Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 1:35
Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
35 37. The Testimony of the Baptist to Andrew and John
35. Again ] Referring to Joh 1:29: it should come second; The next day again John was standing.
The difference between this narrative and that of the Synoptists (Mat 4:18; Mar 1:16; Luk 5:2) is satisfactorily explained by supposing this to refer to an earlier and less formal call of these first four disciples, John and Andrew, Peter and James. Their call to be Apostles was a very gradual one. Two of them, and perhaps all four, began by being disciples of the Baptist, who directs them to the Lamb of God ( Joh 1:36), Who invites them to His abode ( Joh 1:39): they then witness His miracles (Joh 2:2, &c.); are next called to be ‘fishers of men’ (Mat 4:19); and are finally enrolled with the rest of the Twelve as Apostles (Mar 3:13). See note on Mar 1:20.
Two of his disciples ] One of these we are told was S. Andrew ( Joh 1:40); the other was no doubt S. John himself. The account is that of an eyewitness; and his habitual reserve with regard to himself fully accounts for his silence, if the other disciple was himself. If it was some one else, it is difficult to see why S. John pointedly omits to mention his name.
There was strong antecedent probability that the first followers of Christ would be disciples of the Baptist. The fact of their being so is one reason of the high honour in which the Baptist has been held from the earliest times by the Church.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The next day – The day after his remarkable testimony that Jesus was the Son of God. This testimony of John is reported because it was the main design of this evangelist to show that Jesus was the Messiah. See the introduction. To do this, he adduces the decided and repeated testimony of John the Baptist. This was impartial evidence in the case, and hence he so particularly dwells upon it.John stood – Or was standing. This was probably apart from the multitude.
Two of his disciples – One of these was Andrew Joh 1:40, and it is not improbable that the other was the writer of this gospel.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Joh 1:35-51
The next day
The first utterances of the Word
1.
A searching question.
2. A gracious invitation.
3. An encouraging promise.
4. A Divine command.
5. A heart revelation.
6. An assurance of a present and an everlasting heaven. (J. W. Burn.)
Three ways to the Lord
There is only one way to heaven, I am the way; but there are many ways to Christ. One soul is led earlier, another later; one gradually, another by storm; one by sorrow, another through joy; one by inner impulse, another by external influence. Here we learn
1. To adore the wisdom of God. Like a prudent gardener He deals with each of His plants according to its kind. One needs the sun, another the shade; one must be kept moist, another dry; one requires rich soil, another poor; one must be pruned, another supported; one needs tender handling, another will grow in any wind or weather.
2. To regard Gods world with such big-hearted, patient love, that we no longer measure our neighbour by our own standard.
3. To learn to know ourselves. The lives of other children of God ought to be a mirror to us, and from them we can choose to suit our own particular aspiration, some favourite character by whose example we may be strengthened and edified. Here we have three ways to God.
I. THE WAY THROUGH THE PREACHED WORD.
1. Behold the Lamb, etc., is the heart of the Christian sermon. That is the aim of the whole Bible: Moses, the prophets, John, and the apostles. No matter the particular subject, this is the true end.
(1) If we preach on the holiness and love of God, behold them here.
(2) If about your duty, behold here meekness, gentleness, innocence, and obedience.
(3) If reproof for sin, behold here the effect of sin and what is necessary for its removal.
(4) If consolation, behold here its source.
(5) If heaven, behold here its central glory.
2. The two disciples heard.
(1) We often come short in the listening–work, and pleasure are preferred.
(2) Those who listen, do they really hear?
(3) Those who hear, do they follow? Following Jesus is the true end of hearing. For this purpose the Baptist willingly let them depart. You are to become converts, not to any human preacher, but to Christ.
II. THE WAY THROUGH EXAMPLE which Peter took. Andrew cannot keep the blessed discovery to himself, and he could not have performed for his brother a nobler service, nor presented to Christ a nobler tribute of his love. What a lesson for
1. Preachers.
2. Parents.
3. Brothers.
III. THE WAY OF EXPERIENCE. They all took this way, but it was in a special sense the way Nathanael took.
1. It is necessary that you come to the Lord personally and become acquainted with Him through your own experience to put to the proof what you have heard or read. Practice makes perfect; experience makes the Christian.
2. Whom will you find? A soul friend rich in love, who looks on your soul as a thing of value; one who has a profound insight into your heart; one who can supply all your need.
3. Receive Him
(1) for His own sake.
(2) For the sake of the revelations He makes and for the rewards He bestows. (K. Gerok, D. D.)
The soul sought by Christ, and seeking Him
I. JOHN STOOD, AND TWO OF HIS DISCIPLES LOOKED ON JESUS AS HE WALKED. Was it by accident that Christ was walking there? No; He was walking to find them. They had not brought Him, persuaded Him, or arranged for His arrival. No needy heart has to furnish its Christ. Before it begins to seek He is near and waiting. Immanuel may be unseen, as our best possessions always are, but heaven has brought Him near.
II. HOW DO MEN TREAT HIM? They followed Jesus. Now begins mans part in the great reconciliation. Not every one, like Andrew, is called to be an apostle, but all are called to be disciples, But both must follow. Will you look on a little while from curiosity, or momentary impulse, or will you thankfully and steadily take up His cross and go after Him?
III. IT IS NOT CERTAIN WHETHER THE FIRST IMPULSE TO FOLLOW WILL PROVE A CONSTANT RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE. What seek ye? Rather a chilling question as it stands. He saw that the motives of these ardent disciples must be laid bare to themselves. What do you really seek? Is it for His sake or your own? God applies many touchstones. Time, spiritual disappointment, etc. Christ wants loyal, disinterested love, and there is therefore no lack of tenderness in His question.
IV. NOW, THEN, COMES THE PLACE FOR A DEEPER EXERCISE OF FAITH, AND THE RISING BY IT INTO A HIGHER LIFE. Will the disciple bear the proof? Will he evade the question and simply follow along on the level of the old decency, saying all the old prayers, etc.? Notice the spiritual beauty of the answer. Master (with a new and tenderer meaning), where dwellest Thou? This is the least ostentatious, yet directest confession of a desire for closer communion. It is a confession of ignorance, a prayer for a hiding place.
V. WOULD IT BE GRANTED ONLY FOR THE ASKING? He saith unto them, come and see. Let that stand for the dispelling of all your doubt. There is no description of the house beforehand to excite wrong anticipation. Find out what the Christian life is by living it. Eye hath not seen, etc.
VI. THEY CAME AND ABODE WITH HIM. If they had been like some they would have stumbled at their own unworthiness, as if Gods favours were ever granted to merit. Faith takes God at His word.
VII. AND NOW SEE PLAYING OUTWARD THE POWER WHICH HAS BEEN WORKING INWARDLY. It begins to testify for Christ. No sooner is the heart in actual fellowship with Christ than it begins to ask what it can do for Him. There are two sorts of people: those that go and do the thing, and those that stand and wonder why it was not done after some other fashion. Andrew begins at the nearest point. His own brother. There is no postponement for a complete plan, for times, for becoming good enough. His heart is full, and he does what he can. How soon this spirit in the followers of Christ would bring the world to His feet. Conclusion:
1. What the one brother says to the other is a joyful recognition of the fulfilment of prophecy.
2. The message relating to the Lamb of God is the message that brings sinners to the Saviour. (Bp. Huntington.)
The first disciple
I. WE HAVE HERE THE FIRST BEGINNINGS OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. The beginning of anything great and good always wins for us a special regard. The tree grown from an acorn; the Amazon from the spring in the Andes. The interest is heightened in the case of moral movements. The Mayflower; the lonely monk who afterwards wrought the Reformation. Still deeper is our interest in the beginning of the kingdom of Christ. And it begins here with the Divine quietness which is characteristic of Gods mightiest works.
II. THE BEGINNING AND FIRST MOVEMENTS OF PERSONAL RELIGION. That begins when a person comes to Christ.
1. This does not imply that there is no value in what precedes. These men had heard the Baptist, were penitent, prepared, expectant. But as soon as opportunity was given they came, and so showed the sincerity of their repentance.
2. The first coming may be real and true, and yet not at once entire and decisive. They went back to Bethsaida, but; an invisible Presence went back with them, and in a little while it became visible, and said, Follow Me. So some time may elapse before the full surrender. But a faith in Jesus held long in secrecy is a perilous thing.
III. THE DIVINE METHOD OF EXTENDING RELIGION AND OF MULTIPLYING THE NUMBER OF DISCIPLES, There is a beautiful exemplification here of the law of personal influence. The great preacher points to Jesus, and it takes effect. But how small that effect would be if it reached the hearers only. It led to Jesus first, and then the power of personal influence makes itself felt. In this way, in little more than a day, Jesus has five disciples. Surely this shows us what a sphere opens at once to every believer. He has found the pearl of great price, and without losing it himself he can offer it to his friend. This privilege is neglected or timorously used. There never was so much preaching, and for this reason we abate quieter and more personal efforts. But whatever one attains in spiritual things he is bound by the very law of the life he has received to try to communicate it to others. Because unwise speaking is worse than silence it does not follow that we are to keep silent always. There are some whom plain dealing suits; or you may have to watch, use gentle suggestion, etc. Conclusion:
1. If you have borne witness conscientiously, but without success, try silence, watch, pray, put books in the way.
2. If you have been long silent, afraid of wounding susceptibilities, of making religion repellant, and trying to reach in quiet ways without success, break silence for once. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)
The first five disciples
Order is heavens first law, but variety is the second. We see this
1. In creation.
2. In providence.
3. In the work of grace. The operation is ever the same in kind, but different in manner. Here are four different methods of conversion.
I. THE FIRST TWO DISCIPLES WERE THE FRUITS OF PREACHING.
1. The preacher
(1) Was divinely illuminated, as all gospel preachers must be.
(2) Was unsuccessful at first, but tried the same message again and succeeded.
(3) His subject was the only effective one–Christ the sin-bearer.
2. The process of conversion.
(1) A spirit of inquiry was stirred up. They followed Christ as searchers, at His back. Christ turns round and faces them. He looks upon them, and then puts the modest question, the first words He spoke. It was a comprehensive question, too: What seek ye? Pardon, peace, purity, truth? Come and see, and you shall have them all. The best way to be convinced of the power of the gospel is to try it.
II. THE THIRD DISCIPLE WAS BROUGHT IN BY PRIVATE INSTRUMENTALITY.
1. The agent, Andrew.
(1) As soon as a man is found by Christ, he begins to find others.
(2) First implies that he did not give it up afterwards.
(3) Relationship has a stern demand on our individual effort. Our first business is at home.
(4) Simon was worth ten Andrews. We may be very deficient in talent, and yet be the means of bringing a great man to Christ.
(5) Andrews testimony was modest. We. He gives the other disciple his share of the discovery. But it was positive also. Not I think, or trust, but we have.
2. The process.
(1) Christ describes Simons present state–the son of the timid dove–explaining what he was.
(2) He gave him a new name, indicative of the nature His grace would give. This is the general plan of conversion. Nature is discovered and grace imparted; the old name supplanted by the new.
III. THE FOURTH DISCIPLE WAS CALLED DIRECTLY BY THE VOICE OF JESUS. So are all men, for the voice of John or the voice of Andrew is the voice of Christ speaking through them; but in some cases there is no apparent instrumentality. Colonel Gardner was about to perpetrate a crime but was stopped on the brink of it by sovereign grace without any apparent instrumentality.
1. Christ spoke but two words.
2. To follow Christ is the picture of Christian discipleship in every form. Follow Christ
(1) In doctrine.
(2) In faith.
(3) In action.
(4) In ordinances.
IV. THE FIFTH DISCIPLE WAS A COMPOSITE CASE. There was
1. Preparation of heart under the fig tree.
2. Philips instrumentality.
3. Christs Divine word which convinced Nathanael and led him to put his trust in the Messiah. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The first five disciples
I. A LITTLE REAL KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST PRODUCES THE DESIRE FOR MORE. They had heard the testimony of John. They prized his ministry, for it had done them good, but they now felt that Jesus could do more for them than John.
II. THE TRUE WAY OF INCREASING OUR KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST IS TO FOLLOW HIMSELF. They might have stayed with John and asked for further information. How much there is to be known of Christ which human teachers cannot impart. What is it to follow Christ?
1. Attraction from Christ.
2. Faith in Christ.
3. Submission to Christ.
III. THE SPIRIT OF DEVOUT INQUIRY ALWAYS MEETS WITH THE SAVIOURS SYMPATHY AND SMILE.
1. He awakens consciousness. He does not teach in the first instance.
2. He invites confidence. What can I do for you?
3. He offers a welcome.
IV. IN FOLLOWING CHRIST THE BELIEVER FINDS MORE THAN HE EXPECTED OR IMAGINED. They remained with Christ and had fellowship with Him. The world often disappoints, but Christ gives more than we can ask or think. (J. Spence, D. D.)
The first disciples, or sons of the light
I. ANDREW AND JOHN, attracted towards the Light.
II. SIMON AND JAMES, conducted to the Light.
III. PHILIP AND NATHANAEL, invited by the Light. Lessons:
1. The greatest discovery a soul can make–the Christ
2. The purest felicity a soul can enjoy–fellowship with Christ.
3. The noblest life a soul can lead–following Christ.
4. The loftiest calling a soul can pursue–commending Christ.
5. The grandest philanthropy a soul can practice–bringing men to Christ.
6. The sweetest commendation a soul can receive–to be an
Israelite indeed.
7. The sublimest spectacle a soul can see–the Son of Man enthroned in an open heaven. (T. Whitelaw, D. D.)
The early disciples
I. THE HERALDING OF CHRIST. The Baptists ministry was
1. Brief. Only six months.
2. Popular.
3. Misunderstood.
4. Expectant.
5. Self-abnegating.
II. THE MANIFESTATION OF JESUS IN HIS TRUE CHARACTER AND MISSION.
1. John says, Behold
(1) Not the great teacher.
(2) Not the spotless example.
(3) Not the triumphant king.
(4) But the Lamb of God.
2. Jesus says
(1) What seek ye? An affectionate inquiry opening the way to conversation.
(2) Come and see–an encouraging invitation.
III. THE BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
1. By friendly service.
2. Brotherly affection.
3. Neighbourly zeal.
4. Conquest of prejudice.
IV. THE RESULT OF PERSONAL EFFORT. Andrew helped to make the Pentecostal preacher. How little we know what hangs on our individual endeavours. The preacher may not be known beyond his flock, but one soul through his appeals may be the means of converting thousands. The Sabbath school teacher may toil on with half a dozen children, but amongst the number may be a Wilberforce. Let none then be discouraged. (Sermons by the Monday Club.)
The Redeemer choosing disciples
The leading characteristics of the gospel were to be exhibited in the disciples; their selection, therefore, was a matter of vast importance.
I. THE REDEEMER CHOOSES DISCIPLES OF MEN OF ENTIRELY OPPOSITE CULTURE AND DISPOSITION. In John dwells paramount the meek, the restful, and the happy. The indicating words of the Baptist were appropriate to this disciple–Behold the Lamb! Simon is quite another man, rock-like, rough, pressing through all hindrances, and recoiling from nothing.
1. If diverse temperaments were necessary at the beginning, they are necessary now.
2. Each is good when it is animated by the Spirit of God. Excess and onesidedness, however, are to be deplored.
3. There are many gifts but one Spirit. Sternness and gentleness, fiery strength and patient meekness, can, and ought, in like measure to glorify Christ. Let them not be polished down into similarity. Let each be content with his gift and do what he can without envying anothers. Common love and zeal should bind all together and beget mutual toleration.
II. THE REDEEMER CHOSE THOSE WHO ACQUIRED THE HIGHEST FAME AND THOSE WHOSE NAME ONLY HAS COME DOWN TO US. John and Peter on the one hand, Andrew and Philip on the other.
1. These silent and unknown workers are not to be despised.
2. Then among Christians such distinctions as famous and non-famous should have no place. The brilliancy of the one and the obscurity of the other does not lie in the difference of inner work, but in
(1) Outward circumstances.
(2) Inclination.
One mind is called to appear in the front; the other would rather conceal itself. The one works with quick and firm decision; the other is slow, silent, and sure. The one must have a wide field; the other keeps at home. Both are needful.
III. THE REDEEMERS CHOICE SHOWS US THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS OFTEN BEGIN IN AN UNLIKELY WAY. It is a mistake to desire the important to proclaim itself so at first, and when this is not the case to yield to disappointment and discontent. Present effectiveness depends on the unbiassed prospect of the future. Out of the most modest part in Christs work something glorious will unfold itself. (Schleiermacher.)
The beginnings of the Christian Church
Vast as the Church is now, there was a time when it consisted of only two members.
I. We see WHAT GOOD IS DONE BY CONTINUALLY TESTIFYING OF CHRIST.
1. The first time the Baptist cried Behold the Lamb of God, no result seems to have followed.
2. When John repeated these words two followed Jesus.
3. This simple story is a pattern of the way in which good has been done to souls in every age.
(1) By testimony.
(2) By exalting Christ and not the Church, sacraments, or ministry.
(3) By patient continuance in preaching the truth.
II. WHAT GOOD A BELIEVER MAY DO TO OTHERS BY SPEAKING TO THEM ABOUT CHRIST.
1. Andrew spoke promptly to Peter. Who can tell what would have happened had he been silent and reserved, like many Christians now!
2. Of the first three converts, one at least was brought to Jesus by the quiet word of a relative.
3. The work of testimony must not be left to ministers alone.
4. Those who follow Christ must abide with him. (Bishop Ryle.)
The Apostle Andrew
A native of Bethsaida and brother of Peter. Very little known of him. Left the ministry of John for that of Christ. No sooner attached himself to Christ, than he sought a close intimacy with Him. He next brought his brother to Christ. Was formally called, together with Peter, to the apostleship (Mar 1:16-17). Was present, and took a prominent part in, the feeding of the five thousand (Joh 6:5; Joh 6:9). Introduced the Greeks to Jesus (Joh 12:21-22). Inquired with the three about the destruction of the Temple (Mar 13:4).
I. HIS CONVERSION TO CHRIST.
1. His old master effected it. Religious teachers who have little souls are anxious to keep their disciples entirely under their own influence, and are jealous of greater teachers.
2. His old master effected it through the proclamation of a great truth. The cross is the converting power.
II. HIS INTEREST IN CHRIST.
1. Expressed in the question addressed to Christ. We want to know more of Thee. A desire which is ever the effect and evidence of true conversion.
2. Heightened by the reply Christ makes to them. Come and see. Christ has nothing to conceal. He wishes the world to know all about Him. Do not judge from hearsay, but search for yourselves.
III. HIS SERVICE FOR CHRIST. This and Joh 12:23 indicates his desireto bring his fellow-men to Christ.
1. This can only be done by those who are themselves true disciples. They only have the spirit necessary to give emphasis to the invitation and the character which reflects Christ.
2. The true disciple will do it not as a dry duty, but as a delightful privilege. This is the highest Christian gratification.
3. This work is not bringing men to our systems and sects, but to Christ.
4. Unless men are brought to Christ, we do them no lasting service. (D. Thomas, D. D.)
Andrew and John
I. DISCERNING THE LIGHT. Galilean fishermen, of deep religious susceptibilities, perhaps belonging to those who were waiting for the consolation of Israel. Leaving their boats, they repaired to the national rendezvous, where they received the rite of baptism at Johns hands. When Christ was pointed out, they felt themselves, by personal consistency, intellectual conviction, and spiritual aspiration, shut up to seek his further acquaintance. So will the light still be discerned by all who prepare for it by penitence and faith (Isa 66:2; Zec 1:3; Mal 3:7; Mat 4:17; Act 20:21; 1Jn 5:9-12). Faith is the organ by which Christs glory is discerned; Repentance the tear-drop that keeps the souls eye pure and clean.
II. FOLLOWING THE LIGHT. Many discern the Light who neither rejoice in it Joh 3:19) nor walk after it (1Th 5:5). Not so these, who no sooner beheld than they followed.
1. Promptly, as men who
(1) Realized their need (2Ki 7:3).
(2) Knew the value of their discovery (Mat 13:44-46).
(3) Recognized the danger of delay (2Co 6:2; Heb 4:7).
2. Humbly: walking respectfully at a distance behind (Psa 31:1).
3. Sincerely: their reply to Christs question teaching that openness and frankness which is indispensable in true religion.
4. Earnestly: embracing Christs invitation at once, since the Kings business requires haste, and Christs kingdom brooks no delay, and becoming so absorbed that they heeded not the lapse of time.
III. FINDING THE LIGHT. Their judgments were convinced that Christ was the Messiah, and so will all those who turn towards the Light (Joh 8:12; of. Hos 6:3). In the order of nature, seeing goes before believing; in the realm of grace, a soul believes to see (Joh 11:40; Psa 27:13). (T. Whitelaw, D. D.)
The law of Christian increase
The most elementary mathematics treats of two laws of progression, which are distinguished by the terms arithmetical and geometrical. The one grows by the successive addition of a fixed quantity; in the other, each successive term is increased by a fixed proportion of itself. Now, let the quantity added in a progression of the first sort be never so large, and the proportion in a progression of the second kind never so small, the last will eventually outstrip the first. But what is more important to notice is, that the arithmetical progression is the law of mechanical growth, while the other is the law of the growth of lifo. A tree does not grow by the addition of a certain number of twigs and leaves every year; but where a leaf was one year, there we find a twig with several leaves the next year. The human race itself follows the law of a living organism, and grows not by the addition of a certain number each year, but by a certain proportion of the population of the previous year. If, then, the Church is ever to overtake the world, it must grow, not by the arithmetical, but by the geometrical law; and as the world had the start, its rate of growth must be greater. The Church must be a living organism, and an organism of greater vitality than the human race. Its growth must be something out of itself, something proportionate to itself. The work of the individual is the true law of the Churchs growth, stamped upon it from the very beginning. How easy it was for the three disciples to become six l Each man brings in one; that is all. And these men are not now apostles or ministers; they are private Christians–mere babes in Christ. What they did all can do. (P. H. Hoge.)
Small beginnings
Jesus gained one follower at His baptism–His baptizer; but this one was soon multiplied. John bears further witness to Jesus. Two of Johns disciples hear his testimony, and at once leave their old master and follow the new. So now Jesus has three disciples. One of them, Andrew, was so glad that he had found the Messiah, that he started off and found Peter, his brother, and brought him to Jesus. So another follower was secured, making four in all. The next day Jesus calls Philip, and he obeys the call; so now there are five. Five are not very many; but still five are five times as many as one. Philip felt just as Andrew had done before him, and sought his friend Nathanael. Nathanael was rather hard to convince; so Philip said, Come and see for yourself. Nathanael came, and was convinced. So now there were six. This was only a small beginning, it is true; but most large things begin small. The locomotive that rushes along sixty miles an hour began its motion by inches. The giant tree of California was once only half an inch high. The Amazon at its source is narrow enough to allow a child to jump over it. The question is not so much, Was the beginning small? as, Is the growth rapid and enduring? How many disciples Jesus has to-day. Millions on millions. How have these millions of disciples been won? Mohammed won millions by the power of the sword. But Jesus never authorized the use of physical power to subdue men to His rule. Jesus true disciples have all been won, just as those first six were won, by gentle means. One has persuaded one more, or eventually, as Peter, thousands. (A. F. Schauffler.)
John and Jesus
Christ, the Heavenly Bridegroom, came to join to Himself the Church. He said nothing, but merely came. It was His friend, the Baptist, who put into His the brides right hand. (Chrysostom.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 35. The next day] After that mentioned Joh 1:29.
Two of his disciples] One of them was Andrew, Joh 1:40, and it is very likely that John himself was the other; in every thing in which he might receive honour he studiously endeavours to conceal his own name.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The next day after that the messengers who came from Jerusalem had been with John,
John stood, and two of his disciples; whether he was preaching or no it is not said; but John standing with them, saw Christ walking, whence, or whither, is not said; but as a good man is always taking opportunity to commend Christ to others, so John upon this occasion took advantage further to make Christ known to those two men, (who they were, we shall hear in the following verses), and repeats the words he had said before,
Behold the Lamb of God! (See Poole on “Joh 1:27“). Thus good and faithful ministers will continually be inviting their disciples to Christ, taking them off from further consideration of themselves, and, as ministers, to show them the way to Christ.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
35. John stood“wasstanding,” at his accustomed place.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Again, the next day after,…. The third day from the priests and Levites having been with John, to know who he was. The Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions, leave out the word “again”:
John stood, and two of his disciples; one of these was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, as appears from Joh 1:40 and very likely the other was the Evangelist John, the writer of this Gospel, who always chooses to conceal himself. John the Baptist stood, and these disciples by him, in some certain place near Jordan, where he was preaching and baptizing.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Again on the morrow ( ). Third day since verse 19.
