Call of the Disciples John 1:29-42 In this passage we see John, a day after Jesus’ baptism, at the river with two of his disciples (vs.35). John points out Jesus to them. Afterward he watches them go to follow their new teacher. How well do most of us do when another person begins to shine more brightly than ourselves?
If you have been, or are, a leader in a project at work, how easy is it to see another come in and take over that position of leadership? It’s hard to do! But, John understands that his job has not been to be the leader, but to prepare the way for the leader—the Messiah. John has even been asked, “Are you the Messiah?” He replied plainly that he was not. John told Jesus at the baptism, “…I have need to be baptized by You!” He saw his own need for Jesus; He recognized Jesus as the Lord of his entire life.
Perhaps one of the hardest parts of being a Christian is letting Jesus be Lord. It is as though we tell Jesus by our actions that we welcome Him as our Savior, but we like being Number One in our daily lives. We like to keep Jesus “out there” toward eternity somewhere—maybe for when we get really old and can’t run our own lives anymore. What a waste! In trying to live on our own power, without Jesus as our Head, we make more mistakes, more missteps, and miss more wonderful opportunities in life than we can imagine. John 3:30 tells, “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.” The wonderful thing about allowing ourselves to decrease, as Jesus increases in our lives, is that He continually makes our lives better and better—not with wealth or power, but with peace that passes all understanding and cannot be removed by anyone or anything.
John 1:29-42 1. What name for Jesus do we find in vs. 29 and vs. 36? Why is this name significant? What are the implications of this title?
2. What was the relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus (vs. 30 -31)? What was John’s role in Jesus’ ministry? (vs. 34)
3. What was the relationship between Simon Peter and Andrew? What role did Andrew play in Peter’s relationship with Jesus?
For Family Reflection 4. Where in the worship service do we recognize Jesus as the “Lamb of God”? Are there any illustrations of “the Lamb” in your church?
5. What does the name “Messiah” mean (see vs. 41)? What does it mean for us that the Messiah has come? 6. Andrew brings a family member to Jesus. Is there anyone in your family who does not know Jesus? How can you introduce them to Jesus?
