Quote for the Day
“Look, the Lamb of God!”
Today's Prayer
This week ask God to continue to reveal Jesus to you and those you encounter each day.
John 1:35-42
John 1:35-42 (NIV)35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
Message
At this point, Jesus begins recruiting his first disciples. This is a great story to watch unfold. John, his first real disciple, points out Jesus to two of his (John’s) own disciples. What we can see is the perfect response from well “trained” disciples. The immediate response of both of these disciples is to leave John and follow Jesus. I can guarantee you that John is NOT disappointed. This is exactly what was intended to be: John discipled men to follow Jesus, NOT himself. This is lesson one for all of us to learn. We are in the business of discipling people to Christ, and not to ourselves, our church, a program, or anything else. We are to disciple people to Christ alone. We should be concerned when we see others discipling people to themselves or their program or ministry. This is NOT God’s plan. We are to point people to Christ and Christ alone.The second thing these disciples do is tell family and friends. These verses do not say they all were evangelists, it simply says they told other people. Again, this is what a disciple of Jesus wants to do, to tell others. What a great example John is; first he disciples people to Jesus and then these disciples not only follow Jesus but also urge others to join them. Great examples for us today!