Was standing (). Past perfect of , intransitive, and used as imperfect in sense. See same form in 7:37.
Two (). One was Andrew (verse 40), the other the Beloved Disciple (the Apostle John), who records this incident with happy memories.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
EARLY PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST v. 35-51
1) “And again the next day after John stood,” (te epaurion palin heistekei ho loannes) “On the day following John again stood,” to behold the Lord and give witness or testimony concerning Him; That is, John the Baptist was standing, to behold and witness again for Jesus Christ. John the Baptist was a “stander,” one who would stand for his convictions, and to do the bidding of God who sent him, unto death, Joh 3:28-30; Mat 14:1-5; Rev 2:1 O, Act 26:16; 2Ti 4:7-8.
2) “And two of his disciples;- (kai ek ton matheton autou duo) “And two of his disciples,” with him, Andrew and probably John, the writer of this gospel, Joh 1:40-41.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
ANDREW, PETER AND AN UNNAMED DISCIPLE
Text 1:35-42
35
Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples;
36
and he looked upon Jesus as he walked, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
37
And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38
And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? And they said unto him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), where abidest thou?
39
He saith unto them, Come, and ye shall see. They came therefore and saw where he abode; and they abode with him that day: it was about the tenth hour.
40
One of the two that heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peters brother.
41
He findeth first his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ).
42
He brought him unto Jesus. Jesus looked upon him, and aid, Thou art Simon the son of John! thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter).
Queries
a.
Was the place where Jesus stayed near there?
b.
Why did the two disciples say they were following Jesus? Was this really their purpose?
c.
What did Jesus and these two talk about all that day?
Paraphrase
Again, on the next day, John and two of his disciples were standing near where John was immersing and John gazed intently at Jesus as He was walking near by. And John said, Lookthe Lamb of God! And two of his disciples heard him speaking and they followed Jesus. Having turned suddenly, Jesus beheld them following Him and said to them, What purpose have you in following Mewhat are you seeking? And they said to Him, Rabbi, (which is interpreted, Teacher) Where are You abiding? Jesus said to them, Come and see! And at about ten a.m. they went and saw where He was abiding, and they were with Him for the remainder of that day. Andrew, Simon Peters brother, was one of the two disciples who heard John speak and followed Jesus, Andrew was the first of the two disciples to find his own brother, Simon, and say to him, We have found the Messiah (which is interpreted, anointed One). Then Andrew led his brother Simon to Jesus. Jesus gazed into his heart and said, You are Simon, the son of John. You shall be called Cephas (which is interpreted Petermeaning Stone).
Summary
Two of the Baptists disciples set about investigating the One whom he points out as the Lamb of God. Having conversed with Him they are convinced that He is the anointed One of Israel. They allow no delay in leading their brothers to Him.
Comment
Again we marvel at the self-denial of John the Baptist. Did he not know that once he pointed out the Messiah he invited disaster to his own popularity? Did he not realize that once he proved Jesus of Nazareth to be the anointed One that his disciples would be likely to leave him and follow the King of Israel? Certainly he did; and yet he pointedly showed Jesus to his disciples! There is nothing harder than to willingly take second place when one has enjoyed first place.
Joh. 1:38 shows an apparent hesitancy on the part of the two disciples to join themselves rudely to Jesus uninvited. The tense of the Greek word strapheis indicates to some commentators that Jesus turned suddenly. When He turned, He asked them an important question, What seek ye? Notice that He said What, not Whom seek ye? It has also been pointed out that Jesus met these searchers halfway. It was God Who took the first step in wooing man back to Himself. We still love God because He first loved us (1Jn. 4:19). For those following Jesus today, the Lords question still rings true: What seek ye?a good reputation? a set of religious rules? a Sunday club? or is it Jesus Christ, the Son of God to be Lord of your entire being? (See Gal. 2:20).
There are two interpretations of the disciples reply, Teacher, where are you abiding? One meaning behind the question might be that they were caught unawares when Jesus turned suddenly, and that was the only reply they could think of on the spur of the moment. The other interpretation is that the disciples sincerely sought His lodging place in order that they might go aside with Him, away from the crowds into quiet and earnest conversation concerning His messiahship.
The Lord was eager to satisfy their sincere and honest search after the Christ of God. Lenski contrasts the ardent, Come, and ye shall see, of the King of Heaven and earth with the postponements and procrastinations of earthly potentates. He did not invite them merely to see His lodging place, but to behold the One for Whom their hearts, as well as the hearts of their ancestors, had longed (1Pe. 1:10-12).
If the world could know where Jesus stayed, it would build a shrine of stone and mortar. No one knows where it was. Perhaps it was the home of a friend, perhaps an innit may even have been a booth (tabernacle) made of palm leaves. This day and its revelations were enshrined, however, in the hearts of the disciples who were there. For John (the other disciple), as he writes this Gospel, remembers even the hour they arrived and just how long they stayed with Him. John seems to use the Roman mode of counting time, which would mean that 10 a.m. was the hour of their arrival. Others contend that John uses the Jewish notations of time, which would make the hour of arrival 4 p.m. We refer you to the various works listed in the Bibliography for a more extended study of the Evangelists method of counting time.
The Greek word para is the word used by the author to describe the visit of these two disciples, This word means primarily by the side of, and reveals the intense conversation that must have been carried on.
In Joh. 1:40 the author finally mentions the name of one of the two disciples. Andrew will always be known as Simon Peters brother (cf. Joh. 6:8). Almost immediately we ask, Who was the other disciple? We are given no definite statement from Scripture, but there is strong inference that it was John, brother of James, son of Zebedee and author of the Fourth Gospel. It is a trait of the author of this account never to mention his own name or that of his relatives (cf. our Introduction, section on Authorship).
We are introduced to an outstanding characteristic of Andrew in Joh. 1:41. Andrew was a personal evangelist. He was always leading others to Jesus (cf. Joh. 6:8-9; Joh. 12:22). This is a characteristic that Jesus would have all His disciples cultivate (cf. Mat. 28:19-20). What a man this was that Andrew led to the Lord! We shall never fully know the fruit we bear indirectly through those we lead to Christ until we meet them in the air. Andrew shares in all the subsequent fruits of Peters labors!
In the phrase, He findeth his own brother . . . are also two possible interpretations. The most prevalent one is derived from the word proton, which means that Andrew sought his brother first, before he did anything else. Some manuscripts, however, have protos which means, perhaps, that Andrew was the first disciple who went after his brother, and implies that John also went after his brother James. We have chosen the latter interpretation in our paraphrase, for it fits the later call of the fishermen at Capernaum more readily (cf. Hendriksen on John, pp. 105106, Vol. 1).
Andrew and John had made the greatest discovery of the agesthey had found the Messiah of the Jews, the Son of David. Andrew was excited, but the text seems to indicate that he could not excite Peter with this news. The Greek word egagen implies that Andrew had to coax Simon Peterhad to lead him to where Jesus was. The zeal of Andrew is often found in new converts. It is to the everlasting shame of the Church that this zeal is often quenched by the pessimism and lack of faith of those older in the faith.
Jesus, with a searching gaze, looked on Peters heart. The word John used to describe the Lords manner of looking here is emblepsas. It is the same word used by Luke to describe Jesus look at Peter in the courtyard after Peter had denied Him (Luk. 22:61). When Jesus looked upon Simon Peter, He saw not merely a fisherman from Bethsaida, but He saw the future stedfast Rock (cf. Act. 4:19; Act. 5:41). In the Greek language, petra was used for a massive ledge of rock, while petros was a detached fragment of the ledge, smaller. Simon is first nicknamed Cephas, which is Aramaic for Rock. Cephas is in turn interpreted in Greek as Petros, meaning small rock. The reader is referred to Mat. 16:17 where the distinction between the two Greek words is very clear. Simon is there (Mat. 16:17) called petros, but the truth contained in his confession is called petra.
Thus far we are told that Andrew, his brother Simon Peter, John, and probably his brother James, are the only disciples following Jesus. We shall see next how others join themselves to this little band. The conversation these first four had with Jesus becomes even more important, however, when one considers the Synoptics account of their call (cf. Mat. 4:18-22; Mar. 1:16-20; Luk. 5:1-11). It is rather difficult to understand how four fishermen would leave their livelihood and immediately and unquestioningly follow an obscure Galilean as is pictured by the Synoptical accounts. This passage in John shows that there was a period of inquiry and association with Jesus before the Galilean call.
Quiz
1.
Why did the two disciples following Jesus ask where He was abiding?
2.
What was the time of day when they arrived at Jesus lodging place?
3.
Who was the other disciple with Andrew?
4.
Give the basic characteristic of Andrew as shown in Joh. 1:41.
5.
Give two possible interpretations of the phrase, He findeth first his own brother (Joh. 1:41).
6.
How could Jesus know Simons future character enough to call him Rock?
7.
What bearing does this first call of the four fishermen have on the later Galilean call?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(35) Again the next day after John stood.Better, The next day again John was standing. The description is of a scene present to the mind, and by one of the two disciples (Joh. 1:40). The again refers to Joh. 1:29.
Two of his disciples.There is no reason for thinking that these were absent on the previous day, and that the testimony is specially repeated for them. Rather it is that, in that band of disciples too, there is an inner circle of those who, because they can receive more, are taught more. They had heard the words before, it may be had talked together about them, at least in individual thought had tried to follow them, and now they have come to the Teacher again. Can we doubt what questions fill the heart or shape themselves in word? He had passed through their struggle from darkness into light. There is a Presence with them which he now knows, and before which his own work must cease. The passing voice is no longer needed now that the abiding Word has come. Can we doubt what his answer is?
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
THIRD testimony of the Baptist to Jesus in the presence of two of his disciples, with the effects, 35-42.
35. John stood Doubtless upon the banks of the Jordan, contemplating his sacred work.
And two of his disciples Our Evangelist gradually approaches the touching moment when Jesus was made known to himself; not however in the feeling of self-importance (for he delicately omits the mention of his own name) but of tender personal interest. That the unnamed disciple here is John himself, is evident froth his usual method of implying rather than mentioning himself by name.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Again on the next day John was standing, and two of his disciples, and he looked on Jesus as he walked and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God”. And the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus.’
The section begins with John reiterating to two of his disciples that Jesus is ‘the Lamb of God’. The repetition emphasises the importance of the idea to the writer. It indicates that the idea of Jesus’ atonement was seen by him as crucial. When two of the disciples of John the Baptist heard this they immediately left John to follow Jesus in order to find out more about Him. One of these was Andrew (Joh 1:40) and the other is unnamed. It is extremely likely that the other was the writer, for he never refers to himself by name, and it explains why he knew the time when it occurred. So it is John the Baptiser who unconsciously has established the nucleus for the twelve Apostles, and he gladly sends them to Jesus. They had been his disciples. Soon they would follow Jesus.
The interchange which now takes place between Jesus and the two is full of subtlety and meaning. At the time it was commonplace, but now the writer sees a deeper significance in the questions and answers.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Disciples Begin to Gather to Jesus ( Joh 1:35-51 ).
The great teachers of Israel would often have bands of ‘disciples’ who gathered round them to learn from them, and then to pass on their teaching. Here we learn that Jesus also began to attract disciples. This passage is a deliberate way of stressing that here is a greater than John, for some of John’s disciples leave him in order to follow Jesus, (and that is how John wanted it). It is interesting in that the passage indicates almost casually the time when certain events took place (v. 39, 43) suggesting that they sprang readily to the writer’s mind because he had been present, and thus shows that its source was close to the events when they occurred. Time references like this keep occurring in these passages, even when they have no obvious significance other than to give a time note.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Testimony of John’s Disciples We read in Joh 1:35-51 about the testimonies of how the disciples of John the Baptist recognized Jesus Christ as the Son of God. This passage tells us about five disciples named John, Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathanael who met Jesus Christ and believed upon Him within the first few days of His Judean ministry. We will read in Mat 4:18-22 how Jesus Christ was walking by the Sea of Galilee and called Peter, Andrew, John and James to follow Him while in His Galilean ministry. They immediately left their nets and followed Him. However, the events in the Gospel of Matthew took place after the death of John the Baptist, perhaps a year or two later. Thus, we see that the calling of disciples in the first few days of Jesus’ ministry was not a calling to forsake their work and follow him, although we see them following him before the imprisonment of John the Baptist (Joh 3:22-24). This second calling in Matthew emphasizes the fact that Jesus met them later and asked them at that time to lay down their nets, forsake all and follow Him permanently. In summary, John’s Gospel emphasizes the fact that the disciples recognized Jesus Christ as the Son of God while Matthew’s Gospel places emphasis upon Jesus selecting and training His disciples.
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. The Testimony of John and Andrew Joh 1:35-42
2. The Testimony of Philip and Nathanael Joh 1:43-51
Comparison of Parallel Passages Recording the Beginning of the Public Ministry of Jesus Christ – When we compare the parallel passages of Jesus beginning His public ministry in the four Gospels, we find the third underlying themes clearly reflected.
The Gospel of Matthew – Matthew’s Gospel emphasizes the testimony of Old Testament Scriptures, which prophesies of the Messiah coming to establish the Kingdom of Heaven. In this Gospel, the Kingdom of Heaven is established by making disciples of all nations. Thus, Matthew explains how Jesus’ public ministry began as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Joh 4:12-17). Jesus then calls disciples, who will be trained to fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples of all nations (Joh 4:18-22). Jesus then begins to establish the Kingdom of God upon the earth through His teaching ministry (Joh 4:23-25). Thus, Matthew’s Gospel places emphasis upon Jesus’ teaching ministry as Matthew states, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” (Mat 4:23)
The Gospel of Mark – Mark’s Gospel emphasizes the office of the evangelist, who preaches the Gospel with signs following. Therefore, he describes Jesus beginning His public ministry with the statement, “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mar 1:14-15) Mark describes Jesus beginning His public ministry by preaching (Mar 1:14-15), which emphasizes Mark’s theme of the testimony of Jesus’ miracles through the preaching of the Gospel.
The Gospel of Luke – The parallel passage in Luke records the testimony of His ministry as one of great anointing and power (Luk 4:14-15), which emphasizes the testimony of those who were eye-witnesses of the authority of Jesus’ public ministry. Within the context of Luke’s Gospel, which reflects the prophetic ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, the statement, “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee,” emphasizes the fact that Jesus was walking in the office of the prophet. In the opening chapters of Luke, we have already seen a number of people filled with the Spirit and deliver prophetic utterances. Zechariah, Elisabeth, Mary, Simeon and Anna have all been filled with the spirit and spoke of the Messiah. To show that this motif runs through the Gospel of Luke, in the closing chapter we see Jesus commanding His disciples to “tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luk 24:49) Thus, the fact that Jesus was “full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,” (Joh 4:1) then “returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee” (Luk 4:14) to tell the people that “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” (Luk 4:18) tells us that Jesus will deliver prophetic messages throughout the Gospel of Luke.
The Gospel of John – John’s Gospel emphasizes Jesus in the office of the pastor. Thus, John describes Jesus as a Shepherd gathering His flock and gently leading the disciples. In this Gospel Jesus begins His public ministry in the office of a pastor by gathering His first disciples: John, Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, and Nathanael (Joh 1:35-51). He will not move into the offices of Evangelist, Teacher, and Prophet until after the imprisonment of John the Baptist, as recorded in the Synoptic Gospels.
Joh 1:35-42 The Testimony of Andrew and John We read in Joh 1:35-42 of how two of John’s disciples first met Jesus Christ and introduced Him to Peter. Scholars believe that the unnamed disciple in this passage in John. Since it was John the apostle’s custom in writing this Gospel not to mention his own name, but to only make a reference to himself, it is very likely that he is one of the two disciples that are first mentioned in this passage, since the second person is clearly named as Andrew in Joh 1:40. This deliberate attempt to avoid naming a person in this Gospel is a clear indication of the identity of John the apostle.
John’s Possible Physical Relationship to Jesus Christ – Many scholars go so far as to suggest that John was related to Jesus Christ through his mother Salome. If this is the case, and we know that Mary, the mother of Jesus was related to Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, this may explain the fact that John the apostle became one of the earliest disciples of John the Baptist and of Jesus Christ, being related to both of them.
Joh 1:38 “They said unto him, Rabbi” Comments – These two disciples did not know Jesus apart from John the Baptist’s testimony that He was the Messiah. In this new relationship, they reverently called Him by the title “Rabbi.”
Joh 1:38 “which is to say, being interpreted, Master” – Comments – Scholars suggest that the phrase “which is to say, being interpreted, Master” was inserted by John the apostle as a way of clarifying the Hebrew term “Rabbi” to the early Gentile Church of the late first century, which was more familiar with the Greek equivalent “master,” or “teacher.”
Joh 1:39 Comments John the apostle (Joh 1:39; Joh 4:6; Joh 4:52; Joh 11:9) as well as Josephus [113] appear to calculate the Jewish day beginning at dawn (6:00 a.m.), so that the tenth hour of the day would have been 4 p.m.
[113] Josephus writes, “When I was informed of these affairs, I determined to go to the city of Tiberias in the morning. Accordingly, on the next day, about the first hour of the day, I came from Taricheae, and found the multitude already assembled in the Proseucha; but on what account they were gotten together, those that were assembled did not know.” ( Life 54)
Joh 1:39, “He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.”
Joh 4:6, “Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.”
Joh 4:52, “Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”
Joh 11:9, “Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.”
The other Gospel writes appear to use the same calculations for Jesus’ Passion.
Mat 27:45, “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.”
Mar 15:25, “And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.”
However, John appears to use Roman time in Joh 19:14, “And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!”
Joh 1:40 Comments Simon Peter is one of the first characters to be mentioned in the narrative material of John’s Gospel, and he will be the last individual that Jesus addresses (Joh 21:15-25).
John, the author of this Gospel, first mentioned Peter by his dual name “Simon Peter” in order to distinguish him from the other apostle by the name Simon the Canaanite. Therefore, it was not necessary to make this distinction in the next verse (Joh 1:41), where John simply calls him Simon.
Joh 1:41 “which is, being interpreted, the Christ” Comments – Scholars suggest that the phrase “which is, being interpreted, the Christ” in Joh 1:41 was inserted by John the apostle as a way of clarifying the Hebrew term “Messiah” to the early Gentile Church of the late first century, which was more familiar with the Greek equivalent “Christ.”
Joh 1:42 “which is by interpretation, A stone” – Comments – Scholars suggest that the phrase in Joh 1:42, “which is by interpretation, A stone,” was included by John the apostle as a way of clarifying the the Aramaic word (cephas) (a stone) to the early Church of the late first century, a largely Gentile congregation that was more familiar with the Greek equivalent (a stone).
Joh 1:42 Comments The surname “Cephas” given to Peter by Jesus Christ in Joh 1:42 foreshadows the role that Peter will assume in the early Church, a leadership role that Jesus will further explain in His final instructions to Peter about feeding His sheep (Joh 21:15-25). The imagery of a stone most likely reflects the stones that make up a building, an analogy used later by the New Testament writers as stones (Mat 21:42-44, Mar 12:10, Luk 20:17-18, Act 4:11, Eph 2:20-22, 1Pe 2:4-8), a building ( 1Co 3:9 ; 1Co 5:1, Eph 2:21), a house (Heb 3:1-6), and a foundation (Rom 15:20, 1Co 3:10-12, Eph 2:20, 2Ti 2:19). Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone (Mat 21:42, Eph 2:20, 1Pe 2:6) and the foundation of the Church is laid upon the New Testament writings of the apostles and the Old Testament writings of the prophets (Eph 2:20).
Eph 2:20, “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”
Joh 1:43-51 The Testimony of Philip and Nathanael In Joh 1:43-51 we read of how Jesus Christ calls two more disciples, Philip and Nathanael. Philip is listed in the Synoptics as one of the Twelve (Mat 10:3, Mar 3:18, Luk 6:14) while Nathanael is not mentioned at all in the Synoptic Gospels. Although Philip is associated with Bartholomew in each list of the Twelve, scholars have not been able to associate Nathanael with Bartholomew. [114] However, Nathanael is placed in Joh 1:43-51 because he one of the earliest witnesses of Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
[114] Andreas Ksterberger, John, in Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004), 79-80.
Jesus’ Comments to Nathanael – Why would Jesus make allusions to Jacob’s dream in His greetings to Nathanael? Jesus first greets Nathanael by saying, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Jacob had deceived his father and fled from the wrath of his brother Esau. Along his journey to the East to find the relatives of his mother Rebekah, Jacob falls asleep and dreams of angels ascending and descending from heaven (Gen 28:10-22).
Gen 28:10-15, “And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”
The story of Jacob fleeing from Esau, and seeing a vision of angels contains a Messianic passage. The Jews believed that the nation of Israel would be restored with the coming of this Messiah. God’s promise of the glory of Israel as a nation in Gen 28:13-15 seems to indicate the rule and reign of the Messiah and the glory of this kingdom. Perhaps the story of Jacob in Genesis 28 was a part of the first century Jewish teachings on the coming Messiah. John the Baptists had been preaching of the coming Messiah. Nathanael may have been reading or pondering Old Testament passages on the restoration of Israel which referred to the coming of the Messiah while under the fig tree (Joh 1:48). Therefore, Nathanael replies to Jesus in Joh 1:49 that He is the “King of Israel.”
Joh 1:49, “Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”
In the story of Jacob’s dream, God confirmed to the grandson of Abraham those promises made earlier. The open heaven that Jesus mentions in Joh 1:51 refers to divine revelation of God’s redemption for His people Israel. For those who would follow Him, He Himself would become the source of divine revelation so that they might testify to the world of the coming of the Messiah. Jesus would manifest His glory to the disciples (Joh 2:11) through His miracles and revelation of God the Father’s plan of redemption through His atonement on Calvary. Jesus Christ is the doorway to heaven; He is the open heaven for mankind.
Joh 1:43 “The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee” Comments – The idea of Jesus desiring to depart into Galilee suggests Him being led by the unction of His Spirit. He had been baptized by John the Baptist in Bethabara beyond Jordan (Joh 1:28). He would now travel a short distance across the Jordan River into the region of Galilee. The text does not reveal to us the exact location.
Joh 1:28, “These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.”
Joh 1:43 “and findeth Philip” Comments – The Scriptures do not give us the reason for Jesus finding Philip. Perhaps one likely explanation is that His disciples, John, Andrew and Simon Peter, wanted to introduce Jesus to their closest friends, which would be Philip and Nathanael.
Joh 1:43 “and saith unto him, Follow me” Comments – I would think that Philip accepted this offer because of the supporting testimonies of his friends, John, Andrew and Simon Peter.
Joh 1:45 “Philip findeth Nathanael” – Comments – The Hebrew name “Nathanael” means “God has given” ( PTW). John the apostle will later tell us that Nathanael was of Cana in Galilee (Joh 21:2). The name “Nathanael” is only mentioned in Joh 1:45-49 and Joh 21:2, so he is not found in the Synoptic lists of apostles. Therefore, some scholars suggest that Nathanael was the same person as Bartholomew. Also, John does not mention Bartholomew, while the Synoptics do not mention Nathanael, but rather Bartholomew (Mat 10:3, Mar 3:18, Luk 6:14). Others suggest he was also the same as Simon, the son of Cleopas, or Simon the Canaanite. However, scholars have not been able to clearly associate Nathanael with the Twelve. [115]
[115] Andreas Ksterberger, John, in Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004), 79-80.
Joh 21:2, “There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee , and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.”
“and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” – Comments The Jews of the early first century were expectant of the coming of the Messiah in a similar way that the Church is expectant of the Second Coming of Christ Jesus in the early twenty-first century. The expectation is seen in the preaching of John the Baptist, who announced the arrival of the Messiah to the Jews.
Joh 1:46 “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Comments – A. B. Bruce says this statement is “an ominous indication of a conflict with unbelief awaiting the Messiah.” [116] In other words, it foreshadowed the rejection by the Jews that awaited Jesus.
[116] A. B. Bruce, The Training of the Twelve (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1877), 2.
Joh 1:46 “Philip saith unto him, Come and see” – Comments When Philip invites Nathanael to come and see Jesus, the author also invites his readers to do the same.
Joh 1:47 Comments Deceit, or cleverness, is the primary characteristic of a corrupt society. Having lived as a missionary in Africa for many years, I concluded that cleverness is the key vice that shapes the moral fiber of all non-Judeo-Christian cultures, while integrity is the moral fiber that bonds together all cultures with a rich Judeo-Christian history.
Joh 1:48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
Joh 1:48
1Ki 4:25, “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree , from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.”
