John 1:36-51 Jesus Calls His Disciples

“Behold, the Lamb of God!”  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”  He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.  One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ).  He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).  The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.”  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathaniel 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.”  Nathaniel said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”  Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”  Nathaniel 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.”  Nathaniel answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”  Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”  And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

It can be said that belief in Jesus is a matter of faith.  Jesus did not overwhelm His first converts, but instead provided them a simple invitation to follow Me.  Jesus keenly identifies particular traits with these men and is what is common in Bible text, He renames Simon into Cephas or Peter.  Remember, Abraham was changed from Abram into Abraham, Jacob into Israel, and Saul into Paul.  Now Peter takes on his new God given name.  These men will be asked to leave all they have for the sake of Jesus and to become His disciples as He begins His ministry.

Daily Prayer:  Lord Jesus, I realize Your invitation to me is the same as it was to these men, to leave what I have to follow You.  Everything about this is a transformation because we are leaving the physical world in which we live to learn how to take our first steps of living in the Kingdom of God which has come with Your coming.  Help us as we take our daily steps with You.  Amen.