Unlike the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) where the life of the first apostles surrounding Christ is told practically from their respective public calls (Matthew 4:18,21 ; 9:9; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 4:38; 5:3-11); the Gospel as reported by John takes care to describe for us the very first encounter (in apartheid) of the Lord with his very first disciples, notably Andrew, Simon, Philip and Nathanael.
Transfer of disciples (John 1:19-39)
In this Gospel, we see three sequences in the testimony of John the Baptist regarding Christ to his disciples :
1st sequence (19-28) : John is questioned about his identity; he confesses that he is not Christ, but that he is there to prepare the way for Him.
2nd sequence (29-34) : "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him", introduce him in these terms: "Behold the Lamb of God, ..." and then develop his testimony regarding the Lord.
3rd sequence (35-37) : Again the next day, "looking upon Jesus as he walked," John reminded his disciples: "Behold, the Lamb of God!"
John the Baptist's mission was to prepare the way for the Lord. The expression reveals a transfer of ministry: "Jesus coming unto him" conveys a moment of encounter, while the phrase "Jesus as he walked" suggests that the transfer had already taken place. The Lord Jesus was now on his way, while John pointed him out from a distance. Thus, John the Baptist, through the language to which his disciples were to become accustomed, showed them the one they would henceforth follow.
God will almost always use a person to proclaim the Gospel to us, and even to shape us in the fundamentals of the faith. But as evangelists or teachers, it will always be our responsibility to carefully place in Christ's hands those whom we have had the grace to evangelize, those whom we have had the grace to guide in their first steps in the Faith. Let us, like John the Baptist, and later like Paul, lead each of these people to whom God sends us toward Christ. It is not really about making them our disciples, but rather disciples of Christ.
Testimony received and Testimony perceived
The Scriptures tell us of two disciples of John the Baptist, but only Andrew is clearly identified as one of them. However, the fact that the next day's encounter between Christ and Philip took place without introduction suggests that it was not the first meeting and, consequently, that Philip was indeed the second disciple with whom Andrew had followed the Lord the day before. In any case, let us review together the testimony received and then perceived by each of the figures involved in these very first encounters.
- John the Baptist twice presents the Lord to his disciples in these terms: “Behold the Lamb of God” His mandate was indeed to proclaim the Lord as the one who takes away the sins of the world ;
- Andrew, one of John the Baptist's two disciples, after following the Lord, later met his brother Simon and announced to him that they had found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. The Lord had been presented to Andrew by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God, but after spending a few hours with the Lord, Andrew came to know him more fully as the Messias, the Anointed One of God. And it was under this title of the Lord that he announced him to his brother ;
- Philip, for his part, announced to Nathanael that they had met him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph ;
- Nathanael, to whom Philip had just announced the Lord as Jesus of Nazareth, at the end of a conversation with the Lord, celebrated him as the Son of God, the king of Israel.
The Lord Jesus is most often presented to us in the light of the character that most marked the one who brought us the Good News, but our personal communion with Him will often allow us to quickly come to know Him in a quite different light—not contrary to the first, but rather a reflection of our personal communion with Him. This can be a strong indicator of our calling to ministry.
With one slight difference, we find a similar situation later in the same Gospel. This time it no longer concerns individuals, but rather what will become the beginnings of a Church. Indeed, following the Samaritan woman's encounter with Christ at the city entrance, she believed in Christ and immediately brought the good news of his coming to her fellow citizens, who in turn believed. But after the Lord had spent a few days in the city with them, they could then declare to the woman: “Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” (John 4:42b)
You can be a pioneer missionary in a neighborhood, a city, a nation, but also in a business or a public service. However, it may turn out that the overall calling of the locality is not exactly your own; so don't be offended. Once the members of the Church have had their personal encounter with the Lord, they may speak to you as the people of Samaria spoke to their pioneer. There is no need to perceive this as ingratitude, but rather as a sign of a mission well accomplished. For indeed, this is proof that they now have a personal communion with the Lord.
The discernment of the firstborns
Before he had healed the slightest sick person, much less raised the slightest dead person from the dead, before he had given the slightest teaching to the crowd, before he had turned water into wine or multiplied bread, before he had calmed the wind or dried up a tree, these first disciples recognized that they were in the presence of Christ. The Spirit of Christ does not always use (spectacularly) miraculous events to speak to our hearts and point us to Christ Jesus. Instead, as always, He will allow us to recognize His voice as the Good Shepherd (John 10:27). Thus, while God's presence is ultimately marked by signs and wonders, in the very beginning, discernment alone is often sufficient to recognize that presence, provided that, as with Nathanael, there is no guile within us, that we are not driven by a spirit of pride of any kind.
The Next Step Announced by the Lord Jesus Christ
After Nathanael was astonished by the manifestation of Christ's supernatural power—manifested by the fact that the Lord knew there was no guile in him, and that the Son of God had seen him while he was under the fig tree—Jesus announced to him that he would now see greater things. Indeed, the Lord was announcing that Jacob's experience at Beth–el was being fulfilled in Him (Genesis 28:11-22). Christ is truly God's Beth–el. Christ is truly God's Ladder between heaven and earth; it is in his name alone that God's angels can descend to earth or ascend to heaven to fulfill the Father's purposes. Yes, God has left everything in the Lord's hands.
Yes, today the Lord Jesus Christ is the only gateway to Heaven. We have access to the Father only through him. Exclusively in his name, God grants us his Eternal Salvation; exclusively in his name, God grants us Healing, deliverance from demons, and protection at all times!
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