Mic 4:4, “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree ; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.”
Zec 3:10, “In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree .”
Joh 1:49 “thou art the King of Israel” – Comments – Notice how the Jews in the days of Jesus were looking for the Messiah to come as a conquering king. Jesus, however, was coming this time as a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8).
Rev 13:8, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world .”
Joh 1:50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
Joh 1:50
Joh 1:51 “And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you” – Comments Jesus says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you.” The pronoun is in the plural, so that Jesus is addressing all of His disciples. Those who follow Him would become recipients of the revelation and glory of God.
“Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” – Comments Jesus describes to His early disciples the concept of angels continually ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. This conveys the idea that Jesus’ earthly ministry would be a continual flow of divine revelation and intervention from heaven.
Jesus uses the phrase “son of man” eleven times in the Gospel of John to describe Himself (Joh 1:51; Joh 3:13-14; Joh 5:27; Joh 6:27; Joh 6:53; Joh 6:62; Joh 8:28; Joh 12:23; Joh 12:34; Joh 13:31), a phrase that many scholars believe finds it origin in the Old Testament prophecy of Dan 7:13-14.
Dan 7:13-14, “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
Joh 1:51 Comments – This section of John’s Gospel (Joh 1:19-51) closes with a promise in Joh 1:51 that this group of early disciples (and ourselves as fellow believers) would see the glory of the Son of man. In order to understand Jesus statement in Joh 1:51, we must reflect back upon the opening passage of this Gospel, which says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (Joh 1:14) Jesus now promises Nathanael that he would behold the glory of the Son of God. The theme of John’s Gospel is the testimony that Jesus is the Son of God; thus, John records six miracles that reveal this glory, testifying that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. [117] If we will follow the book of John and believe as Nathanael and the disciples did, as they followed Jesus and believed, we will see what Nathanael saw, which is the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God.
[117] John Peter Lange, The Gospel According to John, trans. Edward D. Yeomans, ed. Philip Schaff, in A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal and Homiletical, With Special Reference to Ministers and Students, ed. John Peter Lange (Edinburgh: T. &. T. Clark, 1872), 102.
It is interesting to note that each of these miracles will be performed at festive occasions, telling us that Jesus’ work of redemption for mankind is a cause for rejoicing and celebrating. John Lange notes that while the Mosaic Law brought condemnation, Jesus brought “life and peace.” [118]
[118] John Peter Lange, The Gospel According to John, trans. Edward D. Yeomans, ed. Philip Schaff, in A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal and Homiletical, With Special Reference to Ministers and Students, ed. John Peter Lange (Edinburgh: T. &. T. Clark, 1872), 102.
The only other description in the Scriptures of angels ascending and descending in found in Gen 28:10-15, when Jacob fell asleep and dreamed of a ladder extending from Heaven to earth with a host of angels ascending and descending upon it. Joh 1:51 gives us a strong indication that the vision of Jacob in Gen 28:10-15 was in fact a prophecy of the coming of Jesus upon the earth, thus opening a doorway for mankind to access God’s throne in heaven.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The First Disciples of Jesus. Some of John’s disciples heed his testimony:
v. 35. Again, the next day after, John stood, and two of his disciples;
v. 36. and looking upon Jesus as He walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
v. 37. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
v. 38. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto Him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest Thou?
v. 39. He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day; for it was about the tenth hour. The Evangelist John, as an eyewitness of all these happenings, relates them in chronological order, with an attention to detail which would not have been possible for one whose knowledge was not first-hand. All these events made a very deep impression upon the future apostle. The day following the Baptist again stood, and with him two of his disciples. And again he looked upon, fixed his eyes upon, Jesus, who was walking about nearby, crossing his field of vision with the object of reaching the place where He lodged. Again John sounded forth his Gospel message of the Lamb of God. Note: We should never grow weary either in preaching or in hearing the precious news of salvation. John had testified of Jesus the day before, without results. Here he again sounds the same glorious truths, and his words make a deep impression. For this time the two disciples heard, and also gave heed to, what he was saying. The repetition probably aroused them out of their attitude of indifference; they followed Jesus. The testimony concerning Christ will always lead to Christ, the Savior of the world. Jesus knew, according to His omniscience, that they were there; He knew also what was going on in their hearts, that they had been touched by the testimony of John. He turned and saw them following Him, He let them understand that He had noticed them. And in order to help them overcome their timidity, He began a conversation with them. He asks them what they are looking for, in order to cause them to confess, to stimulate their faith. Jesus wants no idlers nor busy-bodies among His followers; He desires not heads, but hearts. He wants those that contemplate discipleship under His merciful care to consider in advance what they are doing. For that reason the catechetical preparation for confirmation is indispensable under ordinary circumstances. In extraordinary cases the very thief on the cross is accepted in his last hour, but normally a Christian should be fully persuaded as to the course he is choosing in following Jesus. See Luk 14:26-33. The answer of the two men indicated the longing of their hearts. They addressed Jesus as Rabbi (which John finds it necessary to translate for the sake of his Greek readers), the name given to teachers of the Law in their synagogues, and asked Him where He was lodging. Their unspoken wish was that they might spend some time with Him. They were too self-conscious and diffident to ask Him about the matters agitating their hearts. But He understood their thoughts; the longing of their young faith. His kind invitation: Come and see, be My guests for today, opened the way to their hearts. They went with Him to His lodging-place. It was a memorable day for the two men, so important to John that he states the very hour when Andrew and he first approached Jesus, about four o’clock in the afternoon. They remained in conversation with Jesus during the’ remainder of the day and far into the night. They were His guests and had the best opportunity to become fully acquainted with Him and His message of salvation. The same eagerness to know Jesus and to hear the Word of redemption should characterize the believers of all times. The lukewarm, lazy Christianity which is becoming so prevalent in our days has nothing in common with actual, live, eager discipleship.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Joh 1:35. Two of his disciples: It appears from Joh 1:40 that Andrew was one of these, and perhaps John himself might be the other; who frequently conceals his own name in his gospel. See Ch. Joh 13:23 and Joh 20:2.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Joh 1:35-36 . ] pointing back to Joh 1:29 .
] One was Andrew, Joh 1:41 . The other? Certainly John himself, [120] partly on account of that peculiarity of his which leads him to refrain from naming himself, and partly on account of the special vividness of the details in the following account, which had remained indelibly impressed upon his memory ever since this first and decisive meeting with his Lord.
] denoting fixed attention . Comp. Joh 1:43 ; Mar 10:21 ; Mar 10:27 ; Mar 14:67 ; Luk 20:17 ; Luk 22:61 . The profoundest interest led him to fix his gaze upon Him.
. ] These few words were quite sufficient to direct the undivided attention of both to Him who was passing that way; for, beyond a doubt (against De Wette, Ewald, because the fact that nothing is now added to the . gives the words quite a retrospective character), they had been witnesses the day before of what is recorded in Joh 1:29-34 . The assumption of a further conversation not here recorded (Kuinoel, Lcke, and most) is unnecessary, overlooks the emphasis of the one short yet weighty word on which hangs their recollection of all that occurred the day before, and moreover is not required by Joh 1:37 .
We need not even ask why Jesus, who was now walking along ( .) in the same place, had not been with John, because the text says nothing about it. Answers have been devised; e.g . Bengel: “Jesus had sufficiently humbled Himself by once joining Himself with John;” Lampe: “He wished to avoid the suspicion of any private understanding with the Baptist.” Equally without warrant in the text, B. Crusius and Luthardt: “Jesus had already separated Himself from the Baptist to begin His own proper ministry, while the Baptist desired indirectly to command his disciples to join themselves with Jesus;” as Hengstenberg also supposes, judging from the result, and because he at the same time regards the two as representatives of all John’s disciples.
[120] Already Chrysostom (according to Corderius, Cat .; Theodore of Mopsuestia) mentions the same view, but along with it the other: , which he seems to approve of. But if John is here already (and see on ver. 42) indicated, though not by name, and afterwards (ver. 46) Bartholomew under the name Nathanael ; if, again, ver. 42 implies that James is brought to Jesus by his brother John, and that he therefore has his place after John; then we certainly cannot say, with Steitz (in the Stud. u. Krit . 1868, p. 497): “The order in which Papias, in Euseb. iii. 39, quotes the six apostles, Andrew, Peter, Philip, Thomas, James, John, exactly corresponds with that in which these names occur in succession in the fourth Gospel.”
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
II
The Disciples Of John And The First Disciples Of Jesus. Jesus Ackonwledged As The Messiah, The King Of Israel, Who Knows His Israelites, And Also Knows the Jews; Signalized By Miraculous Discernment Of Spirits, Personal Characters Becoming Manifest In His Personal Light.
Joh 1:35-51
35Again the next day after [omit after] John stood, and two of his disciples; 36and looking [fastening his eye] upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 (39)Then [And] Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them146 What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say [which means], being interpreted, 39 (40)Master), where dwellest [abidest] thou? He saith unto them, Come and [ye shall] see!147 [Then]148 They came and saw where he dwelt [abode]149 and abode [for their part] with him that day: [.] for [omit for]150 it was about the tenth hour. 40 (41)One of the two which [who] heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, 41 (42)Simon Peters brother. He first151 findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias [Messiah], which is, being interpreted, the 42 (43)[om. the] Christ [Anointed]. And he brought him to Jesus. And [om. And] when Jesus beheld him, he [Jesus looking on him] said, Thou art Simon the Son of Jona [John]152 thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, 43 (44)A stone [Peter].153 The day following [the next day]154 Jesus [he]155 would go [, intended, was minded, to go] forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, 44 (45)and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of [from] Bethsaida, the 45 (46)city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus 46 (47)of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.156 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there 47 (48)any good thing [have] come [] out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold 48 (49)an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him [answered him], Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that [om. that] Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw 49 (50)thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of 50 (51)God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see 51 (52)greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter157 [om. hereafter or henceforth], ye shall see heaven open [opened], and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.158
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
[The gathering of the first disciples of jesus, 3552. The humble beginning of mighty results. The cradle of the Christian Church. This call is Judea on the banks of Jordan was merely a preliminary acquaintance, which John supplies from his personal experience, while the final call to the permanent discipleship, as related by the Synoptists (Mat 4:18 ff.; Mar 1:16 ff.; Luk 5:1 ff.), took place at a later date in Galilee. We must assume that these disciples (two of them at least, viz., Andrew and John, were formerly disciples of the Baptist), after becoming acquainted with Jesus on the banks of Jordan, and accompanying Him to Galilee to witness the miracle at Cana, returned for a while to their occupation as fishermen (as they did after the resurrection, Joh 12:1 ff.), until, before His journey to the passover in Jerusalem, He called them to the Apostolate. The readiness with which they followed, and the confidence of Peter in the miraculous powers of Jesus (Luk 5:5), are more readily explained from the previous intercourse related by John. The section has two divisions: 1) The calling of Andrew and John, and, through Andrew, of Simon Peter, 3543; 2) The calling of Philip, and, through him, of Nathanael, 4452. Christ finds disciples, they find their friends, and report how they have been found by Christ and have found Him (Joh 1:41; Joh 1:45). Bengel observes on (Joh 1:41): With the festive freshness of those days beautifully corresponds the word findeth, which is used here more frequently than elsewhere. Trench appropriately calls this the chapter of the Eurekas. Christ used no outward compulsion, held out no worldly inducements of any kind; it was simply the force of spiritual attraction which draws the brave to the braver, the noble to the noblest of all.P. S.]
Joh 1:35. Again the next day.[ .]The day after the first testimony of John [Joh 1:29] or after the day of Christs return from the wilderness, which followed the day of Johns testimony concerning the Messiah before the Jewish rulers; to the Evangelist ever memorable. He counts these never to be forgotten days one by one. Upon the testimony of the first day the two disciples of John did not follow Jesus. They doubtless felt that this must involve departure from their old master. The next day was the day of their calling and decision.
And two of his disciples.One was Andrew, we know from Joh 1:40 (see Com. on Matthew Joh 10:1-4); the other was certainly John. We judge thus from (1) Johns manner of mentioning himself, either not at all, or indirectly (chs. Joh 13:23; Joh 18:15; Joh 19:26; Joh 20:3; Joh 21:20); a manner which he seems to have extended also to his mother (Joh 19:25; comp. Introduction, p. 5), and to which we might cite analogies in Mark (Mar 14:51) and Luke (Luk 24:18). 2) The giving of one name, suggesting a personal reserve in regard to the other. 3) The very lifelike character of the subsequent account. 4) The more distinct calling of the sons of Zebedee immediately after, with the sons of Jonas, on the sea of Galilee, Matthew 4. As the calling of the latter is introduced here, so is doubtless the calling of the former.
Joh 1:36. And looking upon Jesus.His eye rests upon him, is steadily and continuously directed towards him, , see Joh 1:42, et al. [Joh 1:43; Mar 10:21; Luk 20:17].
As he walked.The day before, Jesus had returned to John out of the wilderness. Probably He then took leave of him, after coming to an understanding with him respecting their conduct towards each other. We may suppose that Jesus expects the transfer of the disciples of John. To-day He comes no more to John, but after an excursion returns to His abode. That He comes within sight of the Baptist, is wholly natural, yet at the same time designed.
Behold the Lamb of God.As the disciples of John had yesterday heard the same word, and no doubt some explanation of it, no more than this repetition of the exclamation was now necessary, to cause these two disciples to go personally after the Lord; no more extended discourse (so Meyer, rightly, against Lcko and Tholuck. And of a multitude standing by, to whom he spoke in presence of the two, there is not a word).
Joh 1:37. And they followed Jesus [with profound reverence and in expectation of great things].The being immediately repeated, must mean more than: went towards Him to see Him (Nonnus, Euthymius [Alt.]). They went towards him, in any case, with the thought of discipleship, though their decision to be disciples must have been afterwards wrought by Christ. Bengel: Prim origines ecclesi Christian.
Joh 1:38 (39). What seek ye?Anticipating, yet meeting their seeking. That they are seeking, He acknowledges. But in the impersonal He couches a sort of testing. That they were now quite timid, as Euthymius Zigabenus proposes, is evident from their embarrassed answer. They do not express themselves directly respecting their seeking; yet they plainly say that they seek not something from Him, but Himself.
Rabbi, where abidest thou?An acknowledgment that He was a master [a travelling Rabbi]; an intimation that they wish to speak with Him in quiet; an implication that He has a hospitable house [with a friend] near by; an inquiry, when they may meet Him there. John writes for Greeks, and therefore explains the term Rabbi.
Joh 1:39 (40). Come and ye shall see.159An unmistakable allusion to the rabbinical formula of requiring one to convince himself: Come and see! ( , according to Buxtorf and Light-foot), which Meyer groundlessly rejects. [Come and see, afterwards used by Philip, Joh 1:47 (48), in reply to the objection of Nathanael, occurs Psa 66:5 (6).with reference to the great works of God ( , LXX.: ); comp. Joh 1:16 (, Come and hear and I will declare what He has done for my soul). It is often the wisest answer we can give to honest skeptics on matters of Christian faith. Bengel calls it optimum remedium contra opiniones prconceptas. Personal experience is the best test of the truth of Christianity, which, like the sun in heaven, can only be seen in its own light. It was Pascal, I believe, who said, that human things must be known to be loved, but divine things must be loved first before they can be known.P. S.]
And abode with him. receives its significant sense from the preceding .
It was about the tenth hour.[The first hour of his Christian life was indelibly fixed upon the memory of John, as a great and glorious turning point, as a transition from darkness to light.160 Such days will be remembered in eternity, when their fruits will fully appear.P. S.] According to the Jewish computation, four oclock in the afternoon; according to the Roman (from midnight to midnight), ten oclock in the morning. The expression: abode with Him that day [ ), seems to favor the latter computation. For this are Rettig [Studien und Kritiken, 1830, p. 106 f.], Tholuck, Ebrard, Ewald.161 For tho Jewish, Lcke, Meyer, [Alford, Hengstenberg]. Decisive arguments for the Jewish are: 1) The Greeks of Asia Minor, for whom John wrote, had with the Jews the Babylonian reckoning, from sun-rise to sun-set. 2) The Romans also used the natural day besides the other computation. 3) In Joh 4:6 the sixth hour is far more probably noon, than six oclock in the morning or evening (see Leben Jesu, II. p. 474); in Joh 4:52 the seventh hour is most probably the first hour after noon; Joh 11:9 implies the Babylonian reckoning; and in Joh 19:14 the sixth hour cannot be six oclock in the morning, though to place it at noon causes difficulty (see Comm. on Mar 15:25, and Mat 27:45). 4) Even of a late part of the afternoon it may be said in popular speech, that they abode with Him that day, especially if the conversation extended into the night. Reference of the hour to what follows further on (Hilgenfeld, Lichtenstein; sea Meyer), is unwarranted.
Joh 1:40 (41). One was Andrew, etc.The form of the statement leads us to inquire after the other. Andrew is more particularly described as the brother of Simon Peter, on account of the subsequent distinction of Peter. He no doubt influenced the decision of John, as well as of Peter, and afterwards of Philip (who was of the city of Andrew and Peter). He appears again as mediator and pioneer in Joh 12:22 (comp. Mar 13:3). On Andrew see Matth. on Joh 10:1-4, and the word in Winer [Smith, and other Bible Dictionaries].
Joh 1:41 (42). He first findeth.For this finding Luthardt supposes a separate day, without support from the text. The text in fact leads us to suppose that this finding occurred on the same day that the disciples were with Jesus (Meyer, against De Wette, etc.) We may easily imagine, too, that Andrew found his brother on returning in a common lodging-place. The supposition that the disciples then brought Peter to Jesus still on the same evening, is more difficult. But even this has a parallel in the nocturnal visit of Nicodemus, and it makes the whole procedure uncommonly animated, showing the intense excitement of the disciples. Meyer thinks the emphatic statement that Andrew is the first to find his own brother, an intimation even that John next found his brother James, and brought him to Jesus. John is silent about it, indeed, after the manner of his peculiar, delicate reserve respecting himself and his kindred (even the name of James does not occur in his Gospel); but the betrays it, and the Synoptical account confirms it, Mar 1:19. This opinion is certainly more strengthened by the (which is not merely possessive), than the opinion of De Wette and others, that the two together sought out Simon.
We have found the Messiah [ .Bengel: A great and joyful , and expected by the world for about forty centuries.P. S.]With the stress on the first word, implying a longing search: Meyer. And the name Messiah, used by the Aramaic-speaking disciple, the Evangelist interprets to his readers. [X, from to anoint. The article is omitted because the author wishes simply to identify the two words and , not the two titles. See Meyer and Alford. Anointing with oil in the O. T. is a symbolical act that signifies the communication of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the solemn consecration to the service of God. It was performed on the three officers of the theocracy, the kings, priests and prophets, especially the kings (comp. 1Sa 10:1; 1Sa 16:13-14); hence kings were called emphatically the anointed, or the anointed of the Lord (1Sa 2:10; 1Sa 2:35; 1Sa 12:3; 1Sa 12:5; 1Sa 16:6; 1Sa 16:10; 2Sa 1:14; 2Sa 1:16; 2Sa 19:21; Lam 4:20; Zec 4:14). The term in its fullest sense was applied to Him who should be endowed with the Holy Spirit without measure (Isaiah 11; comp. Joh 1:32-33; Joh 3:34), realize the typical significance of the kingdom of Israel (Psa 2:2; Dan 9:25) and combine the offices of prophet, priest and king in His own person for ever. P. S.]
Joh 1:42 (43). Beheld him.. The penetrating look of the Lord, introducing one of those mental miracles of immediate discernment of characters which here follow in rapid succession, and of which the knowledge of Nathanael is especially signalized. Jesus is the knower of hearts, Joh 2:25. It is characteristic that John first brings out this power of the Lord: in keeping with his Gospel of the ideal personality.
Thou art Simon.This calling him by name is not necessarily through miraculous knowledge (Chrysost., Luthardt), for Andrew had introduced him to Jesus; but is doubtless intended to put Simon as the son of Jonas in contrast with Peter. , heard, , dove, , rock. The sense is: What thou art not, and canst not be, as Simon, son of Jonas,162 but what thou art adapted to be, that shalt thou become. [Christ says not: Thou art Cephas, as He says to Nathanael: Thou art truly an Israelite, but thou shalt be called Peter. It was therefore a prophecy of the future work and position of Peter in history, as the Apostle who, above all others, laid the foundations of the church, among the Jews on the day of Pentecost, and among the Gentiles by the conversion of Cornelius. Cephas (), Peter, Rock, is a symbol of firmness; comp. the contrast of rocky and sandy foundation, Mat 7:24-26, and the promise of indestructibility given to the church as founded upon the rock, Joh 16:18.P. S.] On the more particular sense of the antithesis see Comm. on Matth., Mat 16:17 [and the notes in the Am. ed., pp. 292, 293, 295]; on the different calls, Matth. on Joh 4:19, p. 93. In Mat 16:18 this previous naming is evidently pre-supposed.163 It is characteristic of Judaism as the religion of personal life, that persons were commonly designated by names significant of their peculiarities. See the citation in Tholuck. According to Tholuck the rock, the emblem of firmness, would refer to the choleric temperament of Peter. But none of all the temperaments suffices to describe a concrete direction of character. A recent assurance, that the name Peter refers not at all to his stamp of character, but entirely to the work of grace in him, can be accounted for only by want of insight into the nature of a charism.164
[The calling of Philip and Nathanael, Joh 1:43-51. Comp. on this passage Archbishop Trench, Studies in the Gospels, N. Y. ed., 1867, pp. 66 f.P. S.]
Joh 1:43 (44). The next day Jesus.to go forth.Had therefore not yet gone forth. Was intending to set out.And findeth Philip.He was by this circumstance again detained. The acquaintance may be accounted for by two facts. Philip had been also at the Jordan; probably, like others, a disciple of John. He was a townsman of Andrew and Peter, of Bethsaida (Joh 4:5; Joh 12:21), and perhaps just then on his way home.165 Philip, one of the earliest apostles of the Lord. His characteristic, according to Joh 6:5; Joh 12:21 sqq.; Joh 14:8, seems to have been a striving after ocular evidence in the nobler sense, a buoyant and resolute advance to the object in view (see Comm. on Matth., p. 183). Tradition, contrary to the fact of his earlier calling, has made him the disciple to whom Christ spoke the words in Mat 8:22 (Clement of Alex., Strom. III. 187). More probable is the tradition that he preached in Phrygia (Theodoret, Nicphorus), and died at Hierapolis (Euseb. III. 31, etc.) The accounts of his marriage and his daughters have confounded him with Philip the deacon, with whom he is in general frequently interchanged (see the art. in Winer and in Herzogs Real Encycl.)
Follow me.This cannot mean merely: Join the journeying company [Alford]; yet neither is it the call to the Apostolic office. It is the invitation to discipleship, in the form of a travelling companionship. The rest of the interview (how Jesus knew Philip, and Philip knew the Lord) is not mentioned; only the decisive word of the call. Probably the Evangelist would tell us that the quick, active character of Philip did not need many circumstances. [Trench: This Follow Me might seem at first sight no more than an invitation to accompany Him on that journey from the banks of Jordan to Galilee, on which He was just setting forward. It meant this (thus compare Mat 9:9; Luk 5:27); but at the same time how much more. It was an invitation to follow the blessed steps of His most holy life (Mat 16:24; Joh 8:12; Joh 12:26; Joh 21:19; Rev 14:4), to be a partaker at once of His cross and His crown. How much of this Philip may have understood at the moment it is impossible to say; but whether much or little, he is not disobedient to the heavenly calling.P. S.]
Joh 1:44 (45). [Bethsaida of Galilee was on the western shore of the lake of Galilee, not far from Capernaum and Chorazin, but like these two towns, it is entirely obliterated from the face of the earth, so that even the memory of its site has perished. Robinson (III. 359) places it a short distance north of Khn Minyeh, which he identifies with Capernaum; while other travellers, perhaps more correctly, find the ruins of Capernaum in Tell Hm. Comp. Mat 11:20 and the notes in Matthew, pp. 210, 211.It is remarkable that none of the Apostles was from Jerusalem, the capital of the nation. Christ Himself proceeded from an insignificant town and an humble carpenter-shop, and selected His Apostles from among the illiterate fishermen of Galilee. This is the way of God who made the world out of nothing. Comp. 1Co 1:27.P. S.]
