some understanding of what that meant or thought that the title sounded impressive because they immediately started to follow Jesus. Jesus responded to them exactly like we would respond to people who are suddenly in our shadow; He asked them, "What do you want?"
They called Jesus, "Rabbi." This meant that they viewed Jesus as a spiritual teacher, someone worth listening to, someone worth learning from, perhaps someone worth following. Rather than try to convince these two men to follow Him by giving them a sales pitch, Jesus simply invites them with, "Come and see."
One of the two men was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. Andrew found Peter and shared a significant word with him. "We have found the Messiah." (Side note: Peter declares to Jesus (Matt 16:16) "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." However, Andrew had come to that same conclusion the day he decided to become one of Jesus' disciples)
Jesus calls Simon Peter "Cephas" which means stone or rock. Some Christian traditions believe that this means that Peter was "The Rock" that the church would be built on. They base this on Jesus' response to Peter's declaration that Jesus was the Christ. ""And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." In my opinion that is quite the extrapolation. Firstly, Jesus said the church would be built on "this" rock and He used the word "Petra" not "Cephas." Most Bible scholars believe that the "Petra" the church is built on is the revelation that Jesus was and is the Christ.
The next day, Jesus called Philip to follow Him. Philip immediately found Nathanael as spread the good news. "We have found Him..." When Nathanael found out the Jesus was from Nazareth, he was less than impressed: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"
How did Jesus win this skeptic over? He spoke to Nathanael with prophetic insight: 1) "Behold, an Israelite in whom is no deceit!" 2) "Before Philip called you, you were resting under a fig tree." Both of these insights grabbed Nathanael's attention because they were true.
Nathanael makes a declaration: "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!" The point is this: Andrew, Peter, Philip and now Nathanael did not follow Jesus because of His charisma or charm; they believed that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah.
Jesus tells Nathanael, (Let me paraphrase) "If you believe in me based on a couple of prophetic insights, just wait, you have not seen anything yet!"

0 Comments

John 1:29-36 (NKJV) Jesus is Baptized in Water

4/6/2020

0 Comments

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." 32 And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." 35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"

Questions to Consider:

What do you think was the significance of the Holy Spirit descending and remaining on Jesus?
Do you think that Jesus did miracles on the basis of His divinity or by the power of the Holy Spirit?
Do you think that John the Baptist was comfortable with the idea that Jesus' calling and purpose was of greater importance than his own?

Personal Note: It makes sense that the same power that enabled Jesus is the same power that is in the life of Believers. In John 14:12 Jesus declared that His followers would do the works that He did and even greater works. Wow!

This is a theologically significant even in the ministry of Christ. We have one of the clearest pictures of the Holy Trinity. (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching to be baptized, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Notice the inclusive nature of John's statement. Jesus was the Messiah that was spoken of by the prophets of the Old Testament, but Jesus was not limited to saving Israel, He was the savior for the entire world. This was essentially the same message that the Angel of the Lord declared to the shepherds at Christ's birth. "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people." (Luke 2:10)
All four of the Gospels have an account of Jesus' Baptism. Here is Matthew's account: Matthew 3:16-17 (NKJV) 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
John the Baptist refers to Jesus as "The Lamb of God." This is a direct reference to the Prophet Isaiah. (Isaiah 53:7) John was obviously aware of Jesus' role in fulfilling the Father's ultimate plan of salvation.

0 Comments

John 1:15-27 (NKJV) Ministry of John the Baptist

4/5/2020

0 Comments

15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' " 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. 19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD," ' as the prophet Isaiah said." 24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose." 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Questions to Consider:

Do I consider and submit to the purpose(s) for which God created me or am I pursuing my own goals in life? (Which comes first?)
Am I willing to take a role (in terms of my ministry) that seems to support and promote others more than myself?
How can I become a more humble person without losing who I am? (Or is losing myself in Christ the objective?)

Personal Note: The Apostle Paul talked about the idea of becoming "less" so that Christ could become the "more" in me. Emptying myself for the sake of being empty is not the goal. The goal is to fill the void, as I am being emptied out, with Him. That I might live, breath and find my being in Him.

