The
Calling of the Disciples {John}
John
the Baptist saw Jesus passing by and said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” Two of his
disciples spent the day with Jesus. Andrew told his brother, Simon Peter, that
they’d found the Messiah and brought him to Jesus.
Jesus
said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Peter, which means rock.”
The next day, Jesus found Philip and told him to follow. He, like Andrew and
Peter, came from the town of Bethsaida.
Philip
went to Nathanael and told him they’d found Jesus of Nazareth, the one Moses
and the prophets wrote about. Nathanael was skeptical but went. Jesus greeted
him as if he knew him. “How do you know me?” he asked.
“I
saw you under the fig tree before Philip found you,” Jesus answered.
Nathanael
said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, the King of Israel.”
“You
believe because I saw you under the fig tree? You shall see more, the angels of
God coming and going from heaven to the Son of Man.”
John
the Baptist Discusses Jesus {John}
Jesus
and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he baptized. John
also baptized there before he was imprisoned. An argument developed between
John’s disciples and a Jew concerning the number of people turning to Jesus.
John
said, “A man receives what heaven gives him. You remember I said I am not the
Christ. The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend waiting for the
bridegroom is full of joy when he comes, which is how I feel. Jesus must become
greater and I less, for God has sent him and he speaks the words of God. The
Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Those who believe
in the Son are given eternal life. Those who reject him receive God’s divine
retribution.”
Personal
Thoughts:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John’s version of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry
differ, but I don’t think that change the overall message. It does speak to the
fact that the writers had different agendas and points they wanted to
emphasize, the bare facts not always their first priority.
No comments:
Post a Comment