Joh 1:45 (46). Philip findeth Nathanael (Theodore, gift of God).The same with Bartholomew (see the Comm. on Matth. p. 182), and, according to Joh 21:2, of Cana in Galilee.166 He was probably, therefore, going in the same direction. The calling of Nathanael also is represented as occurring at the outset of the journey, not (as Ewald makes it) on nearing Cana. Nathanael seems also to be one of the devout (Luk 2:38), who had been with John the Baptist; and Philips having to find his friend (we find him afterwards paired with Nathanael, Mat 10:3, etc., except in Act 1:13), may be explained by Nathanaels having forgotten himself in devout meditation apart under a fig-tree.
Of whom Moses in the law.The promises in Genesis and Deu 18:15, recognized as verbal and typical prophecies. Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.[Literally: Jesus the son of Joseph, of Nazareth.] The distinguishing of the person first by his father, then by his residence, was usual among the Jews. Utterly groundless is the inference from these words, that John knew nothing of the miraculous birth of Jesus (De Wette, Strauss); this would not follow, even though the words were those of John himself, instead of Philip. [John, as a faithful historian, reports not what Philip ought to have said and would have said from his subsequent higher knowledge, but what he actually did say in the twilight of his first acquaintance, and in accordance with the prevailing belief. The mystery of the supernatural conception was a pearl not to be thrown before the multitude who would have misunderstood and abused it. That John believed in it as well as the Synoptists, is evident from his exalted view of Christ as the sinless Saviour from sin, and may be inferred also (as Neander suggests) from Joh 1:14 (the eternal Word became flesh, i.e., man), as compared with Joh 3:6 (what is born of flesh, i.e., of corrupt human nature, is flesh).P. S.]
Joh 1:46 (47). Can there any good thing coma out of Nazareth?[Not so much an objection, as an expression of astonishment and a question frankly but modestly put.P. S.] Grounds of the prejudice: 1) Nazareth lay in Galilee (Ebrard); yet Nathanael himself was a Galilean. 2) Nazareth too small and insignificant to be the birth-place of the Messiah (Lcke and others). 3) The village was considered, as is evident from the , immoral (Meyer, with the remark that Luk 4:16 sqq. also may agree with Nathanaels opinion). Yet, literally taken, the expression would be absurd: out of the worst town some morally good thing may come. Any good thing, therefore, must here mean: any thing excellent, any eminent person; and Nathanaels doubt of this must have arisen from the smallness and insignificance of the place in proportion to the greatness of the Messiah. [So also Alford.] Tholuck: The place has no celebrity [is not even named] either in the Old Testament or in Josephus, and seems to have always been but an insignificant market-town, as the etymology of implies (Hengstenberg, Christol. II. p. 127; Clarks Engl. ed. II. p. 109). The pagan Julian contemptuously called Christ the Galilean [and the Christians Galilans]; the Jews call Him to this day. On Nazareth and its situation see the Comm. on Matth. on Joh 2:23, p. 64.167
Come and see.The second time. [An echo of Christs Come and ye shall see, Joh 1:39.] A watchword of the Christian faith.
Joh 1:47 (48). Behold truly an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.[, (Tischendorf reads) .Comp. Psa 32:2, LXX. , , ]The word of the Lord addressed not directly to Nathanael, but to others on his approach. An Israelite indeed: that is, not merely a Jew, but a Jew of the higher theocratic turn. [Israelite is the theocratic and the most honorable title of the descendants of Abraham, in commemoration of Jacobs glorious victory of prayer (Gen 32:28; Act 2:22; Act 3:12; Act 5:34; Act 13:16; Rom 9:4, etc.). The Ishmaelite and the Edomite were Abrahams seed as well as the Jews, but not Israelites. That was the exclusive title of the people of the covenant. With many this title was indeed a mere name, or even a contradiction and reproach, as the title Christian (i.e., follower of Christ) is with a multitude of Christians so-called. But Nathanael was not merely a carnal descendant of Jacob, an Israelite after the flesh, but an Israelite in spirit, a genuine son of that new Jacob or Israel who had in faith and prayer wrestled with God and prevailed. Probably he was engaged in meditation and prayer under the fig-tree, and thus truly a wrestler with God, like Israel of old. A reference to that event in the history of Jacob which gave rise to his new name (Gen 32:28; Hos 12:4), is as likely, as the reference to Jacobs ladder in Joh 1:51 (see below) is certain. Perhaps the scene took place on the very spot which tradition assigned for the wrestling of Jacob. This would give additional force to the passage. Comp. my History of the Apostolic Church, p. 388.P. S.]
The reason why Nathanael is called a genuine Israelite, is his freedom from falsehood. In the Jewish nature there was much guile [as it was the characteristic fault of Jacob, the supplanter.P. S.]; in the Israelite temper and the lively character it unfolded, there was no guile. [There is an allusion in the name to , straight, upright, righteous, the very reverse of the meaning and natural characteristic of Jacob, comp. Num 23:10.P. S.] Meyers reference of the expression to the description of Jacob in Gen 25:27 [ , LXX. , Aquila: Symmachus: ] is not of decisive importance. Christ perceived the man without guile by spiritual distant sight, as Discerner of the heart; an advance, therefore, on the miraculous knowledge of Peter.168 The frankness with which Nathanael expressed his prejudice against Nazareth, quite agrees with the judgment of the Lord. [The guilelessness of Nathanael must not be pressed too far and identified with sinlessness; on the contrary, it implies a readiness to confess sin instead of hiding it (comp. Psa 32:1-2). It furnished, as Trench remarks, a kindly soil in which all excellent graces will flourish, but did not supersede the necessity of the divine seed, out of which alone they can spring. Augustine: Si dolus in illo non erat, sanabilem illum judicavit medicus, non sanum.P. S.]
Joh 1:48 (49). The question of Nathanael: Whence knowest thou me? [ ] is a new feature of the straightforward, clear character. He does not hypocritically decline the commendation; he does not proudly accept it; but he wishes to know whereon it is founded. He expresses himself evidently as surprised, but not as overcome; hence as yet without the title Rabbi. According to Jewish etiquette, no doubt, uncivil.
When thou wast under the fig-tree.According to Meyer, Philip cannot have found him under the fig-tree (as the Greek fathers and Baumgarten-Crusius suppose), but in another place; neither the , nor the , etc., would have force. But if the mood of Nathanael under the fig-tree was the characteristic thing, Philip might have oven found him still there, without the significant element of the Lords expression being invalidated thereby. Again, according to De Wette and Meyer, the word of Jesus is intended to indicate only a miraculous vision of the person of Nathanael (beyond the range of natural sight), not a look into the depth of his soul. But in this case Jesus would not have answered the question of Nathanael at all. Jesus must have seen something in the spiritual posture of Nathanael under the fig-tree, which marked the person as the Israelite without guile. As the Talmud often speaks of Rabbins who pursued the study of the law in the shade of fig-trees, most persons think of a similar occupation here. Tholuck. According to Chrysostom and Luther, Nathanael was probably occupied with the very hope of the Messiah.
[Trench also remarks that our Lord must refer here to earnest prayer, some great mental struggle, or strong temptation which took place in Nathanaels soul while sitting under the fig-tree; for this of itself was a common occurrence among Israelites (1Ki 4:25; Mic 4:4; Zec 3:10). Wordsworth and Alford find in with the accusative ( instead of ) an indication of retirement to the fig-tree as well as concealment there,probably for purposes of meditation and prayer. It implies: when thou wentest under the fig-tree and while thou wert there.P. S.]
Joh 1:49 (50). Rabbi, thou art the Son of God.In joyful certainty Nathanael now gives threefold expression to his hitherto reserved acknowledgment. First, Rabbi, the title, for even this most just due he had not before paid; then, Son of God, because he showed the divine power of the Heart-Searcher to look upon the soul; then, King of Israel, that is Messiah. There is at the same time an extremely fine return of the commendation: An Israelite without guile; Thou art the King of the Israel without guile, that is, my King. Though the ideas Christ and Son of God have become more or less interchangeable, yet it makes a difference whether the confession of the Messiahship precedes that of the divinity, or the reverse. Nathanael reasons from the Son of God, who demonstrated Himself to him, to the Messiahship.
[The title the Son of God, was a rare designation of the Messiah, derived from Psa 2:5; Psa 2:12 (comp. Isa 9:6), and is so used by Peter, Mat 16:16, the disciples in the ship, Mat 14:33, Martha, Joh 11:27, and the high priest, Mat 26:63. It signifies the divine nature, as the titles the Son of Man, and the Son of David, signify the human nature of the Messiah. (See Excursus after Joh 1:51). This is evident from the hostile indignation of the Pharisees and Scribes at our Lord when He claimed to be the Son of God (Joh 5:18; Joh 10:30-39). It is, of course, not to be supposed that Nathanael or any of the disciples had, during the earthly life of Christ, a clear insight into the full meaning and metaphysical depths of the expression, but their faith, based upon the glimpses of the O. T.169 and the personal knowledge of our Lord, contained more than they were conscious of, and anticipated the dogma.P. S.]
Joh 1:50 (51). Because I said unto theebelievest thou?Not properly a question; still less an intimation of censure for a defective ground of faith (De Wette); but an expression of surprise that he so joyfully believes, upon a single token. Hence, too, a greater is then promised him.
Joh 1:51 (52). Verily, verily.The Hebrew Amen. , from , an adjective: sure, true, faithful; also used as a substantive and adverb. When a final word of devout acclamation, Deu 27:15-26; Psa 41:13; Psa 89:52, or of religious confirmation of ones own word, Rom 9:5; Rom 11:36, it is a sentence: Ratum sit, ita sit. When an initial word, it is an adverbial protestation: verissime, certissime; put singly in Matth., Joh 5:18; Joh 16:28 (Luk 9:27 ), and Luke. In John double: Joh 3:3; Joh 5:19; Joh 8:51; Joh 12:24; Joh 14:12; Joh 21:18. Substantively: Amen, 2Co 1:20; the Amen, Rev 3:14.That the Hebrew word was early familiar in Christian worship, is evident from the fact that John does not explain it. In modern times even a small sect has gathered upon the consecrated word, called the Amen church.170 For the first time here, the word of the most solemn asseveration. Only in John, and only in the mouth of Jesus, hence the more certainly authentic.
[The Synoptists use the single Amen more than 50, John the double25 times, even in parallel passages, as Mat 26:21; Mat 26:34; Joh 13:21; Joh 13:38. Bengel explains the repetition in John from the fact that Christ spoke both in His and in the Fathers name. Probably it is a more emphatic assertion of the superiority of Christ above all preceding prophets. The double Amen could with full propriety only be used by Him who is the personal truth (Joh 14:6), the Amen (Rev 3:14), the God of Truth (in Hebr. Amen, Isa 65:16), and in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen (2Co 1:19).P. S.]
I say unto you: to the little company of disciples now already collected. [This formula I say unto you differs from the Thus saith the Lord, as Christ differs from all the prophets: He is the truth itself and speaks with divine authority His own word; they are only witnesses of the truth and speak the Word of God in the name of God.P. S.]
(Henceforth) ye shall see heaven opened.[This prospect to the public life of Christ, and uninterrupted communion between heaven and earth in and through Him, is an eminently fit conclusion of this chapter. Whether we retain ( ) or not, the beginning of His public ministry and the first recognition of His Messianic dignity is meant, as the starting-point of an unbroken communion between God and man, and an exchange of divine grace and human prayers. The open heaven is here, as in the baptism of Christ, a symbolical expression for the ever present, help and grace of God (comp. Gen 28:10-17; Eze 1:1; Mat 3:16; Acts vii. 17; Joh 10:11); while the closed heavens signify the absence of divine help or the impending judgment of God (comp. Isa 64:1). The participle implies the act of opening, and the fact that before Christ the heaven was closed. Bengel: aperlum, prteritum, proprie, Mat 3:16, et cum continuatione in posterum, Joh 3:13; Act 7:56; Rev 11:12.P. S.] The expression is evidently suggested by the word concerning the Israelite without guile, and the description of Christ as the King of Israel; and stands related to that dream of Jacob, in which his higher Israel-nature decisively came forth (Gen 28:12), though he did not receive the honorable title of Israel until a later time.171 The first Israel saw heaven open; but only in dream, only for a while; the ascending and descending of the angels were assisted by a ladder; the Lord stood above the latter in the heavens; and the vision vanished away. Yet the living intercourse between heaven and earth, between God and man, had announced itself and opened in the old theocracy, and was now gloriously to complete itself. The expression can by no means be limited to actual appearances of angels in the life of Jesus [at His birth, in the garden of Gethsemane, at the resurrection and ascension] (Chrysostom and others), nor to His working of miracles (Storr); yet these points are not (according to Meyer) to be set aside, since they are phenomena peculiar to the New Testament intercourse between heaven and earth. On the other hand, the angels are no more to be reduced to personified divine powers (as by De Wette),172 than the divine powers to angels (as by Hofmann).173 Meyer rightly emphasizes the terms henceforth ( ) and ye shall see (); they show that it is the total Messianic revelation in its actual operation, which is spoken of, and that this is represented in figurative language. The expression, however, is not exactly symbolical, inasmuch as, in a spiritual sense, heaven is really opened, and the living personal intercourse between the Father and the Son also becomes manifest in manifold angelophanies, voices, and spiritual revelations. The stand first in the Old Testament also [Gen 28:12]; we might, as in fact Philo does (De Somniis, p. 642), think of the reciprocal actings of human wants and prayers and divine powers; but the former are never called messengers of God. More correctly: They return to heaven to receive new commissions. Tholuck. If we consider that Christ is the incarnate Angel of the Lord, we may refer the ascending unquestionably to His high-priestly intercessions, works, and sacrifice, the descending to the gradual unfolding of the riches of His kingly glory. Luther: Now are heaven and earth become one thing, and it is just as if ye sat above, and the gentle angels ministered to you. Calvin: Quum prius nobis clausum esset regnum dei, vere in Christo apertum fuit,.ut simus cives sanctorum et angelorum socii. For other explanations see Tholuck, p. 102.
[We must here dismiss the notions of space. The incarnate Son of God is the bond of union, the golden clasp between earth and heaven, the mediating centre of all intercourse with God. Where He is, there is heaven and there are the angels, who ascend from Him as the starting-point, and descend upon Him, as the termination point. He spoke while He was on earth, others wise we would expect the reverse order. From the incarnate Saviour as the Alpha and Omega, this spiritual communion with heaven proceeds upon all believers. Ryle weakens the force of the prediction by confining it to the time of the future advent; this is sufficiently refuted by henceforth,P. S.]
Upon the Son of Man.In John as well as in the Synoptists Christ designates Himself by this term. See Comm. on Matth, Joh 8:20. Undoubtedly the precedent in Daniel has suggested the language in the Revelation, Joh 14:14; Joh 1:13, in which latter is also . ; and those like passages, in which the Redeemer is mentioned as appearing . , , in His Messianic and judicial glory, Luk 21:27; Mat 26:64; Mat 16:28; so, therefore, Chemnitz, with the joint conception of the humilitas taken from the passages in Ezekiel; Beza, Scholten, Lcke. Tholuck. Yet the fact that the Lord applied this name to Himself, and that the people did not recognize it as a designation of the Messiah, Joh 12:34, itself very plainly shows that the phrase was not current as a Messianic phrase of the Jewish theology, though after the example of Daniel the term itself appears in the book of Enoch and in 4 Esdras, as well as, among the Rabbins, the expression: He that cometh in the clouds. The fact that the Apostles abstain from the phrase, Tholuck explains from Heb 2:6; that is, because the term referred to the humiliation of the Son of God. As to Hofmanns hypothesis (Schriftbeweis, II. p. 51) see Tholuck, p. 104. Hofmann lays stress on the point that the phrase in Daniel is not: The Son of man, but: One like a son of man. This manner of interpretation would require that the Old Testament prophecy everywhere have the New Testament idea and phraseology pure and simple, in order to have them at all. Strangely Tholuck thinks the tracing of the expression to Daniel excludes the interpretation proposed by Herder: Man , the pattern man; that according to this by a son of man must strictly be understood a man who shares the lot of actual mankind, as in Num 23:19; Job 25:6. And why not? Christ, as the second man, the Son of mankind, 1Co 15:47, is as well in His suffering the heir of its judgment, as in His work the heir of its righteousness of faith, and assuredly for this very reason the Son of Man, the supernatural bloom of the race, because He is the Son of God. Luthardt too thinks this latter idea, which he likewise gives, must be vindicated against the derivation of the name from the book of Daniel. But the vision in Daniel must after all have an idea. And it is sufficiently clear why Jesus chose this particular term from Daniel to designate Himself.
[Excursus on the Meaning of the Title The Son of Man.The designation of Christ as the Son of Man ( ), occurs in this chapter, Joh 1:51 (John 1:52) for the first time, and in the mouth of Christ; while the corresponding title, the Son of God ( ), occurs first Joh 1:49 (Joh 1:50), in the mouth of a disciple (Nathanael), but had been previously applied to Christ by God in His baptism (Mat 3:16), and by Satan, hypothetically, in the temptation (Mat 4:3; Mat 4:6). The former is found about eighty, or, deducting the parallels, fifty-five times in the Gospels, and is only used by our Lord Himself, except in three cases, viz., once by Stephen when he saw the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God, Act 7:56 (in allusion probably to Mat 26:64), and twice by the apocalyptic seer, Rev 1:13; Rev 14:14, with obvious reference to Dan 7:13-14. Bengel (on Mat 16:13) urges the circumstance as very significant that Christ, during His earthly life, was never called the Son of Man by anybody but Himself. His followers called Him the Son of David (the Messiah), or the Son of God. The title the Son of God is used sometimes by Christ Himself, but mostly by the Apostles and Evangelists. Christ could use both designations with equal propriety, but He preferred the title of humility and condescension which identifies Him with the human race, while the Apostles chose the title of honor and dignity which exalts Him far above men. The one signifies in general the true humanity, the other the true divinity of Christ, both together give us the full idea of the God-Man (). Both titles are generic. In both titles, when applied to Christ, the definite article is nearly always employed. He is not simply a son of man among other men, nor a son of God on a par with the children of God, but He is emphatically and in a unique sense the Son of Man, and the Son of God. The definite article is as significant in one case as in the other, and suggests a distinction as well as a resemblance.
The appellation the Son of Man, when used by Christ of Himself, cannot, like the corresponding Hebrew , or be simply a poetic designation of man in general, in which sense (without the article) is used Heb 2:6 (in a quotation, however, from the Messianic Psalms 8.), and , Eph 3:5. It cannot be supposed for a moment that Christ should have used this term so often of Himself as a mere circumlocution for the personal pronoun. Nobody speaks of himself in this way. In the Saviours native dialect, the Syriac, Bar nosho, the son of man, is man generically; the filial part of the compound denotes the identity and purity of the generic idea. This leads to the correct interpretation, as above indicated.
Nor does the title, as many suppose (e.g., Justin Martyr, Tertullian, De Wette, Tholuck), express exclusively the humiliation and condescension of Christ, but it denotes at the same time, and chiefly His elevation above the ordinary level, and the actualization, in Him and through Him, of the ideal standard of human nature under its moral and religious aspect, or in its relation to God, (Bengel,174 Schleiermacher, Olshausen, Neander, Hengstenberg, Trench, Liddon,175 Godet,176 and others).
Christ Jesus is the centre of the unity of mankind, the recapitulation of humanity, as Paul profoundly indicates (Eph 1:10), and as Irenus taught. He is the true seed of the woman, the second Adam (Romans 5. and 1 Corinthians 15.), who more than restored what the first Adam lost. He fulfils and closes the preceding, and controls the succeeding, history of our race. All men, even the best and the greatest, have their weaknesses and defects, and reflect only a fragment of the idea of humanity. Once in history, and once only, there was born a man who represents humanity in its purity without the demoniac adulteration of sin, and its universality without the limitations of race and nationality. Christ felt more humanly, spake more humanly, acted, suffered and died more humanly than any man before or since His coming. Every word and act of His appeals to universal human sympathies and calls out the moral affections of all without distinction of race, condition, and degree of culture. He is the only (as Philo called the Logos), the Urbild, the archetypal or model Man, the King of men, and draws all men to Him. He could not have been so perfect a man without being also divine.
This interpretation of the title Son of Man, suggested grammatically by the use of the definite article, is confirmed historically by the origin of the term, according to the usual acceptation, in Dan 7:13 f., where it signifies the Messiah in His heavenly glory, as the head of a universal and eternal kingdom,177 and perhaps also in Psalms 8. where man is represented in his ideal destination with reference to the Messiah as the true and perfect head of humanity (comp. Rom 5:12; 1Co 15:27; Heb 1:2-8). The Son of David was likewise a designation of the Messiah (Mat 9:27; Mat 15:22; Mat 12:23; Mat 21:9; Mat 22:41 ff.), but is not so significant, as it represents Christ, only as the flower and crown of the house of David, not of the whole human family. Our view commends itself, moreover, at one as the most natural and significant, in such passages as, Ye shall see the heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man (Joh 1:51); He that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man who is in heaven (Joh 6:53); The Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father; The Son of Man is come to save (Mat 18:11; comp. Luk 19:10); The Father hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man (Joh 5:27). Even those passages which are quoted for the opposite view, receive, in our interpretation, a greater force and beauty from the sublime contrast which places the voluntary condescension and humiliation of Christ in the most striking light, as when He says: Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head (Luk 9:58): or, Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mat 20:27-28). Thus the manhood of Christ, rising far above all ordinary manhood, though freely coming down to its lowest ranks, with the view to their elevation and redemption, is already the portal of His Godhood. Comp. my treatise on the Person of Christ, Boston, 1865, pp. 113 ff., from which I have transferred a few sentences.P. S.]
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. The greatness of the Baptist and the majesty of Christ appear in Johns pointing his disciples to Christ, and Christs attaching the best of them immediately to Himself. In these disciples of John the spiritual perfection of the work of the Baptist is seen.
2. It is remarkable, that the first disciples of John who followed Christ, followed Him upon the repeated testimony of the Baptist: Behold the Lamb of God. The testimony to the pr-existence and glory of Christ does not convince the rulers of the Jews; this testimony which shows a future full of suffering for Christ convinces the disciples of John who here come to view. This of itself shows that they can never have shared the entirely crude, sensuous hope of the Messiah, in its hard, unspiritual form; much as they were still involved in sensuous expectations of a nobler sort.
3. Coming to Christ is here illustrated in every way. Prophetic testimony, office, word, points to him. Then brother brings brother, friend brings friend, towhsman brings townsman. One comes with another, and one after another.
4. These first disciples stand the decisive test-question, whether they seek something from Him, or seek Himself and all in Him. They seek Him, and when they exclaim: We have found the Messiah, they mean: We have foundabsolutely.
5. In keeping with this prominence of the personality of Christ, He manifests His glory first in miracles of pure knowledge with the most varied insight into the dark depths of personal life. Thus in our text He sees through, in particular, Peter and Nathanael, and at the close of the chapter the Evangelist celebrates Him as the knower of hearts. So afterwards He reads Nicodemus, the woman of Samaria, Judas, the people, etc.
6. The manner in which the Evangelist John, with delicate modesty, has here interwoven the story of his own calling with the gospel history, reminds us of the similar manner of Matthew (Joh 9:9); and these two analogies might lead us to presume that Mark (Mar 14:51-52) and Luke (Luk 24:13-35) have done likewise. See the exegesis, Joh 1:35. Christianity, in the light of the person of the Lord, brings to view and into play the worth and warrant of all the personages purified by Him. But evidently these great, sanctified delineators of the life of Jesus and the facts of redemption have wrought in with the utmost modesty their own names, for the most part only by hints in any part of their picture.
7. In this place Israel meets us in its purity, and doubtless is made prominent in its higher import, because the Evangelist sees himself further on compelled to exhibit Judaism so strongly in its hatred of the truth.
8. Christianity, an open heaven over open eyes, and a revelation of ever new and ever greater glories of the Lord, first in His life, then in His church, because divinity is become one with humanity in Christ, and this life communicates itself through the Holy Ghost to believer.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
On both histories together (Joh 1:35-51). The exuberant beginning of the Church of Christ: a. Its going forth out of the Old Testament; b. Its rising into the New.The Israel of the Old Covenant, and the Israel of the New.The effect of the testimony of John: residing (1) in the perseverance (repetition) and emphasis of it; (2) in the matter of it (the Lamb of God).Three unique days in the kingdom of God (the next day, etc.).Christ the Lamb of God.The coming of the disciples to Jesus, a type of our coming to Him.How quickly Christ and His elect recognize and meet each other.The spring seasons of the kingdom of heaven.The unity and the diversity of the Lords ways of calling His disciples.We have found!Working for the Lord.Christ the heart-searcher.The three great proofs of the Messiah: (1) From the Old Testament (Moses and the prophets, closed up by John the Baptist); (2) from Christs representation of Himself; (3) from the experience of the disciples.