Everyone has an ego. We are self-serving creatures by the nature of our existence which takes in data through the senses and then evaluates and stores the data in the over 100 trillion synopsis of the brain. This little self-contained world (the brain) in which we all live often makes it difficult to "see" the value in others. To submit to another person takes "real" humility.
John the Baptist was either incredibly humble or through his prophetic gifts understood who Jesus was. (Perhaps both) As the most powerful and well-known prophet of His time, John deferred to Jesus.
Since many of the Jews were looking for the Messiah, they naturally thought that perhaps John the Baptist was the "one." John made it clear, "I am not the Christ." "Well, then who are you?" They asked. As John responded to the bombardment of questioning, he laid out the purpose of his ministry and calling. v.23 "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord," 'as the prophet Isaiah said."
The Pharisees pointed out that John was baptizing people, and they questioned his authority to do so--since he was not the Christ. John did not answer their criticism. A wise choice. Trying to convince people concerning your motivations generally has two effects: 1) It comes across as defensive. 2) It does nothing to change their opinion.
John the Baptist then lived out his purpose by telling the Pharisees that the "One" they were looking for would be coming; and that John was not even worthy to help Him take His shoes off. Talk about humility. (Jesus demonstrated the same kind of humility as He washed the disciples' feet)
I you ever visit Bethabara, where Jesus was baptized, you will find a small, murky-looking water hole on the Jordan.

0 Comments

John 1:1-14 (NKJV) The Deity of Jesus Christ

4/4/2020

1 Comment

Bible Text

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Questions to Consider:

Why is believing in the deity of Jesus Christ so important?
Spiritual discernment allows us to "sense" the difference between good and evil. Do you believe in the idea of good and evil and why is it important to have discernment?
Did your life change significantly when you came to faith in Jesus? What are some of the more profound changes?

RJ's Running Commentary

John starts in by putting the biggest rock in the jar. Jesus was and is God. He was God and with God before the creation. He was a part of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) that created all that is. John emphatically enforces this idea, "without Him nothing was made that was made!" (v.3)
Without going into the details of the fall of man and the ensuing curse of sin; John simply notes that there is darkness. It is the state of mankind and planet earth. Jesus represents the antidote for darkness. He is the light. Jesus stated it well, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)
The most famous prophet in the land of Israel, just before Jesus launches His public ministry, was John the Baptist. Like Jesus, John the Baptist was sent by God; and like Jesus, John the Baptist was martyred. John the Baptist was sent specifically to pave the way for Jesus. His endorsement of Jesus gave Jesus instant credibility with those who were wanting to see a time of spiritual renewal in their own lives and in the life of their nation.
John talks about the light (Jesus) that came to Israel. The nation that was longing for the coming of the Messiah; and when the Messiah (Jesus) came, they did not know Him and they did not receive Him. What a tragedy.
In spite of the general rejection of Jesus by the Jewish people; by the goodness and grace of God, "as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become the children of God." That explains "us." Removed by thousands of miles; removed by thousands of years; removed by our lack of genetic connection to God's chosen people--we have become the children of God!
Jesus is the perfect representation of God. He was God in the flesh, full of grace and truth.

1 Comment

Introduction to the Gospel according to John

4/4/2020

0 Comments

John was the youngest of Jesus' disciples. He refers to himself as the disciple that Jesus loved. In the distorted view of the modern pop culture, love between men is often sexualized, which makes it difficult to comprehend the powerful bounds of the friendships between men who love each other. Please note: Sex and Love are not synonymous. On a personal note, I have sexual relationships with one person; my wife. On the other hand, I have an intense, non-sexual, agape love for a very large number of friends and family members. How deep is that love? I would die to save them; and there is not one sexual thought that I associate with those relationships. Sorry to start out this study with such a taboo conversation, but the sensual nature of our culture needs to be exposed. The Bottom-line: John wrote the Gospel of John from the perspective of a person who loved his dear friend, Jesus.

The Purpose for which the Gospel of John was written: There is no guess work when it comes to John's purpose for writing the Gospel of John. He clearly states his purpose in John 20:29-31 (NKJV) "Jesus said to him, 'Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.' And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." John wrote his Gospel so that people; people who were not around during the time of Jesus' ministry on earth, would read John's account and come to believe in Jesus.

One of the themes found in John's coverage of Jesus' ministry on earth is the idea of good verses evil portrayed as an analogy of light verses darkness. The earth is a picture of darkness, weighted down under the curse of sin and under the influence of Satan. Jesus is portrayed as the light that shatters the darkness and passes on the lighted torch to the Church to carry on.

Questions to Consider:

What caused you to Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God?
In what way(s) has your life been blessed by your belief in Christ?
How are your allowing your light (your witness) to "shine" and be an influence in your world?

0 Comments

Forward>>

John 1:37-51 (NKJV) The First Disciples

John 1:29-36 (NKJV) Jesus is Baptized in Water

John 1:15-27 (NKJV) Ministry of John the Baptist

John 1:1-14 (NKJV) The Deity of Jesus Christ

Bible Text

RJ's Running Commentary

Introduction to the Gospel according to John

RJ Dugone

Archives

Categories