Andrew brings his brother to meet Jesus
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which 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 Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which 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 means Peter).
John
- John the Baptist, not John the author of the gospel
- See John 1:28
with two of his disciples
- Why did people go to John the Baptist in the wilderness? (Mark 1:4-5)
- Why do you think some of these people became John’s disciples?
- Who did John teach his disciples to look for? (Mark 1:7-8, John 1:29-31)
the Lamb of God
- According to John 1:29, what does this Lamb do with our sins? (See also Isaiah 53:6-7)
- According to John 1:32-33 and Mark 1:8, what else does the Lamb do for those who come to him?
- According to John 1:25-26 and John 1:31, what was the real purpose of John’s ministry?
- Why was this purpose so important to John?
the two disciples … followed Jesus
- These two were followers of John the Baptist. Why did they now turn and follow Jesus?
Jesus … said to them, “what are you seeking?”
- Why did Jesus ask them this question?
- What do you think they were seeking?
- What do you think drew them to follow Jesus? (John 6:44)
Rabbi
- This is a Hebrew word. It is one of many places where John uses Hebrew or Aramaic terminology. This characteristic of the gospel of John upholds its authenticity as the work of an early Hebraic follower of Jesus who knew him (and the events surrounding his ministry) in great detail.
- What do we know from the gospels about the relationship between a first-century Jewish Rabbi and his disciples? (Matthew 4:18-22, see also 1 Kings 19:19-21)
where are you staying?
- at this stage Jesus had not yet called anyone to follow him, but these two disciples of John the Baptist were already seeking him out.
- Why did they want to know where Jesus was staying?
Come and you will see
- Why do you think Jesus responded in this way?
- What happened next?
They stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour
- Some translations render this as 10 o’clock in the morning but this is likely incorrect. By Hebrew reckoning, the day began at dawn (about 6 am). A more likely rendering of “the tenth hour” is “four o’clock in the afternoon” (NIV)
- Even so, if they spent the rest of the day with Jesus, they would have been with him for several hours and probably shared a meal.
- What does this tell you about what they were looking for, and what Jesus was willing to offer?
- What does this tell you about how people get cleansed of sin and filled with the Holy Spirit?
We have found the Messiah
- What was Andrew’s conclusion after having spent several hours with Jesus?
- What did he do about it?
- Is it significant that he spent several hours with Jesus before drawing this conclusion and acting on it?
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas.”
- Cephas is another Aramaic or Hebrew word, meaning Rock.
- What was Jesus doing here (what spiritual gift was at work)?
- Why is this significant?
Prayer and reflection
Ask the Lord to work in you a desire to spend time with him, to be changed by Him and to share this knowledge with others.
Andrew introduced his brother to Jesus and the impact was enormous. Who can you introduce to Jesus?