On the first history (Joh 1:35-43). The first two disciples of Jesus: John and Andrew.The two decisive questions: What seek ye? and, Rabbi, where dwellest thou?The invitation of Christ: Come and see, in its permanent import.The first word of the Lord and His last respecting Peter, according to the Gospel of John.How the natural brotherhood becomes transfigured in the spiritual.
On the second history (4451). Philip and Nathanael, or friendship in its relation to the kingdom of God: (1) Its destination for it; (2) its glorification in it.Honorable prejudice, and how it is overcome by the facts of experience.The word of the disciple: Come and see; an echo of the word of Jesus: Come and see.The preaching of Philip: (1) Infinitely difficult: the connection of the name of Messiah, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, with Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph; (2) perfectly decided: We have found Him! (3) Irresistibly confirmed: Come and see!One of the rare commendatory words of Christ, on a most rare occasion: (1) Bestowed upon a man who spoke contemptuously of His birth-place; was prepossessed against Himself; had, immediately after an hour of earnest devotion, fallen again under a prejudice; (2) and bestowed for the very reason, that he was without guile.An Israelite without guile: In all nations, as in all men, the essential permanent nature and destiny must be distinguished from the corruption of it (the true Israelite from the false Jew; the intellectual German from the dreamy German; the open, frank Frenchman from the insolent Frenchman, etc.; Peter the rook from Peter the shaken reed, etc.).The threefold homage of Nathanael: (1) Rabbi (which he had owed from the first); (2) Son of God (which he had denied Him); (3) King of Israel (with which he submits to Him as an Israelite without guile).Christianity an open heaven over the open eyes and hearts of believers.The ascending and descending angels; or, the intercourse between heaven and earth, a reciprocity of personal vital functions between the Father and Christ, Christ and His people, the church triumphant and the church militant.Open hearts, a foretokening of the open heaven (Christs look into the soul of Nathanael, a foretokening of all the wonders of revelation).
Starke: Preachers must repeat a thing often for the sake of those weak in faith.Quesnel: To enforce industriously the all-sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ, a main duty of the servant of God.Here the Lord begins to collect a little church, to which John has given up his disciples.Jesus calls and draws men to Himself; yet without violence.Zeisius: Experience in spiritual things gives great certainty and firmness in faith.Regenerate Christians acquire a new name, which no man knows.Osiander: Every one who truly believes in Christ is a rock, against which all the gates of hell are powerless.Quesnel: Judge of divine things not by outward appearance, nor under human prejudice.Zeisius: Uprightness is pleasing to the Lord, 1Ch 29:17.The omnipresent eye of the Lord.The opening of heaven the opening of a way whereby the heavenly riches course to the earth, and free way (access) is given from earth to heaven.Relation of the descending and ascending to the humiliation and exaltation of Christ (?).Christ the ladder to heaven.
Braune: The voice of the preacher prepared the way for Him; in the company of the preacher He must find His first adherents.The anticipating friendliness of Jesus.The blessedness of a Christian is ungrudging, and would communicate itself to all the world.But why the ascending (of the angels) first, the descending after? Because intercourse between heaven and earth is not now first beginning, but has already begun (above all the Angel of the Lord has come down in the flesh).Gerlach: It seems that John the Baptist always spoke in short, weighty sentences, which he often repeated and deeply impressed.The Son of God, the King of Israel, Psalms 2.Lisco: Jesus finds disciples through the testimony of His herald (and here the first two); Jesus finds disciples through the testimony of those who have come to know Him (and here probably again two: Peter and James the elder); Jesus finds disciples through the immediate call of His own word (here the last two). Yet, in the wider sense, (1) the office of the herald, (2) the joint witness of the disciples, (3) the call of Jesus run through the whole formation of discipleship.The best counsel against all errors: Come and see!Heubner: The whole service of the teacher consists in pointing to Christ; no man can take the place of Christ, but human aid can help to find Him.Jesus turning, a powerful stroke on the heart; Jesus look, an attracting power.What seek ye? a question which Jesus puts to every one who comes to Him.The open hearts went straight forward.There is a great difference between mediate and immediate acquaintance with Jesus.The more like Jesus, the more inexhaustible a man is.The more one is conversant with Jesus, the more he finds in Him. In other men one is often disappointed; in Jesus every expectation is exceeded.Albertini: How does the Saviour enlist disciples?Schleiermacher: The meeting of Christ and His disciples an example for us in forming earnest social relations.The deepest corruption is the falsehood of man.Through the Redeemer alone is made the bond between heaven and earth.
[Joh 1:51 (52). Luther: When Christ became man and had entered on His ministerial office and begun to preach, then was the heaven opened, and remains open; and has from that time, since the baptism of Christ in the Jordan, never been shut, and never will be shut, although we do not see it with our bodily eyesChrist says this: Ye are now heavenly citizens, and have your citizenship above in the heavenly Jerusalem, and are in communion with the holy angels, who shall without intermission ascend and descend about you.Archbishop Trench: Lord would indicate by these wondrous words that He should henceforward be the middle point of a free intercourse,
yea, of an uninterrupted communion, between God and man, that in Him should be the meeting place of heaven and of earth (Eph 1:10; Col 1:19); which should be no longer two, as sin had made them, separated and estranged from one another, but one, now that righteousness had looked down from heaven, and truth had flourished out of the earth. And this, the glory of Christ, they, His disciples, should behold, and should understand, that they too, children of man, were by Him, the Son of Man, made citizens of a kingdom which, not excluding earth, embraced also heaven, From earth there should go up evermore supplications, aspirations, prayers,and these by the ministration of angels (Rev 8:3-4), if some still want a certain literal fulfilment;from heaven there should evermore come down graces, blessings, gifts, aid to the faithful and punishment for them that would hurt them (Rev 8:5; Act 12:7; Act 12:23). Heaven and earth should hence forward be in continual interchange of these blessed angels,
And earth be changed to heaven, and heaven to earth;
One kingdom, joy and union without end.
Bonaventura: The heavenly ladder was broken in Adam, and repaired in Christ.There is a beautiful hymn on Jacobs ladder, as a symbol of communion with God, by Mrs, Sarah Flower Adams, John 1848:
Nearer, my God, to Thee.
P. S.]
Footnotes:
[146]Joh 1:38.[Lit.: (And) Jesus having turned, and seen them following, saith to them, after is omitted by Tischend. (VIII. ed.), but retained by Tregelles, Alford, Westcott.Tischendorf, Alford and others divide Joh 1:38 into two, commencing Joh 1:38 with ; hence the difference of verses to the end of the ch.P. S.]
[147]Joh 1:39.[The text. rec. reads , see, in conformity with and with Joh 1:47 : . Meyer, Alford, Tregelles, Tischendorf, Westcott, adopt , which could be more easily changed into than substituted for it.P. S.]
[148]Joh 1:39.[Text. rec. omits , which is supported by . A. B. C. L., etc., Tischendorf, Tregelles, Alford, Westc.P. S.]
[149]Joh 1:38.[ is used here and twice in Joh 1:39, and there is no need of varying the transl., as in the E. V.P. S.]
[150]Joh 1:39.[The best authorities omit after . There should be a full stop after day. If the of text. rec. be retained, it should be translated and instead of for.P. S.]
[151]Joh 1:41.[The text, rec. , referring to (he before any other), is supported by .* L. Epiph. Cyr., etc., and adhered to by Meyer, Lange and Tischendorf (ed. VIII), while Lachmann, Tregelles, Alford and Westcott, on the authority of .c A. B. M. Orig, give the preference to , which would mean (adverbialiter) either first (before he found another) or (assuming an error of the transcriber for ) early (hence the Itala: mane). But the change of in is easily accounted for by the following .P. S.]
[152]Joh 1:42.Cod. B. reads [other authorities, , with double ], so Lachmann; Cod. L. 33, and some versions, . The same authorities give the same in Joh 21:15; Joh 21:17, and besides codd. C. and D. interchange and . The Recepta [Jona, or better, Jonas] is supported primarily by Mat 16:17, where all authorities read . Lcke observes: The less usual might easily be confounded with the or more current among the Greeks. Meyer supposes that John gave the form to the name, whence it became the more usual . [Cod. Sin. Tregelles, Tischendorf, Alford, Westcott and Hort read , or the same with one v. is a correction from Mat 16:17. Ewald, on the contrary, thinks that the reading Johannes here and John 21 originated in a mistake. He reads , etc. as a question: Du bist Simon Jonas Sohn?P. S.]
[153]Joh 1:42.[For information on the meaning of Cephas, Petros, Petra, see my long annotation to Lange on Mat 16:17, p. 293, Text. Note3.P. S.]
[154]Joh 1:43.[ , as in Joh 1:35; Joh 1:29. The E. V. needlessly and carelessly varies here the translation three times: the next day (Joh 1:29), the next day after (35), the day following (43).P. S.]
[155]Joh 1:43.After the Recepta has . Beginning of a church lesson. [Omitted by Tischend., Treg., Alf., Westc.P. S.]
[156]Joh 1:45.[Lit. Jesus, the son of Joseph, the one from Nazareth (or who is from Nazareth), or Jesus, Josephs son, from Nazareth, .P. S.]
[157]Joh 1:51.The is wanting in Codd. [.] B.L., and in considerable versions; omitted in Tischendorf and Lachmann. [Treg., Alf., Westc. and H.] It was doubtless dropped because it seemed unsuitable to the words following, which were taken for actual angelic appearances. [On the other hand, it may have been inserted from Mat 26:64. Alford.P. S.]
[158]Joh 1:51.[The Engl. Vers., also the Greek text of Tregelles, and Westcott and Hort number but 51 verses, but the Vulgate, Lachmann, Tischendorf, Alford, Luthers Vers, Lange, etc., number 52. The difference in the counting begins at Joh 1:38.P. S.]
[159][ instead of , see Text. Note 2. Ewald infers from the reading , without sufficient reason, that the place of lodging was at some distance.P. S.]
[160][Augustine: Quam beatum diem duxerunt, quam beatam noctem! Quis est, qui nobis dicat, qu audierint illi a Domino?P. S.]
[161][Ewald maintains that John at Ephesus followed the computation which now prevails with us, so that here and Joh 19:14 the hours before noon are meant, but in Joh 4:6 and Joh 4:52 the hours of the afternoon.P. S.]
[162][The allegorical interpretations of Son of Jona (Jonas) or Barjona (Mat 16:17), based upon the characteristics of the dove, viz., man of purity, or man of weakness (as contrasted with man of rock), etc., have no proper foundation, since the received text , (which is a correction from Mat 16:17) must give way to the far better authenticated reading or (see Text. Notes 7), In Joh 21:15-17, according to the best critical authorities, Christ addresses Peter: (Johannis in the Vulg.). In conformity with this reading, Jona or Jonas in Barjona, Mat 16:17, must be regarded not as the name of the prophet Jonas (from , dove) but as a contraction of Joana or Jehoanan (), John, i.e., Jehovah is merciful (comp. the German Goltlieb, the Greek Theodore). Hence Barjona would mean son of grace rather than son of the dove. I expressed this view in a note on Matthew, p. 295, and find it now confirmed by the authority of so good a Hebrew scholar as Hengstenberg, Com. on John , 1. p. 111.P. S.]
[163][So also Meyer against Baur and Scholten: In Mat 16:18 the former bestowal of the new name on Simon is presupposed, confirmed and applied. In giving new names, Christ acts with the authority of Jehovah in the O. T. when He changed the name of Abram into Abraham, Jacob into Israel, etc. Comp. Hengstenberg.P. S.]
[164][On the character of Peter see Schaffs History of the Apostolic Church, N. Y. ed., pp. 348 ff.].
[165][His name and other Greek names of native Jews (Peter, Stephen, Nicanor, Timon, comp. Act 6:5, etc.), and the use of the Greek by all the apostles prove the wide spread of the Greek language, manners, and customs since the conquest of Alexander the Great, which prepared the way for the spread of the gospel.P. S.]
[166][Double names were quite common in Palestine. The identity of Nathanael (=God gave, the gift of God) and Bartholomew ( , i.e., Son of Talmai) did not suggest itself to any of the fathers (Chrysostom and Augustine exclude Nathanael from the list of the Apostles), but is now (perhaps since Rupert of Deutz in the 12th century, as Trench supposes) almost generally admitted for the following reasons: 1) Nathanael is here in his vocation cordinated with Apostles. 2) After the resurrection he appears in the company of Apostles, some being mentioned before, some after him. Joh 21:1; Joh 2:3) John never names Bartholomew, the Synoptists never mention Nathanael. 4) Bartholomew is no proper name, but simply a patronymicum. 5) The Synoptists in the catalogues of the Apostles (Mat 10:3; Mar 3:18; Luk 6:14), name Bartholomew in connection with Philip, with whom Nathanael is associated by John in our passage. Wordsworth denies the identity and approvingly quotes Augustine, who assigned as a reason why Nathanael was not called to the Apostolate, that he was probably a learned man skilled in the law. But this reason would exclude Paul likewise.P. S.]
[167][Trench, l. c., p. 69, takes the question: Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? as having the same sense with the later objection: Shall Christ come out of Galilee, instead of Bethlehem (Joh 7:41-42; Joh 7:45) and finds in any good thing a reference mainly to the Messiah. Similarly Hengstenberg.P. S.]
[168][Trench, l. c. John 73: Christ read, as often as He needed to read, not merely the present thoughts, but also so much as He desired of the past histories, of those who came in contact with Him; and this He did not merely by that natural divination, that art of looking through countenances into souls, interpreting the inner life from the outward bearing, which all men in a greater or less degree possess, and He doubtless in the largest measure of all (Isa 11:3); but in his spirit (Mar 2:8), by the exercise of that divine power, which was always in Him, though not always active in Him. It was thus, for example, that He read the life-story of that Samaritan woman (Joh 4:17-18 : comp. Joh 5:14); where it is impossible to presume a previous acquaintance; it was thus far most probably in the instance before us.P. S.]
[169][Hengstenberg (I. 126): The O. T. teaches most definitely that the King of Israel, the Messiah is exalted far above the human level. This doctrine is contained in the very Psalm, in which both designations of the Messiah, as King and as the Son of God, occur, Psa 2:6-7, and from which these designations are derived.P. S.]
[170][There is a branch of rigid Mennonites in Pennsylvania who call themselves Amish or Omish (a corruption of Amenites), but this name is sometimes derived from a Swiss clergyman, Jacob Amen, in the 17th century, who had a dispute on minor points with another Mennonite, John Heisly.P. S.]
[171][The allusion to Jacobs vision of the ladder is generally admitted by commentators. Augustine: Cujus nomine te appellavi, ipsius somnium in te apparebit. (Comp. his Tract. VII. in Joh. Ev.). Grotius: Quod ibi in somnio vidit Israel, idem vigilans visurus dicitur verus Israelita. Bengel: Vidit tale quid Jacob, Gen 28:12; quanta magis Israelit veri in N. T. Alford: The words have a plain reference to the ladder of Jacob, and imply that what he then saw was now to receive its fulfilment: that He, the Son of Man, was the dwelling of God and the gate of heaven, and that through Him, and on Him in the first place, was to descend all communication of help and grace from above. Trench: What Israel saw, the true Israelite shall behold the same; yea, what one saw but in a dream, the other shall behold in waking reality; and more and better even than this; for then God was a God far off; the Lord stood above the ladder and spoke from heaven; but now standing at its foot, He speaks as the Son of Man from earth, for now the Word has been made flesh; and the tabernacle of God is with men.P. S.]
[172][Or preachers of Christ, as Augustine explains angels in this passage (Tract. VII. 23).P. S.]
[173][Hengstenberg likewise takes a comprehensive view of the passage, as including the angels proper and all other mediums of divine communication.P. S.]
[174][Bengel (Mat 16:13): Unus hic nempe homo est, quem Adamus, post lapsum, ex promissione expectavit pro tota sua progenie; secundus, quem omnis prophetia V. T. indigitavit, qui totius generis humani jura et primogenituram sustinet, et cui uni quod humani nominis nos non pniteat, debemus. Comp. his whole note on Mat 16:13, which Trench calls a wonderful specimen of the close packing of matter the most interesting and the most important in his Gnomon.]
[175][Lectures on the Divinity of Chirist, 1868, p. John 8 : The title Son of Man does not merely assert His real incorporation with our kind; it exalts Him infinitely above us all as the representative, the ideal, the pattern Man.]
[176][Com. I. John 340: Il se dectarait non seulement un homme, un vrai hommc, mais le rejeton par excellence de la race humaine, lvhomme attendue, prvu, moralement ncessaire, le rpresentant normal du type Jsus trouve ainsi le moyen daffirmer de lui-mme tout ce quil y a de plus grand, tout en employment la forme la plus fraternelle et la plus humble. Son galitit par, faite avec nous s exprime jusque dans le terme qui rvle sa superiorit absolue sur nous.]
[177][I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man , LXX: , Vulg.: quasi filius hominiscame with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of daysand there was given Him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him, etc. Comp. the words of Christ, Mat 24:30; Mat 26:64 : Hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. The allusion in the last two passages to the prophecy of Daniel can hardly be mistaken.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Again, the next day after, John stood, and two of his disciples: (36) And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! (37) And the two disciples heard him speak. And they followed Jesus, (38) Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master?) where dwellest thou? (39) He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day : for it was about the tenth hour, (40) One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. (41) He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. (42) And he brought him to Jesus, And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a stone.
I do not presume to speak decidedly upon the subject, but I confess that I am inclined to think that these words of John, and the earnest look which he cast on the Lord Jesus, as he said, behold the Lamb of God! were commissioned with peculiar power to the minds of these two disciples. It is supposed that John, the writer of this Gospel, was one of the two. But it is not said. However, we are told that they followed Jesus. Somewhat, it is certain, arrested their attention. The gracious invitation of Christ, the earnestness of Andrew to find his brother, and the great joy he expressed in having found the Christ: our Lord’s first address to Peter, and all that followed, form very interesting matter for our meditation. But I must not trespass.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
Ver. 35. John stood ] Ready pressed to preach Christ, as Paul did at Athens in the market, to every one that met with him, Act 17:17 . Christ must be preached in season, out of season, volentibus, nolentibus. If the Cynics thought it their duty to admonish all they met, and if men would not listen they counted it an easy loss to cast away a few words upon them; how should Christians (and especially ministers) much more do so.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
35 43. ] On account of the testimony of John, first Andrew, and another of his disciples, and through Andrew, Simon Peter, become acquainted with Jesus .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
35. . ] See on Joh 1:29 . I can hardly suppose with De Wette, that these two had been absent on the preceding day. Rather, what they then heard seems to have made a powerful impression on their minds, so that the repetition of the notice is now the signal for them to follow Jesus. (On the second disciple, see below on Joh 1:41 .)
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 1:35-42 . Witness of John to two of his disciples and first self-manifestation of Jesus as the Christ . Bengel entitles the section, Joh 1:35-42 , “primae origines Ecclesiae Christianae”; but from the evangelist’s point of view it is rather the blending of the witness of John with the self-manifestation of Jesus. His kingly lordship over men He reveals (1) by making Himself accessible to inquirers: Andrew and John; (2) by giving a new name, implying new character: Simon becomes Peter; (3) by summoning men to follow Him: Philip; (4) by interpreting and satisfying men’s deepest desires and aspirations: Nathanael.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Joh 1:35 . . On the morrow John was again standing ( , pluperfect with force of imperfect) and two of his disciples. [Holtzmann uses this close riveting of day to day as an argument against the historicity of this part of the Gospel. He says that no room is left for the temptation between the baptism and the marriage in Cana. But these repeated “morrows” take us back, not to the baptism, which is nowhere in this Gospel directly narrated, but to the Baptist’s conversation with the deputation from Jerusalem, in which it is implied that already the baptism of Jesus was past; how long past this Gospel does not state, but, quite as easily as not, six weeks may be inserted between the baptism of Jesus and the deputation.] looks back to Joh 1:29 . Then no results followed John’s testimony: now results follow. Two of his disciples stood with him, Andrew (Joh 1:41 ) and probably John.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh 1:35-42
35Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, 36and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38And 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?” 39He 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. 40One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). 42He 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).
Joh 1:35 “two of his disciples” Mar 1:16-20 seems to be a different account of the calling of these two disciples. It is uncertain how much previous contact occurred between Jesus and His Galilean disciples. There were specific stages of discipline involved in the process of becoming a full-time follower of a rabbi in Jesus’ day. These procedures are spelled out in the rabbinical sources, but are not exactly followed in the Gospel accounts. The two disciples mentioned are Andrew (cf. Joh 1:40), and John the Apostle (who never refers to himself by name in the Gospel).
The term disciple can mean (1) learner and/or (2) follower. This was an early name for believers in Jesus Christ as the promised Jewish Messiah. It is important to note that the NT calls for disciples, not mere decisions (cf. Matthew 13; Mat 28:18-20). Christianity is an initial decision (repentance and faith) followed by an on going decision of obedience and perseverance. Christianity is not a fire insurance policy or a ticket to heaven, but a daily servant/friend relationship with Jesus.
Joh 1:37 “The two disciples heard him speak” John the Baptist pointed beyond himself to Jesus (cf. Joh 3:30).
Joh 1:38 “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher)” This was a common title in first century Judaism to identify those who could expound the implications and applications of the Mosaic Law and the Oral Tradition (Talmud). It is literally “my master.” It is used by John the Apostle as equivalent to “teacher” (cf. Joh 11:8; Joh 11:28; Joh 13:13-14; Joh 20:16). The fact that John explains his terms (cf. Joh 1:38; Joh 1:41-42) shows he was writing to Gentiles.
“where are You staying” This seems to follow the traditional procedures of the establishing of the unique bond between teacher and student. Their question implies that these two men wanted to spend more time with Jesus than just being able to ask a few questions on the road (cf. Joh 1:39).
The word men (remain) occurs three times in Joh 1:38-39. It can refer to a physical place or a spiritual place. The three usages seem to imply another word play, bringing both connotations together, which is so common in John (i.e., Joh 1:1; Joh 1:5; Joh 3:3; Joh 4:10-11; Joh 12:32). This purposeful ambiguity is characteristic of John’s writings!
Joh 1:39 “it was about the tenth hour” It is uncertain whether John is using Roman time, beginning at (1) 6:00 a.m. or (2) day break, or Jewish time, beginning at 6:00 p.m. (twilight). When one compares Joh 19:14 with Mar 15:25 it seems to imply Roman time. However, when one looks at Joh 11:9 it seems to imply Jewish time. John possibly used both. Here it seems to be Roman time, about 4:00 p.m.
Joh 1:40 “One of two who heard John” The writer (the Apostle John) never names himself in the Gospel (i.e., Joh 21:2). It is surely possible that one of the two disciples who heard John the Baptist make this declaration was John, the son of Zebedee (i.e., Mat 4:21; Mar 1:19).
Joh 1:41
NASB”He found first his own brother”
NKJV, NRSV”He first found his own brother”
TEV”At once he found”
NJB”the first thing Andrew did”
There is a manuscript variant that affects the translations. The options are
1. the first thing Andrew did
2. the first person he found
3. Andrew was the first to go and tell
“the Messiah (which translated means Christ)” See note at Joh 1:20.
Joh 1:42 “Jesus looked at him” This term refers to an “intensive look.”
“Simon the son of John” There is some confusion in the NT concerning the name of Peter’s father. In Mat 16:17 Peter is called “son of Jonah” (‘Inas), but here he is called “son of John” (‘Ianns). The name John is found in MSS P66, P75, and L. MS B has the same name but with only one “n” (‘Ians). The name Jonah occurs in MSS A, B3, K and most other later Greek manuscripts. There seems to be no clear answer to this question. Variant spellings are common with transliterated names from Aramaic.
Michael Magill, The New Testament TransLine, p. 303, says, “‘Jonah’ and ‘John’ may be alternate Greek spellings of the same Hebrew name, like ‘Simon’ and ‘Simeon.'”
“‘you shall be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter)” The term Cephas is an Aramaic term for rock (kepa), which comes into Greek as kephas. The name would remind one of stability, strength, and durability.
This is one of many comments by the author of the Gospel to help explain the life and teachings of Jesus to Gentile readers of Joh 1:38.
It is interesting that the two later technical terms (verbs) for Bible interpretation appear in this chapter.
