When I was a kid, I looked forward to Vacation Bible School every summer. I loved learning about Jesus, memorizing Bible verses, and singing songs like I‘ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart, and Deep and Wide. I was particularly fond of the story about how Jesus called His disciples to follow Him. The other day I found myself wanting to skip over this story because I already knew the ending. But then I was reminded that each verse of the Bible is there for a reason and each verse has meaning waiting to be discovered and rediscovered over and over again. So instead of skipping the story, I read it anticipating that once more it would come alive and speak to me. I wasn’t disappointed. Sometimes we just have to look at things with a fresh perspective. I encourage you to do the same. Here is what I rediscovered in John 1:35-39.
KNOWING ABOUT JESUS ISN’T ENOUGH
The first two disciples Jesus called to follow Him were Andrew and John, fishermen from Bethsaida. Before becoming disciples of Jesus, both Andrew and John were disciples of John the Baptist who came as a witness to testify concerning Jesus (John 1:7). As John’s disciples, they would have known about Jesus, but knowing about Him was not enough. They wanted to know Jesus personally – they wanted to see Him for themselves. So when they heard John say as Jesus passed by “Look, the Lamb of God”, they did not hesitate to go after Him. They followed Jesus boldly and without delay.
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
When Jesus noticed that He was being followed, He turned around and said to Andrew and John: “What do you want”? They responded to Jesus’ question with one of their own: “Where are you staying?” Most likely they were not expecting an immediate invitation from Jesus. But without hesitation, Jesus invited these men to “Come and…See”. He did not question their motivation or tell them to come back some other time. Because they asked, they spent the day with Jesus. Can you imagine what they talked about? Perhaps Jesus spoke to them as He did to His followers on the Road to Emmaus where he “explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27) Although John doesn’t tell us about their conversation, what we know for certain is that whatever Jesus said to them, Andrew and John believed.
WHAT ARE YOU AFTER?
Each disciple had an encounter with Jesus personally before they believed and decided to follow Him. It is no different today. Jesus asks each of us as He did Andrew and John, “What are you after?” He asks this question not because He doesn’t know the answer, but because He wants us to know what it is that we seek by following Him. He wants our minds to be clear about what we want and our motivations guiding our wants. When our minds are clear, our hearts are open to receive what He has to offer.
Andrew and John wanted to know whether Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. So they went to Jesus and asked. Jesus responded by inviting them to “Come and see.” Like Andrew and John, Jesus invites us all to ask Him for what we are seeking and then “come and see” and decide for ourselves whether He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God.
Once we see and believe, then we must decide whether to heed His call to follow Him. Jesus called His first disciples to follow Him and He calls us to follow Him today. The Amplified Bible says “follow me” means to follow Jesus “as [His] disciple, accepting [Him] as your Master and Teacher, and walking the same path of life that [He] walks.” The call to follow Jesus is a call to walk as Jesus walked and love as Jesus loved. Deciding to follow Jesus is not a one-time decision; it is a path we must choose every day. Thank God that we don’t have to walk this path alone. Matthew 11:28-30 from the Amplified sums it up perfectly:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”
