God’s Word of Love
Introduction
John 1:35-51: The testimony of John the Baptist leads his disciples to follow Jesus, and they spend the day with him. Jesus goes to Galilee and calls Philip and Nathanael to follow him.
Scripture Reading
The First Disciples of Jesus
35The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples, 36when he saw Jesus walking by. “There is the Lamb of God!” he said.
37The two disciples heard him say this and went with Jesus. 38Jesus turned, saw them following him, and asked, “What are you looking for?”
They answered, “Where do you live, Rabbi?” (This word means “Teacher.”)
39“Come and see,” he answered. (It was then about four o’clock in the afternoon.) So they went with him and saw where he lived, and spent the rest of that day with him.
40One of them was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41At once he found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” (This word means “Christ.”) 42Then he took Simon to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “Your name is Simon son of John, but you will be called Cephas.” (This is the same as Peter and means “a rock.”)
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come with me!” ( 44Philip was from Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter lived.) 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the book of the Law and whom the prophets also wrote about. He is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” answered Philip.
47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, “Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!”
48Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49“Teacher,” answered Nathanael, “you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50Jesus said, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than this!” 51 And he said to them, “I am telling you the truth: you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”
Today’s Key Verse: John 1:49b
“You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Reflect
How does John describe Jesus (verse 36)? How does Andrew describe him (verse 41)? What does Philip say about Jesus (verse 45)? What do you think prompted Nathanael’s bold confession (verse 49)? If someone were to ask you about Jesus, how would you describe him?
Pray
Lord Jesus, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel. Thank you for calling me to follow you. Guide my thoughts, actions, and steps this day. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Reading
John 2:1-12: Jesus attends a wedding at Cana.