1. exegesis, to lead out, used in Joh 1:18
2. hermeneutics, to explain, to interpret, to translate, used in Joh 1:42
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
stood = was standing.
two. One being Andrew (Joh 1:40), the other probably John (the Evangelist), as he never mentions himself.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
35-43.] On account of the testimony of John, first Andrew, and another of his disciples, and through Andrew, Simon Peter, become acquainted with Jesus.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 1:35. , on the following day) Great days! The first the day of the record borne as to Jesus being Messiah; Joh 1:15-16; the second, the day of his testimony concerning the same Person, and at the same time as to His suffering [passion]; Joh 1:29-30; the third, this day, that of the three disciples joining Him; the fourth, that of Philip and Nathanael being brought over to Him, Joh 1:43. Add ch. Joh 2:1; Joh 2:12 [on the third day;-after this He went to Capernaum, etc., and continued there not many days]. The care of this Evangelist in marking times is remarkable.-, two) about to be witnesses.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 1:35
Joh 1:35
Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples;-This was the day after the facts stated in the preceding verses had occurred. It was some weeks at least after his baptism. He had been baptized, had been forty days in the temptation, had returned to where John was baptizing, and John had testified to his disciples what had happened at his baptism.
Jesus’ First Disciples – Joh 1:35-42
Open It
1. What gets you excited or enthusiastic?
2. *How would you feel if a good friend abandoned your friendship in favor of someone else?
3. What nicknames have you had over the years?
Explore It
4. Who besides Jesus had disciples? (Joh 1:35)
5. What did John say when he saw Jesus? (Joh 1:36)
6. How did John identify Jesus for his disciples? (Joh 1:37)
7. *What did Johns disciples do when John identified Jesus? (Joh 1:37)
8. What did Jesus ask Johns disciples? (Joh 1:38)
9. What did Johns disciples call Jesus? (Joh 1:38)
10. What did Johns disciples ask Jesus? (Joh 1:38)
11. *What was the first thing Andrew did after he had followed Jesus? (Joh 1:40)
12. Who was Andrews brother? (Joh 1:40)
13. *What did Andrew tell his brother about Jesus? (Joh 1:41)
14. What nickname did Jesus give to Simon? (Joh 1:42)
15. What words did the author interpret for us? (Joh 1:37; Joh 1:41-42)
Get It
16. *What does it mean to follow Jesus?
17. What hinders us from following Jesus?
18. *What must we leave to follow Jesus?
19. To what friends and relatives could you introduce Jesus?
20. How can we spend time with Jesus to get to know Him better?
Apply It
21. Whom do you want to introduce to Jesus this week?
22. How could you introduce Christ to a friend or relative?
23. *What change in your daily routine would enable you to follow Jesus better?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
How Jesus Wins Followers
Joh 1:35-42
On this third day John again looked eagerly and wistfully on Jesus as He walked. He spoke of Him again as Gods Lamb, and there was a significance in His words that was instantly detected by the two disciples-probably John and Andrew-who stood beside him. He intended to transfer their allegiance from himself to the Lord. Henceforth they were to behold Him. So, at least, they understood it. We are told that they followed Jesus. As the preacher watched their retreating figures and realized that His work was done, he had no feeling of jealousy or regret. He was the bridegrooms friend, and rejoiced greatly to hear His voice, Joh 3:29. Notice how our Lord develops men. He invites them to His familiar friendship-Come and see, and He looks deep down into their hearts, detecting capacities and possibilities that were hidden even from themselves, but which He helps them to realize: Thou shalt be called Cephas, a rock.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peters brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Our attention has been directed already to Johns testimony concerning our Savior as the Lamb of God. We have considered verse 29 where we read: The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This announcement had to do with our Lord as the great sin offering. All through the Old Testament dispensation the types and shadows and direct prophetic messages had pointed on to the time when God would send the true sacrificial Lamb, and now John declares, He has come.
The next day after, he exclaims again, Behold the Lamb of God. It is not now the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world-that was yesterday-but now it is, Look at the walk of the Lamb of God. Jesus came walking across the plains, and Johns attention was directed to Him in a new way. There was something about the walk of Gods blessed Son that led His forerunner to exclaim, Behold the Lamb of God! How different His walk was to that of any other, and by walk, of course, we mean behavior. As we think of the holy behavior of the Son of God we cannot but realize how it stands out in contrast to our own devious ways. The great difference is this: our behavior is dominated so much by selfishness. We act as we do because we are so self-centered. We are occupied with ourselves. We are concerned about self-pleasing and about that which ministers to self. But the Lord Jesus could say, I came not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me (Joh 6:38).
The only Man who has ever walked through this scene who never had one selfish thought but who found all His joy in doing the will of the Father, was our blessed, adorable Lord. We may well Behold the Lamb of God in this sense. If, at times, we are tempted to justify things in ourselves that are contrary to the mind of God, we need only to gaze, by faith, upon the Lamb of God as He was down here, and behold His unselfish walk, in order to realize at once how far short we come of that perfection which was manifest in Him. The result will be that we will seek to become increasingly like Him. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
As we read this word, as we see the holy Savior moving undefiled through the vile scenes that are depicted for us by the Holy Spirit, as we see how gentle, careful, and considerate of others He was, surely it should rebuke our own wickedness and selfishness and lead us to confess our own failures in the presence of God and to desire to become more like Him. Behold the Lamb of God! Contemplate His lovely ways and dwell upon His subject spirit. We are told that when John uttered this exclamation, Behold the Lamb of God, it so appealed to two of the disciples who were standing with him that the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus (v. 37). After all, this was the real object of Johns ministry. He did not come to occupy people with himself or with his service, but he came as the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He said, He must increase, but I must decrease (3:30). This is He, who, coming after me, is preferred before me. So you can well understand how Johns heart thrilled with gladness when they went after Jesus. This was the very purpose for which he came baptizing with water. This should be the purpose of every servant of Christ. He should ever point others to this Lamb of God-the Lamb of God, the Sin-bearer; the Lamb of God, the perfect example.
The two disciples heard John speak and they went after Jesus. Of these, we read, one was Andrew, Simon Peters brother. The other one keeps his own name hidden all through this gospel, but he was the disciple who leaned on Jesus breast, the disciple whom Jesus loved, that is, of course, the apostle John. So these two, Andrew and John, followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? (v. 38a). I think the Lord Jesus might well address that question to many today who presumably seek His face. Many people come to Jesus, I think, because they hope to be benefited by Him. Some come hoping for physical relief. What do you have in mind when you come to Him? What seek ye? What would you have Jesus do for you?
I am often grieved when I invite people who want to know Christ as their Savior to come to our prayer room that our friends there may pray with them and make clear the way of life, and some come ostensibly because they are exercised and anxious to know the Lord. But it is soon evident they are far more concerned about temporal need than about their spiritual condition. I would rather have a man come to me and say honestly, I am not concerned about my soul, but I am greatly concerned about my body. I need a place to sleep, or I need food. I am glad to do what I can for a man who comes to me like that. But it really hurts to have people come professing an interest in spiritual things when they are only concerned about temporal relief.
Well, Jesus turned to these men and said, Why seek ye Me? and they seem just a bit embarrassed. They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? (v. 38b), as much as to say, We would like to go with You to Your home. Where did He really dwell? He had no home here on earth. He could say, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head (Mat 8:20). He was a homeless wanderer as He began His ministry, after leaving the carpenters shop in Nazareth. But He had a home in the bosom of the Father, for we read, No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him (Joh 1:18). That was where Jesus dwelt. He dwelt in the Fathers love and that place He never left. He was always the object of the Fathers delight and always enjoyed the fellowship of the Father except when, upon the cross, Gods face was hidden from Him when He became the substitute for our sins. Then He cried in the anguish of His soul, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mat 27:46; Mar 15:34). Yet He was never dearer to the Fathers heart than in those dark hours when He was made sin for us.
But here He did have a temporary abiding place. Just where it was we are not told, but He said to them, Come and see. So they went with Him and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour (v. 39) .That would be about four oclock in the afternoon, and oh, what a sacred time that must have been! Doubtless they plied Him with questions, and He probably answered them and gave them the revelation of His love and grace, and from that time on they were never the same. They were never able to settle down to the earth or give themselves entirely to earthly occupations. Their hearts were won for Himself, and they longed to share this blessing with others.
Has He won your heart? Do you really know Him as the sent One of the Father? Has His love and His grace and His holiness been so revealed to your soul that He has won your affection for Himself? Then surely you want others to know Him. I think this is one of the surest proofs of a genuine conversion. One of the first evidences that people really know Christ is that they turn to others and say, Come, I want you to know Him as I know Him. The rest of this chapter is devoted to service in seeking to win others to Christ.
One of the two was Andrew. He first findeth his own brother Simon (v. 41a). It might seem, simply, that the first thing Andrew did was to find his brother. But, we are told by scholars, that what is really implied here is that John went off to find his brother James, but Andrew was the first one to find his brother. It is characteristic of the apostle John to hide himself. Two of the New Testament writers, John and Luke, two very self-effacing men, never mention themselves, and yet they have quite a close connection with Jesus. They are always hiding themselves. The Lord, however, would have us know that, having come in vital contact with Christ for themselves, John at once thought of his brother, and Andrew thought of his brother. Have you a brother still out of Christ? Are you saved yourself? Is there a brother, a sister, a friend, who does not yet know the Savior? Have you tried to find them? Perhaps you wrote a letter. Perhaps you could only send some gospel tracts. Perhaps you could only have a word with them, but you have been concerned about them. Have you not? I cannot understand how you could really know and love Christ yourself and be indifferent to the claims of those who are still strangers to Him. Let us seek to emulate these men.
Andrew was the first to find his own brother Simon. They had both been listening to John. In the first chapter of Acts, Peter speaks of those who were with them beginning from the baptism of John (v. 22). Thus they were prepared to receive the Messiah when He was manifested. So Andrew hurried off to find Peter and said, We have found the [Messiah], which is, being interpreted, the Christ (v. 41b). Then in the verse that follows we read, He brought him to Jesus (v. 42a). Did you ever do that for anyone? Notice that he did not go out to argue with his brother, but he simply went and told him of the One who satisfies the heart. He probably told Simon of his own experience and then said, Now, Simon, I want you to know Him, too. Wont you come to Him? Oh, there is many a longing heart you might lead to Christ. Too many of us are content to leave this to the preacher, or perhaps to those who teach in the Sunday school or in some other public place. But every believer is called to be a representative of Christ, to go to men and women with this message, We have found Jesus, the Savior of sinners, who meets every need of the lost and the undone.
When Jesus saw Peter coming, He turned to him and said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone (v. 42b). Jesus loved to give men new names. He does it still. Whenever you put your trust in Him, He gives you a new name. Now, Peter, you are going to be a rocklike man, and you are going to stand firmly for the truth in later days. Your name is Cephas. Your name is a stone. You remember how in Matthew 16 we read this: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (v. 18). And in his own first epistle, Peter speaks of all believers as living stones built upon the rock foundation, Christ. Oh, are you afraid to confess Christ, afraid to trust Him lest you should not be able to stand? Come to Him! Acquaint yourself with Him, and He will make you a rocklike man or woman. But, you tell me, Peter himself failed. Yes, at one time he was a pretty shaky sort of a rock. Was he not? But after he received the Holy Spirit it was different. Oh, how Peter stood for Christ in those early days of the church, and after years of testimony and suffering Peter sealed his testimony with his blood. He became truly the rocklike man as Jesus, by giving him this name, indicated he would.
We have not only Andrew and John going after their brothers, but we find Jesus calling another man. The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter (vv. 43-44). We do not hear of any great profession he made, but he heard the words, Follow me. At once we find him going after a friend. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him (v. 45a). He did not preach a long sermon. He said, We have found Him, Nathanael. We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph (v. 45b).
You say, Why does he call Him the son of Joseph? He was actually the Son of God. But Joseph, you see, by marrying Mary had become the legal father of Jesus, and it is this that Philip recognizes. He says, as it were, Why He has been among us all these years, and we did not realize that that carpenter in the shop at Nazareth was the Messiah. Philip says, I want you to know Him too, Nathanael. And Nathanael said to him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? (v. 46). Can any good thing come out of that city? If the Nazareth of today with its filthy streets resembles the Nazareth of old, it is no wonder that Nathanael asked that. It was the time for Philip to begin an argument, but he was too wise to do that. He simply said to him, Come and see. If you only get to know Him as I know Him, you will be convinced.
And this is my message to you unsaved ones. I think of some of you, torn by doubt, anxious, and perplexed. You say, Can it be possible that Jesus is really the blessed Son of God, the Savior of sinners? I say to you earnestly, Come and see. Come to His feet. Let Him speak to you words of peace and pardon. Wont you come? He says, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Mat 11:28). Come and see.
Nathanael decided to go. Jesus saw him coming-no one ever came toward Him but that He saw him coming; He sees you today if you are moving toward Him-and Jesus said, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! (v. 47). He was saying, I know that he is genuine, that he rings true. Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Nathanael catches the word and says, Whence knowest thou me? (v. 48a). Jesus said, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee (v. 48b). What did He mean? Why, I suppose that Nathanael had a fig tree in his garden behind the wall. Possibly he was under that fig tree studying the Word of God or praying for light, and Jesus saw him there long before Philip called Him. Wherever you are today, friend, Jesus sees you, and if your heart yearns for light and peace, He waits to give them. Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree. This so stirred the heart of Nathanael that he said, This must be Him. He cried out at once, I believe that thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel (v. 49). You see, Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, and so in faith Nathanael was added to the little company.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? (v. 50). When you did not think I could see you I knew-does that make it clear to you that I am more than man? Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man (v. 51). He was speaking of His second coming in power and glory. The mind of Nathanael went back to the book of Genesis when Jacob lay down to sleep in Bethel, and there saw in his dream a ladder (an ascent, really) reaching up to heaven, and the angels going up and down. Jesus practically says to Nathanael, I am the One by whom man ascends from earth to heaven, and some day when I come again in power and glory I will come accompanied by the angels of God. He is Himself the connecting link between earth and heaven, soon to be manifested in power and glory!
Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets
and two: Joh 3:25, Joh 3:26, Mal 3:16
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
A REPEATED EFFORT
Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as He walked he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Joh 1:35-37
But yesterday the Baptist stood to bear that testimony which contained the whole Gospel for all ages, Behold the Lamb of God, Which taketh away the sin of the world. And the Evangelist records no response, none of those eager throngs which wait upon modern revivals, of souls touched, if it be but for the moment, in sudden conviction of generous enthusiasm. His testimony, as we say, fell flat; but the next day he renews it, and, as we are told, no less a person than St. Andrew was the result of the repeated effort. We clergy, to whom God intrusts His message, that we may proclaim it, are peculiarly liable to be disheartened. But this is a difficulty not peculiar to clergy, or to leaders of movements, or to prophets who can see over the heads of their fellow-men. The frequent call in the Gospel to perseverance, the insistence on importunity even, in dealing with God, the frequent appeals to endure, to wait patiently, to look to the end, all show that it is in human nature to be easily disheartened and to give in, and to mistake the want of immediate success for the failure which waits on a bad cause. Is it too much to build up such an inference on the silence of the Evangelist?
I. It is a temptation which has been and is incident to the human race to doubt the efficacy of Gods message in the face of failure. Look at this tendency all down the ages. Gods message is too strict; we must relax it. Gods message is too lax; we must tighten it. The Christian must be strengthened and the basis of Christianity be widened by an admixture of the worlds spirit; and quickly the fabric begins to totter, and the desert is filled with solitaries escaping from the fallen house. The Church is not strict enough, the message is too lax, the tares must be rooted out from the wheat, the Church of Christ must gather in her net only good fish, the wedding invitation must on no account be extended to bad as well as good, and Donatism troubles the Church. Now it is the Renaissance, now it is the Reformation, now it is the revival in modern days of new forms of earnestness; and then the tendency to discard the old and try the new is irresistible. Men have not faith to proclaim once more the old message, to make a repeated effort, and the message of God is lost, His testimony is silenced, because men have attributed it to the failure of human imperfection or the weakness which belongs to its faithless proclamation by unworthy prophets. We do need more and more to feel that the Word of God has not lost its virtue, that the old proclamation of the Gospel has still power to win many a St. Andrew, to attract what is best in the generous minds and aspirations around us.
II. Surely John would call to us all to make a repeated effort, and I would venture to emphasise this fact, that it will be found necessary again and again thus to repeat it. We do not start on a fated course, impelled by heredity and shaped by environment. The very Sacraments themselves, as we know full well, are no charm which acts with mechanical accuracy. Holy Baptism merely puts us into a state of salvation, that is, a state in which we may be saved with perseverance and effort. Again and again the appeal is made to us to work together with God in working out our own salvation. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he keep what he has received. We may never look forward to a time when we can dispense with all this machinery of spiritual help, from a height of unruffled calm, where effort is neither necessary nor desirable.
Rev. Canon Newbolt.
Illustrations
(1) It is only by effort, and by repeated effort, that we are going to emerge from the difficulties which beset us. You may have noticed the strange appeal that is made to us by the Church every time we approach the altar: Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins and intend to lead a new life. Day by day this is said to us that there should be the constant determination to lead a new life. And it is only those who are in earnest who will be able to justify this language, for they know how it is only by the great rush of grace within, surging and bursting up, the stronger and the fuller for the obstacles which it encounters, that we are able to meet the new difficulties of a new day with the new grace of a renewed strength.
(2) The Baptist was not afraid to repeat himself, and the Bible is not afraid to repeat itself. People to-day commend original preachers, the men who never repeat themselves; but I do not see why a preacher should not repeat the truths of God. It is not the first blow that causes the tree to fall, but the last. Thousands of blows may have intervened, and every one of them was necessary. When a great truth takes possession of a mans mind he is bound to repeat himself. The story of the Gospel of Christ never gets old, and great truths may be repeated.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Peter-The Fisher of Men
Joh 1:35-42
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
We come to the study of one of the outstanding Apostles of the Cross. Whatever you may think of Peter, and his failures, you must grant that he was an energetic, whole-souled, and sacrificial servant of the Lord.
1. Let us observe how Peter was wooed and won for Christ.
(1) The testimony of John the Baptist, and its results. John looking upon Jesus, as He walked, said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Two of John’s disciples heard John as he spoke. We never know the far-reaching effects of any vital testimony which we give to Jesus Christ. John had borne a faithful testimony, and John’s disciples had. profited thereby. As the two disciples, one of whom was Andrew, heard John speaking of Jesus, they followed after Him.
(2) The query of Christ. Jesus, seeing them following, turned, and said unto them, “What seek ye?” They answered, saying, “Rabbi, * * where dwellest Thou?” The Lord Jesus read the inner yearnings of their heart, and He said unto them, “Come and see.” Thus it turned out that the two went with Christ that day, and abode with Him.
(3) Andrew seeking Peter. One of the first quests of a genuinely born-again soul is his desire to bring his friends to Jesus. This was true with Andrew. “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, “We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.” Thus Andrew brought Peter to the Lord Jesus.
If we cannot do much ourselves in the way of public service, we may in the quieter walks of life, be able to point some one to the Lord who will prove a valiant soldier of the Cross.
2. How Christ accosted Peter. As soon as Jesus beheld Peter, He said unto him, “Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”
(1) Christ’s Divine perception. Christ said, “Thou art Simon.” The Lord knew everything about Simon Peter the moment that he stood before Him, He knew his vacillating disposition; He knew, as well, his stalwart and strong characteristics; He knew also that Peter was impetuous and hasty. None of this, however, caused the Lord to hesitate as He spoke to Peter.
(2) The Divine forecast. The Lord Jesus said, “Thou art.” He also said, “Thou shalt be.” “Thou art,” was a record of Simon in his self-life. “Thou shalt be,” was a record of Simon after grace had completed its work in his life. The Lord took Peter for better, not for worse. He knew that ultimately Simon would become Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
I. PETER’S CALL TO THE APOSTLESHIP (Mat 4:18-20)
1. Fishing for fish. As Jesus walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon Peter and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea. The Lord, no doubt, saw in a moment that they knew how to catch fish. Immediately, however, He called unto them saying, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
From fishing fish to fishing men was a great stride for these sons of the net. They might have pled their inadaptibility to the discipleship, they might have clung to their nets-but they didn’t. Without any hesitancy, and with immediate response to the call of Christ, they left the ship, and left their father, and followed the Lord. How many are there among us today who will do as they did?
2. Fishing for men. Peter had known some marvelous catches of fish, but he afterward knew many more marvelous catches of men. He who had been a good fisherman for fish, became a better fisherman for men.
We have heard many addresses on how to catch men; we have read numerous books and booklets on the art of soul-winning; we believe, however, that Christ gave the one supreme requirement for fishing men successfully, when He said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
There is more than a human preparation for soul-winning. There is a supreme Divine preparation. The Lord said, “I will make you fishers.” Those whom He makes fishers, are those who follow Him; but, even followers of Christ are not, naturally, successful fishermen. We need to be made fishers, by the Divine anointing of the Holy One. Christ fulfilled this pledge to Peter particularly on the day of Pentecost, when Peter was filled with the Spirit.
II. LAUNCHING OUT INTO THE DEEP (Luk 5:4)
The disciples had not yet wholly ceased their fishing. It came to pass as the people pressed upon Christ to hear the Word of God that He entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s and He prayed him to thrust out a little from the land. There Christ sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. After He had finished speaking, He said unto Simon,-“Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.”
There are several lessons before us.
1. We must launch out into the deep of men’s needs, and of God’s promises if we would catch men. Fish are in the sea, not on the land. Men also are out in the great sea of life. We dare not shut ourselves up in some cloister, if we would catch men. We must go out where the men are.
2. We must launch out into the deep under the Master’s command. Simon quickly said to Christ, “Master, we have toiled all night, and have taken nothing; nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net.”
The soul-winner cannot, under any conditions, separate himself from the Saviour. We may toil in the night in our strength, and catch nothing, and then again, we may toil in the daytime, when fishing is usually unproductive, and catch fish, if we have the Saviour’s blessing. Whether this, or that, we must always stand ready to hear the Master’s voice, and to do His will.
3. They enclosed a great multitude of fishes. This is what we would all like to do. There is no joy in fishing for men, week in and week out, with no men being caught for God. There is joy when souls are saved, and the results pile up.
When Peter saw what had happened, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord”!
III. PETER AND HIS GREAT CONFESSION (Mat 16:16)
1. The query of the Lord. Christ asked the disciples, saying, “Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?” They said, “Some say that Thou art John the Baptist. Some Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the Prophets.” This response did not satisfy the Lord. Therefore He asked, “But whom say ye that I am?” Let us remember that we dare not place Christ on a par with any other man. John the Baptist was the greatest man born of woman, and yet he, himself, admitted that he was not worthy to unloose the sandals from the feet of Christ.
2. Peter’s response. Brushing aside what some had said concerning Christ, Peter bravely answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” This confession of Peter brought a twofold statement from Christ:
(1) Christ said, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona.” Then Christ continued, “Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in Heaven.” Peter, therefore, had been Divinely taught.
(2) Christ said, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church.” The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is builded, therefore, upon the great underlying testimony of Peter’s confession, which involved the Deity of Christ.
3. Peter’s great error. From the time of Peter’s confession that Jesus was the “Christ, the Son of the Living God,” the Lord began to show unto His disciples how He must suffer, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Peter rebuked the Lord, saying, “Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee.” The Lord immediately said to Peter, “Get thee behind Me, Satan.” He who had made a good confession, utterly failed to recognize that Christ, the Son of God was the destined Saviour of men, by means of His death, burial and resurrection. It is not the Deity of Christ that saves us, but it is the death of the One who was God.
IV. PETER UPON THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION (Mat 17:1-2)
It was soon after Peter’s great confession that the Lord took Peter, James and John up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them.
1. Peter held a place of privilege in the Master’s ministry. On various occasions he, along with James and John, was chosen to occupy a special nearness with the Lord.
2. Peter profited by his vision of the Lord. The full force of the transfiguration did not immediately dawn upon Peter. It was in after years, when, under the Spirit he was writing his Second Epistle, that Peter explained how the transfiguration of Christ, which he saw in the most excellent glory upon the Holy mount, was the foreshadowing of the majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His Second Coming.
V. SATAN’S DESIRE FOR PETER (Luk 22:31)
We may well understand why Satan should have singled out Simon Peter from among the Twelve, and why he should have particularly desired to have him for his sifting.
1. Satan recognized Peter’s ability and power. Satan knew that this stalwart son of grace was a tremendous asset to the work and ministry of the Lord: and that Peter, being impulsive, and rather dogmatic in disposition, might fall an easy prey to his wiles.
The story of Peter’s denial, and of Satan’s sifting, is told step by step in the fourteenth chapter of Mark. The finality was that, as Peter sat warming himself at the fire on the night of Christ’s betrayal, he twice denied his Lord before a maid, and the third time he denied Him with an oath, saying, “I know not this Man of whom ye speak.”
2. The Saviour stood by Peter in the hour of Peter’s defection. Christ had said to Peter, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” It is most interesting to follow the fruition of the loving prayer and tender care which the Lord exercised toward Peter.
After Peter had thrice denied the Lord, the Lord turned and looked at Peter. That look, so filled with compassion and heartfelt pity, caused Peter to weep over his hasty words.
From the Cross the Lord did not say anything to Peter. However, when the resurrection morn had come, an angel spoke unto Mary, he said, “Go * * tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee.” These words must have tremendously stirred the Apostle, who, perhaps, felt that he had been disowned by his Lord.
Afterward, Christ appeared to Peter, and then later on, following the miraculous draft of fishes, He restored unto Peter his work, saying, “Feed My lambs, * * feed My sheep.”
VI. PETER AND PENTECOST (Act 2:14)
1. Peter, Spirit-filled, proclaimed a marvelous message of truth. We haven’t time to discover the wonderful Scriptural statements which Peter set forth in his Pentecostal sermon. Suffice it to say that he proclaimed Christ crucified, Christ risen and seated at the Father’s right hand, and Christ the King, who under the oath of God, was destined to sit upon David’s throne,
2. Peter’s fearless declaration. The man who had quailed before a maid, stood before the masters of Israel and charged them with the death of Christ, saying, “Jesus of Nazareth * * ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.”
Nor did Peter ever retrench his faithful and fearless fidelity to his Lord. Beaten and bruised by the leaders, and commanded to speak no more in Christ’s Name, Peter solemnly declared,-“We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” No persecution, no threats, ever caused Peter to hesitate, for, continually with great power, he gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Peter, the fisher of men. Our mind goes back to the day when, by the shores of Galilee, the Lord said unto Peter, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
On the day of Pentecost the people, pricked in their hearts, said unto Peter and to the others, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter told them to repent and be baptized; and with many other words did he testify and exhort. That day there were added about three thousand souls. These gladly received his word, and were baptized. Truly, Peter had become a fisher of men.
VII. THE DEATH BY WHICH PETER GLORIFIED GOD (Joh 21:18-19)
1. A reminder of Peter’s early impetuosity and self-will. In Joh 21:18-19 we have, in a nutshell, a review of Peter’s early days. He had paddled his own canoe. His own will had been his law. He had charted his own journey, and piloted his own ship.
The true believer must come out of this spirit of self, and yield himself wholly to know the will, and to walk in the way of his Lord.
2. A prophecy of Peter’s future ministry and death. The Lord was not slow to tell Peter that when he was old, after a fitful experience of strenuous service, and toilsome tasks, that other hands would gird him, and that other shoulders would carry him whither his natural flesh would not choose to go. In all of this Christ was speaking of the death by which Peter should not only die, but by which he should glorify God.
3. A call to Peter’s obedience. After Christ had spoken of Peter’s death, He said, “Follow Me.” Peter did not hesitate at the darksome picture that lay before him, but, seeing John standing by, he said to Jesus, “Lord, and what shall this man do?” Jesus said unto him, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou Me.”
AN ILLUSTRATION
“‘The Lord diggeth deep when He meaneth to raise the building high; and when He would give men to know much of Christ, He first bringeth them out of themselves by godly sorrow.’ We see many to be but low and mean in point of grace, not rising like towers towards Heaven, but lying low upon the earth: these have never been digged out by a deep sense of sin, nor excavated by profound soul-trouble, and hence it would not be safe to build high with so shallow a foundation. If we could read the secret history of dwarfed Christians we should find that they never had much humbling of heart. They tell us there is as much of a tree under as above ground, and certainly it is so with a believer, his visible life would soon wither were it not for his secret life, and his high enjoyments would fall over to his ruin were they not balanced by his inward humiliations. There must be deep foundations if we are to have high walls; we must be emptied of self, and everything of human strength, or we shall never be filled with the love of God.
“O my heart, be ready to be trenched deep if this be the necessary preparation for being built up aloft. Welcome pain and down-casting if edification is to follow.”
Fuente: Neighbour’s Wells of Living Water
5
This was the next day after the presentation in verse 29.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
THESE verses ought always to be interesting to every true Christian. They describe the first beginnings of the Christian Church. Vast as that church is now, there was a time when it consisted of only two weak members. The calling of those two members is described in the passage which is now before our eyes.
We see, for one thing, in these verses, what good is done by continually testifying of Christ.
The first time that John the Baptist cried, “Behold the Lamb of God,” no result appears to have followed. We are not told of any who heard, inquired, and believed. But when he repeated the same words the next day, we read that two of his disciples “heard him speak and followed Jesus.” They were received most graciously by Him whom they followed. “They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day.” Truly it was a day in their lives most eventful, and most blessed! From that day they became fast and firm disciples of the new-found Messiah. They took up the cross. They continued with Him in His temptations. They followed Him whithersoever He went. One of them at least, if not both, became a chosen apostle, and a master builder in the Christian temple. And all was owing to John the Baptist’s testimony, “Behold the lamb of God.” That testimony was a little seed. But it bore mighty fruits.
This simple story is a pattern of the way in which good has been done to souls in every age of the Christian Church. By such testimony as that before us, and by none else, men and women are converted and saved. It is by exalting Christ, not the church,-Christ, not the sacraments,-Christ, not the ministry,-it is by this means that hearts are moved, and sinners are turned to God. To the world such testimony may seem weakness and foolishness. Yet, like the ram’s horns, before whose blast the walls of Jericho fell down, this testimony is mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. The story of the crucified Lamb of God has proved in every age, the power of God unto salvation. Those who have done most for Christ’s cause in every part of the world, have been men like John the Baptist. They have not cried, Behold me, or Behold the church, or Behold the ordinances, but “Behold the Lamb.” If souls are to be saved, men must be pointed directly to Christ.
One thing, however, must never be forgotten. There must be patient continuance in preaching and teaching the truth, if we want good to be done. Christ must be set forth again and again, as the “Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” The story of grace must be told repeatedly,-line upon line, and precept upon precept. It is the constant dropping which wears away the stone. The promise shall never be broken, that “God’s word shall not return unto him void.” (Isa 55:11.) But it is nowhere said that it shall do good the very first time that it is preached. It was not the first proclamation of John the Baptist, but the second, which made Andrew and his companion follow Jesus.
We see, for another thing, what good a believer may do to others, by speaking to them about Christ.
No sooner does Andrew become a disciple, than he tells his brother Simon what a discovery he has made. Like one who has unexpectedly heard good tidings, he hastens to impart it to the one nearest and dearest to him. He says to his brother, “We have found the Messias,” and he “brings him to Jesus.” Who can tell what might have happened if Andrew had been of a silent, reserved, and uncommunicative spirit, like many a Christian in the present day? Who can tell but his brother might have lived and died a fisherman on the Galilean lake? But happily for Simon, Andrew was not a man of this sort. He was one whose heart was so full that he must speak. And to Andrew’s out-spoken testimony, under God, the great apostle Peter owed the first beginning of light in his soul.
The fact before us is most striking and instructive. Out of the three first members of the Christian Church, one at least was brought to Jesus, by the private, quiet word of a relative. He seems to have heard no public preaching. He saw no mighty miracle wrought. He was not convinced by any powerful reasoning. He only heard his brother telling him that he had found a Savior himself, and at once the work began in his soul. The simple testimony of a warm-hearted brother was the first link in the chain by which Peter was drawn out of the world, and joined to Christ. The first blow in that mighty work by which Peter was made a pillar of the Church, was struck by Andrew’s words, “We have found the Christ.”
Well would it be for the Church of Christ, if all believers were more like Andrew! Well would it be for souls if all men and women who have been converted themselves, would speak to their friends and relatives on spiritual subjects, and tell them what they have found! How much good might be done! How many might be led to Jesus, who now live and die in unbelief! The work of testifying the Gospel of the grace of God ought not to be left to ministers alone. All who have received mercy ought to find a tongue, and to declare what God has done for their souls. All who have been delivered from the power of the devil, ought to “go home and tell their friends what great things God has done for them.” (Mar 5:19.) Thousands, humanly speaking, would listen to a word from a friend, who will not listen to a sermon. Every believer ought to be a home-missionary, a missionary to his family, children, servants, neighbors, and friends. Surely, if we can find nothing to say to others about Jesus, we may well doubt whether we are savingly acquainted with Him ourselves.
Let us take heed that we are among those who really follow Christ, and abide with Him. It is not enough to hear Him preached from the pulpit, and to read of Him as described in books. We must actually follow Him, pour out our hearts before Him, and hold personal communion with Him. Then, and not till then, we shall feel constrained to speak of Him to others. The man who only knows Christ by the hearing of the ear, will never do much for the spread of Christ’s cause in the earth.
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Notes-
v35.-[The next day.] Let John’s particularity in noting days at this period of our Lord’s history, be observed again in this verse. If, as many suppose, John was one of the two who this day followed Jesus and became His disciples, we can well understand that it was a memorable day to him.
[John stood.] This expression seems to imply that there was some particular spot near Bethabara, where John the Baptist was in the habit of standing, to preach, and to receive those who came to be baptized. While he “stood” here, the event which follows took place.
v36.-[Looking….Jesus, as he walked.] This probably means that he saw Jesus walking among the crowd of persons who were attracted to Bethabara, alone, without followers, and as yet not recognized by any one as the Messiah.
Stier remarks, “John saw Jesus walking, in silent meditation, waiting for His hour, and His Father’s commands; in full preparation for the world and its sin: equipped for the testimony to the truth, with that armour, which has been tested and approved in His first great spiritual conflict; and for the utterance of the new words of God, which the Father has given Him.”
[He saith, behold, &c.] This seems to have been a second public proclamation of our Lord’s office and character, a partial repetition of what had been said the day before; and yet, as the event shows, a more effective proclamation. The same truth may do good the second time that it is preached, which does nothing the first time.
v37.-[Heard….speak….followed.] The three steps described in this verse, are very noteworthy. John the Baptist “speaks.” The disciples “hear.” After hearing they ”follow Jesus.” This is a succinct summary of God’s way of saving myriads of souls.
Rollock on this verse remarks, “We learn by this example, how powerful is the preaching of Christ,-yea, one or two words about Christ and the cross, how powerful are they in changing the hearts of men! Preach, if you like, about the great deeds of kings and generals, and their courage and glory;-these things will please men for a little time, but they will not convert them. But preach concerning Him that was crucified, a subject apparently ignominious and foolish,-and then the story of the cross, which is foolishness to them that perish, will be the power and wisdom of God to them that believe.”
v38.-[What seek ye?] We cannot doubt that our Lord knew perfectly well the hearts and motives of these two disciples. In asking this question, therefore, He spoke partly for their encouragement, and partly to stir them up to self-inquiry. “What seek ye? Is there anything that I can do for you, any truth that I can teach you, any burden that I can take away? If so, speak, and be not afraid.”-“What seek ye? Are you sure that you are following me with right motives? Are you sure that you are not regarding me as a temporal ruler? Are you sure that you are not, like other Jews, seeking riches, honour, greatness, in this world? Prove your own selves, and be sure that you are seeking the right object.”
[Which is to say, being interpreted.] This is one of a class of expressions which shows that John wrote for Gentile readers rather than Jews. A Jew would not have needed this parenthetical comment. This same remark applies to Joh 1:41.
[Where dwellest thou?] This question seems to imply a desire for conversation and private communion. “We would fain know more of Thee. We are drawn to Thee by John the Baptist’s proclamation. We would like to go aside with Thee from the crowd, and inquire of Thee more privately and quietly, at thy dwelling, nbout the things which are upon our hearts.”
To apply the text, as many do, to our Lord’s spiritual dwelling in “contrite hearts,” &c., (Isa 57:15,) may produce good doctrinal and practical theology. But it is not the point of the text.
v39.-[Come and see.] The great affability, and condescension of these first words of our Lord’s after His public appearance as Messiah, ought not to be overlooked. The very first thing that we hear Him saying, after He has been publicly proclaimed as the “Lamb of God,” is “Come and see.” It is a pleasant type of what He has been ever saying to the sons of men from that day down to this, “Come and see who I am, and what I am. Come and be acquainted with me.”
Schottgen and Lightfoot both remark, that the expression “Come and see,” is a very common one in Rabbinical writings, and would be very familiar to the Jews.
[Where he dwelt.] We can only suppose that the place where our Lord was dwelling at this time, was some temporary residence in or near Bethabara. At the best, it was probably some humble lodging. It is not impossible that It was nothing more than a cave. He often “had not where to lay His head.” If the two disciples had the least relic of Jewish expectation, that Messiah would appear in royal dignity and glory, our Lord’s dwelling would go far to disabuse their minds of the idea.
[Abode with Him that day…tenth hour.] The Jewish day began; at six o’clock in the morning. The tenth hour therefore means, four o’clock in the afternoon. At this late hour of the day, His disciples found it impossible to conclude their conversation with Jesus, and therefore remained in the same lodging with Him all night.
Many commentators, from Augustine downwards, make the natural remark, that this evening must have been a blessed evening for these two disciples; and that it would have been pleasant if the conversation had been given to us! Yet if it had been good for us to know the conversation, it would doubtless have been recorded. There are no deficiencies in Scripture.
v40.-[One of the two….was Andrew.] The priority of Andrew to Peter ought not to be overlooked. Peter, to whom the Church of Rome boastfully attributes a primacy among the apostles, was neither converted nor made acquainted with Christ, so soon as his brother.
Who the other of these two disciples was, we are not told. It is highly probable, as Chrysostom and Theophylact conjecture, that it was John himself. On seven other occasions in this Gospel he humbly withholds his name. (Joh 13:23; Joh 19:26; Joh 19:35; Joh 20:2; Joh 21:7; Joh 21:20; Joh 21:24.) It is therefore very likely that he withheld it here.-The supposition of Musculus, and others, that the other disciple was a person of less zeal and sincerity than Andrew, and is therefore not named, appears to me improbable.
v41.-[He first.] This expression must either mean that Andrew was the first of the two disciples who brought a brother to Jesus,-or that he was the first disciple, speaking generally, who spoke to others of the Messiah, when he had found Him,-or that he was the first to tell his brother Peter, and Peter was not the first to tell him about Christ.
[We have found.] This expression implies an unexpected and joyful discovery. The evening’s conversation which Andrew had held with Jesus, had convinced him that He was indeed the Christ.
[The Messias….interpreted…Christ.] It is almost needless to remark, that these names mean the “anointed one.” The first is Hebrew, and the second is Greek. Kings, prophets, and priests, in the Old Testament, were anointed, and our Lord as the Prophet, Priest, and King of the Church was called the Anointed One, not because He was really anointed with oil, but because he was “anointed with the Holy Ghost.” (Act 10:38.)
The extent of Andrew’s religious knowledge ought not to be overlooked. Poor and humble in station as he was, he seems, like all the Jews, to have known what the Old Testament prophets had foretold about Messiah, and to have been prepared to hear of a person appearing in the character of Messiah. It is one of many expressions in the Gospels which show that the lower orders among the Jews were far better acquainted with the letter of the Old Testament Scriptures, than the poor in our own day generally are with the letter of the New Testament, or indeed of any part of the Bible.
Calvin remarks on Andrew’s conduct, “Woe to our indolence, if we do not, after having been fully enlightened, endeavour to make others partakers of the same grace.”
v42.-[When Jesus beheld….said….thou art Simon.] Our Lord here displayed His perfect knowledge of all persons, names, and things. He needed not that any should tell Him who and what a person was. This knowledge was supposed by the Jews to be a peculiar attribute of Messiah, whenever He came. He was to be one of “quick understanding.” (Isa 11:3.) Enough for us to know that it is a peculiar attribute of God. He alone knows the hearts of men. Our Lord’s perfect knowledge of all hearts was one among many proofs of His divinity. The same knowledge appears again in His address to Nathanael, in this chapter, Joh 1:47, and in His conversation with the Samaritan woman. (Joh 4:18, etc.)-The effect produced in both cases, is very worthy of notice.
[Cephas.] This is a Syriac word, and is equivalent to the Greek word Petros, which we render Peter. Both mean a stone, a portion of a rock. “Petra” means a rock, “Petros” a piece of a rock. Peter was the latter, but not the former.
[A stone.] The marginal reading here, as Lightfoot remarks, would have been much better than that which the translators have put in our version. If the words were “Cephas, which is by interpretation Peter,” it would have conveyed our Lord’s meaning far more clearly.
The custom of having two names appears to have been common in New Testament times. The apostle Peter seems to have been only known as “Cephas” in the Corinthian Church. Out of the five other places in the New Testament where the name Cephas is found, four are in the epistle to the Corinthians, while the name Peter is not used in that epistle at all.
Nifanius gives the names of three Popes who have so grossly mistaken the origin of the word Cephas as to suppose that it is derived from the Greek word which signifies “a head,” and that it indicated Peter’s headship in the Church! Such a palpable blunder is one of a thousand proofs that Popes are no more infallible than other men. Calovius makes the same charge against no less a person than Cardinal Bellarmine.
If it be asked why our Lord gave Simon this new name, the best answer appears to be that it was given with a special reference to the change which grace was to work in Simon’s heart. Naturally impulsive, unstable, and unsteady, he was finally to become a firm, solid stone in the Church of Christ, and to testify his unshaken adherence to Christ by suffering martyrdom.
Chrysostom thinks that our Lord altered Simon’s name “to show that it was He who gave the old covenant, that it was He who called Abram Abraham, and Sarai Sarah, and Jacob Israel.”
Lightfoot, on these verses, after noticing the error which Roman Catholic writers attempt to found upon it, about Peter being the rock upon which the Church is built, makes the following curious observation,-“If they will so pertinaciously adhere to it, let us apprehend our Lord speaking prophetically, and foretelling the grand error that would spring up in the Church, namely that Peter is a rock, than which the Christian Church has known nothing more sad and destructive.”
Let it be noted, in leaving this passage, that the selection of such humble unlearned men as those here described, to be the first apostles and preachers of the Gospel, is a strong evidence of the truth of Christianity. A religion which was propagated by such weak instruments, in the face of persecution and opposition from the great and learned, must be a religion from God. Such results from such instrumentality cannot possibly be accounted for on natural principles.
Fuente: Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels
Joh 1:35. And I knew him not. The first clause of this verse, like that of Joh 1:31, is attended with peculiar difficulty, for it is hardly possible to imagine that, intimately connected as the families of Jesus and of the Baptist were, the former should have been for thirty years personally unknown to the latter. Moreover, Mat 3:14 seems distinctly to imply not only that such personal acquaintanceship existed before the baptism, but that the Baptist even then knew Jesus as greater than himself. Here, however, he says that until after the descent of the Spirit he knew Him not. Without noticing the other explanations which have been given, we may observe that the solution of the difficulty is to be found in keeping distinctly before us the official and not personal light in which both Jesus and the Baptist are presented to us here. No denial of personal knowledge of Jesus has any bearing upon the point which the Baptist would establish. He is himself an official messenger of God, intrusted with a commission which he is to continue to discharge until such time as he is superseded by the actual arrival of Him whose way he prepares. But this latter is also the Sent of God, and has particular credentials to produce. Until these are produced, the herald of His approach cannot know Him in the only character in which he has to do with Him. No private acquaintanceship with Himand, we may even say, no private convictions as to His Messianic characterwill justify that recognition of Him before which alone the herald may give way. The great King from whom the herald and the Ambassador are alike sent has named a particular sign which shall attest the position of the latter, and close the labours of the former. That sign must be exhibited before the herald of the Ambassador’s approach will be warranted to withdraw. Until then the one knows not the other.
But he that sent me to baptize in water, he said unto me. Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Spirit. As to the sign, comp. Joh 1:32. It is the token that in Jesus are fulfilled the prophecies of the Old. Testament with regard to the pouring out of the Spirit in the Messianic age, and especially to the impartation of the Spirit to the Messiah Himself (Isa 61:1; Luk 4:18),prophecies which describe the crowning glory of the latter days. Johns baptism could only point to the laying aside of sin; that of Jesus brought with it the quickening into spiritual life (comp. on Joh 3:5). It is to be noticed that the words Holy Spirit are here used without the article. The object is to fix our attention, not upon the Spirit in His personality, but upon the power of that spiritual influence which He exerts. It would be better to translate, the power of the Holy Spirit, were it not difficult to use such an expression, in conformity with the idiom of the English tongue, in the many passages where this particular form of the original is employed.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Subdivision 3. (Joh 1:35-42.)
A fore-shadow of a heavenly gathering.
“To Him shall the obedience of the peoples be” was Jacob’s word of old as to Shiloh: a word which has waited long for its fulfilment. Of that generation of Israel to which He came He had to say, as foretold by the prophet: “I have labored in vain, and spent my strength for naught, and in vain; yet surely,” He adds, “my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God” (Isa 49:4). Jehovah answers Him accordingly, not only with the assurance that Jacob shall nevertheless be brought to God by Him, but also He shall be a light to the Gentiles, that He may be His salvation to the ends of the earth (ver. 6).
But the full reality of the work among the Gentiles was, even so, not given to the Old Testament to foresee. The mystery of the Church was yet “hid in God” (Eph 3:9), although the Old Testament had also its witnesses, which on account of their veiled and typical language could not be understood until it pleased Him to lift off that veil. There they serve now to show the place in His heart this supreme grace of His towards men ever had.
Even in the Gospels, with the exception of what is conveyed in the brief words to Peter which Matthew has recorded for us (Mat 16:18), the Church still lies hidden. John, whose testimony to the Person of Christ is so full, and whose Gospel, from its unfolding of eternal life and the gift of the Spirit, so well deserves the title which has been given to it of the “Christian Gospel,” yet says nothing explicitly of the Church of God. It is of the family of God be speaks throughout, even when it is the Church that furnishes his example of the family.
We have, however, something more than this in what we have now before us, though not in explicit statement. The Son of God, the Word made flesh, and stooping to be the Lamb of sacrifice, then and thus Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and bringing men into a spiritual unity which is necessarily communion with the Father and the Son, begins in the power of the grace manifested in Him to draw men to Himself. He becomes the Centre of what we soon discern to be a two-fold gathering, in principle a heavenly and an earthly one. The mind of the Spirit is evidently to show us this by typical example, the Christian and the Jewish assemblies in their characteristic features as these, -the New Testament and the Old finding in Him harmonious fulfilment. How suited is this, after His fulness has been displayed, to show us something of the circles of blessing that shall surround Him, to which eternally this fulness shall flow out. The exact, even minute correspondence forbids any mistake as to what is intended: every word tells. The more we, examine the more shall we realize that here are all the details of a picture such as the Spirit of God alone could have drawn, and which is addressed to our intelligence as Christians to discover.
At the commencement John is still the witness, the Old Testament in him sending its disciples to Him who is the fulfilment of its sacrificial shadows, to the Lamb of God, who satisfies as such the first need of the soul, and in setting it free makes it inalienably His own. The true disciples of the Old Testament are, therefore, those who follow Jesus; and it was as a Jewish remnant that the Church began. But immediately we hear of something beyond this. Jesus sees them following and asks, “What seek ye?” and they seek, in fact, the place where He abides. It is practically the second occurrence of a word which is common in John and characteristic of his Gospel, -related, as it is to that divine side of things with which he has so much to do. Thus the Spirit “abides” on Christ: does not come occasionally, and leave again, as with the prophets of old. The Father also “abides” in Him (Joh 14:10). The believer “abides” in Christ, and Christ in him; as the branch “abides” in the vine (Joh 15:1-27) and thus the vine -the sap -in the branch. The bread from heaven “abides” unto eternal life (Joh 6:27). But here the place where Christ abides carries our thoughts at once to His own “where I am,” in the Father’s house, where are the “abodes” (Joh 14:2) in which His people are to be with Him for ever. We have in type the heavenly family, who even now by faith see where He abides and abide with Him while night is on the earth, to come out in the morning with Him. No name of earth attaches itself to this His dwelling-place; and though, plainly, as the time indicates, they pass the night with Him, no night is mentioned, for where He is it is day.
All harmonizes thus far; but we have more than this: for “one of the two who heard John speak and followed Him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Andrew, the “manly,” “courageous,” is indeed akin to Simon, “the hearkener,” the “obedient,” who becomes Peter the “stone” the rock-like man; and both together may speak of the energy needed to go through the transition which the name of Peter at once suggests here, and which John further emphasizes for us by interpreting the Messias of Andrew’s testimony into the Gentile “Christ.” The sacred language itself is changing, as we see in that of the New Testament, which is the language of the outside world.
Andrew brings his brother to Jesus; and at once we have the change of name, which in Matthew takes place at a later time. There it is evidently a confirmation of what is given at the commencement of his discipleship; there the point had come from which the whole transformation could be seen, which here is confined to himself personally. The “hearkener, the son of the dove” (Jonas)* -for with the hearing the dead live (Joh 5:25), and this life is the Spirit’s work -becomes Cephas, Which also is interpreted into the Gentile Peter: that is to say “a stone.” Peter himself gives us the full significance of this (1Pe 2:4-5): “To whom coming, as unto a living Stone, . . . ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house.” Thus the Church is formed; and in what is intimated in this name now conferred we see the heavenly company assuming the full character of the house of God, the dwelling-place of the Spirit. The other aspects of the Church as the body and bride of Christ are to be the subjects of after revelation.
{*The weight of MS. authority is for “John,” though they do not agree as to the spelling. The text in Mat 16:1-28 reads “Jonas” without dissent at all; which makes for the less supported reading here.}
Here then is the first gathering to the Lord as it is now, Israel having rejected Him, as in John we see all through. But even on this account John will not leave it there, and we are next to see, after the same representative manner, an Israelitish company, which serves by contrast only to make more distinct, if possible, the character of that which has preceded it.
Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary
It is evident that John’s disciples were never very willing to acknowledge Jesus for the Messias, because they thought he did shadow and cloud their Master. See therefore the sincerity of the holy Baptist; he takes every opportunity to draw off the eyes of his disciples from himself, and fix them upon Christ; he saith to two of his disciples, Behold the Lamb of God; as if he had said, “Turn your eyes from me to Christ, take less notice of me his minister; but behold your and my Lord and Master, Behold the Lamb of God.”
Learn hence, That the great design of Christ’s faithful ministers, is to set people upon admiring of Christ, and not magnifying themselves. Oh! ’tis their great ambition and desire, that such as love and respect them, and honour their ministry, may be led by them to Christ; to behold and admire him, to accept of him, and to submit unto him: John said to his disciples, Behold the Lamb of God.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Joh 1:35-39. The next day, John stood, and two of his disciples John happening the next day to be with two of his disciples on the banks of Jordan, he saw Jesus passing by a second time, and repeated what he had said to the multitude the day before. Probably he pointed out Jesus to these two disciples because they had been absent when the Spirit descended upon him, and the voice from heaven declared him to be the Son of God. But having now had an account of these things from their master, they desired to become acquainted with Jesus, and for that purpose followed him. Then Jesus turned, &c. Jesus, knowing their intentions, turned about; and saith, What seek ye? Thus he spake, not to discountenance and turn them back, but to encourage and invite them to a free converse with him. They said unto him With the greatest reverence and respect; Rabbi Which, being interpreted from the Syriac, the language then spoken by the Jews, signifies, Master; where dwellest thou , where dost thou lodge? For Jesus had no fixed abode at Jordan, being come thither only to be baptized. By making this reply, Johns disciples intimated that they had a great inclination to converse with Jesus. He gave them, therefore, an invitation to his lodging, which they readily accepted; and abode with him that day The remainder of it; for it was about the tenth hour Or, four in the afternoon; so that they had an opportunity of spending the rest of the evening with him, doubtless, much to their satisfaction and delight.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
III. Third Testimony: vv. 35-37.
Vv. 35, 36. On the next day, John was again standing there, and two of his disciples with him; 36, and fixing his eyes upon Jesus as he passed he saith: Behold the Lamb of God.
Holy impressions, great thoughts, an unutterable expectation doubtless filled, even on the following day, the hearts of those who had heard the words of the forerunner. The next day, John is at his post ready to continue his ministry as the Baptist. We are not at all authorized to suppose, with de Wette, that the two disciples who were with him had not been present at the scene of the preceding day. Far from favoring this idea, the brevity of the present testimony leads us rather to suppose that John confines himself to recalling that of the day before to persons who had heard it. The expression , of his disciples, intimates that he had a very considerable number of them. Of these two disciples, one was Andrew (Joh 1:40); it is difficult to suppose that the other was not the author of the narrative which is to follow. All the subsequent details have no special importance except for the one to whom they recalled the most decisive and happiest hour of his life. The fact that his person remains anonymous, while the four others who play a part in the narrative are all named, confirms this conclusion (Introd. p. 203). We may notice a certain difference between this day and the day before in the relation of Jesus to John. The day before, Jesus came to John, as to the one who was to introduce Him to future believers. On this day, the testimony is officially given; He has only in a sense to receive from the hands of His forerunner the souls which His Father has prepared through him. Like the magnet which one moves through the sand to attract metallic particles, He simply approaches the group which surrounds the Baptist, for the purpose of deciding some of those who compose it to follow Him. The conduct of Jesus is, therefore, perfectly intelligible. It is regulated according to the natural course of the divine work. The Church is not torn, it is gathered, from the tree of the theocracy. This easiness in the course is the seal of God.
As Jesus enters into the plan of God, John the Baptist enters into the thought of Jesus. A tender and respectful scruple might detain the two disciples near their old master. John the Baptist himself frees them from this bond, and begins to realize that saying, which from this moment becomes his motto: He must increase, but I must decrease. The word indicates a penetrating look which searches its object to its depths (see Joh 1:42). The practical meaning of this new declaration of John was evidently this: Go to Him. Otherwise, to what purpose this repetition which adds nothing to the testimony of the day before, which, on the contrary, abridges it? Only this invitation is expressed in an indirect form, that of an affirmation respecting the person of Jesus, because, as Luthardtsays, attachment to Jesus was to be on their part an act of freedom based upon a personal impression, not a matter of obedience to their old master.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
XXI.
JESUS MAKES HIS FIRST DISCIPLES.
(Bethany beyond Jordan, Spring A. D. 27.)
dJOHN I. 35-51.
d35 Again on the morrow [John’s direct testimony bore fruit on the second day] John was standing, and two of his disciples [An audience of two. A small field; but a large harvest]; 36 and he looked [Gazed intently. The word is used at Mar 14:67, Luk 22:61, Mar 10:21, Mar 10:27. John looked searchingly at that face, which, so far as any record shows, he was never to see on earth again. The more intently we look upon Jesus, the more powerfully we proclaim him] upon Jesus as he walked [This detail seems to be introduced to show that the Baptist did not stop Jesus and enter into familiar conversation with him. The witness of John was wholly that of an inspired, unbiased prophet, and not that of a friend or a familiar acquaintance], and saith, Behold the Lamb of God! [John repeats this testimony. He might have chosen another message, but preferred this one. Paul also had but one theme– 1Co 2:2, Gal 6:14.] 37 And the two disciples [Andrew and probably John, the writer of this Gospel. The following are indications that it was John: 1. From this time on he speaks as an eye-witness. 2. We have no other account in his Gospel on his call to discipleship. 3. On seven other occasions in this Gospel he withholds his name– Joh 13:23, Joh 19:26, Joh 19:35, Joh 20:2, Joh 21:7, Joh 21:20, Joh 21:24] heard him speak, they followed Jesus. [Here is the fountainhead of Christianity, for Christianity is following Jesus.] 38 And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? [They doubtless felt such awe and reverence for the person of Jesus as would make them hesitate to address him. Hence Jesus himself opens the way for intercourse with himself.] And they said unto him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher) [109] [By the way in which John explains Jewish words and customs, it becomes apparent that his Gospel was written for Gentiles as well as for Jews. Some take these explanations as evidence that John’s Gospel was written after the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem. They are indeed a slight evidence of this, for it is more expedient to explain a custom which has ceased to exist than one which survives to explain itself], where abidest thou? 39 He saith, Come, and ye shall see. [The fitting invitation of him who says: “Seek, and ye shall find.”] They came therefore and saw where he abode; and they abode with him that day: it was about the tenth hour. [It being a crisis in his life, John remembered the very hour. If John reckoned time according to the Jewish method, it was about 4 P.M. If according to the Roman method, it was 10 A.M. We are inclined to accept the latter as correct.] 40 One of the two that heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He findeth first [before he did anything else] his own brother Simon [The word “own” is here coupled with “brother” to show that Simon was not a mere relative (as the word “brother” might mean), but it was literally Andrew’s brother] and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ). [“Messiah” is Hebrew, “Christ” is Greek, “Anointed” is English. Jesus is the anointed of God. In finding him, Andrew had made the greatest discovery which it is possible for a man to make.] 42 He brought him unto Jesus. [Thus Andrew has in a sense the honor of being the first Christian evangelist.] Jesus looked upon him, and said, Thou art Simon [this name means “hearing”] the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter). [Cephas is Hebrew, Peter is Greek, stone is English. It means a mass of rock detached from the bed-rock or strata on which the earth rests. The future tense, “thou shalt be,” indicates that Peter was to win his name. It is given prophetically to describe the stability to which the then weak and vacillating Simon should attain.] [110] 43 On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip [In the synoptists, Philip is a mere name in the apostolic list. Through John we gain some acquaintance with him– Joh 6:5, Joh 12:21, Joh 14:8]: and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me. [The Lord’s usual invitation to discipleship– Mat 4:19, Mat 8:22, Mat 9:9, Mat 19:21, Mar 2:14, Mar 10:21, Luk 5:27, Luk 9:59, Joh 21:19.] 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida [Bethsaida of Galilee, on the northwestern shore of the Lake of Galilee. It was a wicked place– Mat 11:21], of the city of Andrew and Peter. [It appears that Peter afterward removed to Capernaum–Mark i. 29.] 45 Philip findeth Nathanael [Nathanael is commonly identified with Bartholomew for the following reasons: 1. The name Bartholomew is only a patronymic, and hence its bearer would be likely to have an additional name. (Compare Mat 16:17, Act 4:36.) 2. John never mentions Bartholomew, and the Synoptists never mention Nathanael, though John mentions him among apostles at the beginning and at the close of Christ’s ministry. 3. The Synoptists, in their list of apostles, invariably place Philip next to Bartholomew, and show a tendency to place brothers and friends together. 4. All the other disciples mentioned in this chapter become apostles, and none are so highly commended as Nathanael. 5. Bartholomew is connected with Matthew in the list at Act 1:13, and the names Matthew and Nathanael both mean the same, and are equal to the Greek name Theodore, which means “gift of God.” But even so the identification is not perfect], and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote [The whole law is full of symbolism which refers to Christ. The following references may be taken as more specific: Gen 49:10, Num 24:17-19, Deu 18:15. The passages in the prophets are too numerous to mention. For samples see Isa 7:14, Isa 9:6, Isa 52:13, Isa 53:1-12, Eze 34:23-31. In brief, Moses wrote of him as a Prophet, David as Lord, Isaiah as the Son of the virgin and suffering Servant, Jeremiah as the [111] Branch, Ezekiel as the Shepherd, Malachi as the Messenger of the Covenant, Daniel as the Messiah. Christ is the hero and subject-matter of both Testaments– 1Pe 1:11, Joh 5:39], Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. [Philip knew no better at this time, and John did not change the words of Philip to suit his later knowledge of Christ’s parentage. John has already declared the divine origin of Jesus ( Joh 1:14), thereby agreeing with the detailed account of Matthew and Luke.] 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? [Because of their want of culture, their rude dialect, and their contact with Gentiles, the Galileans were lightly esteemed by the inhabitants of Juda ( Joh 7:52). But here Nathanael, a Galilean himself, speaks slightingly of Nazareth. Some think that Nazareth was no worse than the rest of Galilee, and that Nathanael speaks thus disparagingly because he dwelt in the neighboring town of Cana, and felt that jealousy which often exists between rival villages. The guileless Nathanael had no such jealousy, and the persistency with which the enemies of Jesus called him the Nazarene indicates that there was more than a local odium attached to the name Nazareth. Moreover, it was the first city to offer violence to Christ and was ready on one day’s acquaintance with his preaching to put him to death.] Philip saith to him, Come and see. [So said afterward the woman of Samaria ( Joh 4:29). Investigation removes prejudice.] 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed [An Israelite in spirit as well as in flesh ( Rom 2:28, Rom 2:29, Rom 9:16). Such a character contrasted sharply with the prevalent formalism and hypocrisy of that day], in whom is no guile! [Some see in the word guile a reference to Jacob. He was a man full of all subtlety and guile in his early years, but his experience at Peniel ( Gen 32:22-31) changed his nature and his name, and he became Israel, the spiritual father of all true Israelites.] 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? [Nathanael’s surprise clearly indicates that the knowledge [112] which Jesus exhibited was miraculous. Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. [The fig-tree affords the densest shade in Palestine–a shade where no sunspot can be seen. This fact has made it immemorially a resting-place and a refuge from the fierce Syrian sunlight. Under such a cover Jesus saw Nathanael when he was alone. Such superhuman knowledge wrought faith in Nathanael, as it did afterward in the woman of Samaria.–See Pro 15:3.] 49 Nathanael answered and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. [ Psa 2:7, Isa 9:6 prophetically announce Jesus as the Son of God. These and other prophecies had just been more clearly announced by the Baptist ( Joh 1:34). It is clear, therefore, where Nathanael got his words; but it is not so clear how well he understood them. This is the first recorded uninspired confession of the divinity of Jesus, but Mat 16:16, Mat 16:17 indicates that it was but partially comprehended, else Peter might have been instructed by Nathanael. The expression “King of Israel” probably expressed the hope which Nathanael then entertained that Jesus would restore the ancient Jewish kingdom of David– Act 1:6.] 50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. [Nathanael regarded the revelation of his character and whereabouts as a great thing, but he was destined to see yet greater miracles. Opportunities improved lead to larger privileges, and for those who believe, the evidences are increased.] 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily [This word means “in truth.” John twenty-five times represents the Saviour as thus using the double “verily.” Matthew quotes the single “verily” thirty times, Mark fourteen times, and Luke seven times. The word is used to mark the importance of the truth about to be uttered], I say unto you [“you” is plural and includes all present as well as Nathanael], Ye shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. [113] [Jesus having referred to Nathanael as a true Israelite, promises to him–and to those like him–a blessing answering to Jacob’s vision of the ladder; that is, that the ascent and descent of ministering angels shall be by means of Christ. Jesus calls himself the Son of man upwards of eighty times. The expression is found in all four Gospels, but is there invariably used by Christ himself. Stephen ( Act 7:56) and John ( Rev 1:13) also use this title, to indicate that the glorious being whom they saw was like Jesus–like him in his human estate. In this chapter Jesus has been called by others “The Lamb of God,” “the Son of God,” “the Messiah,” and “the King of Israel.” Jesus chooses yet another title, “Son of man,” for himself. At this earliest dawning of their expectations, while their minds were thus full of his titles of glory, Jesus introduces to his disciples this one which speaks of his humanity and humility. The expression may have been suggested by Dan 7:13, Dan 7:14.]
[FFG 109-114]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
DISCIPLES OF JESUS
Joh 1:35-43. On the following day, John again stood, and two of His disciples, and looking upon Jesus walking about, says, Behold the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard Him speaking, and follow Jesus. And Jesus turning, and seeing them following, says to them, What are you seeking? And they said to Him, Master, which is interpreted Teacher, where dwellest Thou? And He says to them, Come and see, And they came and saw where He dwelleth, and they abode with Him that day; it was about the tenth hour; i.e., four oclock in the afternoon. The Apostle John, the author of this Gospel, is too modest to call his own name, always alluding to himself in some indirect way. Lord, help all of us preachers to profit by Johns modesty! How many are not satisfied with their names, but want D.D. and LL.D. added to them! Here, John specifies that Andrew was one of those two disciples, but does not give the name of the other, there being no doubt but he himself is the other one; and I believe, as these two were the first disciples of Jesus, that John himself led the way, being actually the first of all; as you see here they are falling in line, and following Jesus, at the instigation of John the Baptist, who, in the Divine economy, taught the primary department in the school of Christ, thus preparing His disciples for Him, as the disciples of Christ, including the apostles, were first the disciples of John the Baptist, this explaining the reason why none of the original apostles were baptized with water after they followed Jesus, they all having received the baptism of John.
Joh 1:40. Come and see. When John and Andrew, pursuant to the diagnosis of John the Baptist, said to Jesus, Master, where dwellest Thou? (Where is Your lodging, that we may appoint a time to come and see You?) Jesus said, Come now. Lord, help us to profit by Thy example, and quit all of this buncombe of appointing an hour to call! Now is the accepted time. Tomorrow may never come. We should be always ready for the Lords work. The Kings business requires haste. The sainted Miller Willis, during a fashionable, worldly, pseudo-revival, while the pastor, in a very formalistic way, was announcing from the pulpit that penitents could call upon him at his office at a stated hour, or, if they preferred it, call upon one of his official members at another hour, startled the whole congregation by a loud, sudden exclamation, The Lord Jesus Christ is ready at all hours! so that no burdened soul need wait a moment. Immediately after John and Andrew followed Jesus, the latter finds his brother Simon and notifies him: We have found the Messiah, which is interpreted Christ; and he led him to Jesus. And Jesus looking on him said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah; but thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter. Cephas means rock in Hebrew, and Peter in Greek. The moment Jesus saw Simon, He looked down into the deep interior of his heart, and saw his wonderful solidity and stability, and consequently named him Cephas in Hebrew and Peter in Greek, which means rock. Did not Peter show much vacillation and instability? He did, till the sanctifying fires of the Holy Ghost, which he received at Pentecost, burnt out the vast accumulations of debris with which hereditary depravity had encumbered him. After this glorious work, the rock was clearly revealed to all who knew him. He was steadfast as Mt. Zion, and inflexible under the combined powers of earth and hell. He lived a hero and died a martyr. So it is with all of us; like Peter, we are unstable as water and unsubstantial as mud till we receive the sanctifying fires of Pentecost.
Joh 1:44. On the following day [i.e., the day after Jesus called Peter], He finds Philip, and says to him, Follow Me. Philip was from Bethsaida, from the city of Andrew and Peter. Bethsaida stood on the northwest coast of the Galilean Sea, at a great spring, which issues from the base of a mountain contiguous to a beautiful, fertile plain, quite convenient for the site of the city and its gardens. Jesus pronounced an awful woe against it (Mat 11:21), which has been signally fulfilled in its utter desolation, with scarcely a vestige to mark its situation, and many centuries without an inhabitant. As the situation is beautiful and the water excellent, it is a favorite camping place. Our party stopped and lunched there. This city was the home of Peter and Andrew and Philip. However, in the days of our Savior, Peter was a married man, having left the home of his nativity and settled in Capernaum, which became the home of Jesus after His rejection at Nazareth, and, as we believe, making the house of Peter His home. Philip finds Nathanael, and said to him, We have found Him of whom Moses and the prophets in the law did write, Jesus the Son of Joseph, who is from Nazareth. And Nathanael said to him, What good is able to be from Nazareth? Philip says to him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, says concerning him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile. Nathanael is a Hebrew word, and means
Given of God. We here see that he enjoyed the sanctified experience, being a guileless Israelite, confirmatory of the conclusion that he was saved from all depravity; i.e., sanctified wholly. Nathanael says to Him, Whence do you know me? Jesus responded and said to him, Before Philip called you, I saw you while you were under the fig-tree. Nathanael responded and says to Him, Master, Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel. Jesus responded and said to him, Because I said to thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, dost thou believe? Thou shalt see greater things than these And He says to him, Truly, truly, I say unto you, You shall see heaven opened, and the angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man. Here we find that Nathanael was thoroughly convinced of the Christhood of Jesus because He saw him under the fig-tree. He was there alone, sequestered and hidden, and Jesus was nowhere about there, but away beyond great mountains and obstructions, so he knew that He had no chance to see him; hence, when He told him that He saw him, he knew that He was omnipresent, and believed in His Divinity unhesitatingly. Here our Savior alludes to the ladder which Jacob saw in his night vision, while sleeping on Mt. Bethel. Hence we see that Jacobs ladder, connecting earth and heaven, was a type of Christ, who is the Mediator between God and man, bridging the intervening chasm, and bringing heaven and. earth into intercommunication. The Son of man has a deep signification, and is quite a favorite phrase in the diction of our Savior. Humanity, before the fall, enjoyed membership in the Divine family. In the fall, spiritual life was forfeited and superseded by death. Therefore the wicked are denominated the children of the devil (Joh 8:44), spiritual life and Divine sonship only being regained by the regeneration of the Holy Ghost. Now, since Jesus is the only unfallen Son of Adam, He, in an exclusive and peculiar sense, is truly the Son of man.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Joh 1:35-51. The Baptists Disciples and Jesus.On the morrow to two of his disciples John bears similar witness. The account in its details suggests the recollections of one to whom the incident bad been the turning-point of his life. The tenth hour, four oclock, if true or traditional, may have suggested to the writer the beginning of a new era. He could hardly have invented it for that purpose. The unnamed disciple (cf. Joh 1:40) is generally identified with John the son of Zebedee. Joh 1:41 does not really hint that he also brought his brother James. Jesus reads the character of Simon, and predicts that men will find in him the Rock man, and will so call him (cf. Mar 3:16). It is apparently Peter who (Joh 1:43) wishes to return to Galilee, and finds Philip, as he himself had been found. Philip continues the chain, and finds Nathanael, generally, but not always in early times, identified with Bartholomew, the usual companion of Philip in the Synoptic lists. Jesus reads his character too, a true Israelite (Gen 32:28) with none of the guile of the race of Jacob, the supplanter (Gen 27:36). He is convinced by what seems to him at any rate superhuman knowledge and makes his confession. The Lords answer teaches that the faith which rests on signs and wonders must yield to that which realises the spiritual character of Messiahs work and kingdom. Heaven will be opened and angels ascend and descend upon the Son of Man (Gen 28:12).
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
1:35 {15} Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
(15) John gathers disciples not to himself, but to Christ.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
3. The response to John the Baptist’s witness 1:35-42
The writer now turned his attention from John the Baptist’s witness to Jesus to record the reactions of some men to John’s witness. Two of John the Baptist’s disciples left him to follow Jesus when they heard John’s testimony about Jesus. One of them recruited his brother to join them. Jesus did not call these men to follow Him as His disciples now. That came later (cf. Mat 4:18-22; Mat 9:9; Mar 1:16-20; Mar 2:13-14; Luk 5:1-11; Luk 5:27-28). The Apostle John recorded a preliminary contact that these men had with Jesus.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Was the writer describing what happened on the same day as what he recorded in Joh 1:29-34 or the following day? Probably the "next day" in Joh 1:35 is the next day after the "next day" in Joh 1:29. [Note: See my discussion of 2:1 below.] It happened after John had again identified Jesus as the Lamb of God (Joh 1:29).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Chapter 4
THE FIRST DISCIPLES.
Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples; and he looked upon Jesus as He walked, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? And they said unto Him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Master), where abidest Thou? He saith unto them, Come, and ye shall see. They came therefore and saw where He abode; and they abode with Him that day: it was about the tenth hour. One of the two that heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peters brother. He findeth first his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ). He brought him unto Jesus. Jesus looked upon him, and said, Thou art Simon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter). On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip: and Jesus saith unto him, Follow Me. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto Him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And He saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.- Joh 1:35-51.
In the prosecution of his purpose to tell how the Incarnate Word manifested His glory to men, John proceeds to give one or two instances of the eagerness with which prepared souls welcomed Him, and of the instinctive perception with which true and open minds confessed Him Son of God and King of Israel. This paragraph is the continuation of that which begins at Joh 1:19 with the general title, This is the witness of John. We are now introduced to some of the results of Johns witness, and are shown that Christ is King, not only by official proclamation, but by the free choice of men. These instances here cited are but the first among countless numbers who in every generation have felt and owned the majesty of Christ, and who have felt irresistibly drawn to Him by a unique affinity. In the spell which His personality laid upon these first disciples, in the uninvited yet cordial and assured acknowledgments of His dignity which they felt drawn to make, we see much that is significant and illustrative of the allegiance He evokes from age to age in humble and open-minded men.
In proceeding to gather to Himself subjects who might enter into His purposes and loyally serve Him, Jesus shows a singularly many-sided adaptability and inexhaustible originality in dealing with men. Each of the five disciples here introduced is individually dealt with. The finding of the one was not the finding of the other. For John and Andrew there was the talk with Jesus through the hours of that never-to-be-forgotten evening; for Simon, the heart-searching word, convincing him he was known and his future read off; for Philip, a peremptory command; and for Nathanael, a gracious courtesy disarming him of prejudice, assuring him of a perfect sympathy in the breast of the Lord. Thus there are those who seek Christ, those who are brought by others to Christ, those whom Christ seeks for Himself, those who come without doubts, and those who come with doubts.[8]
The two men who enjoyed the signal distinction of leading the way in owning the majesty and attaching themselves to the person of Christ were Andrew and probably John who wrote this Gospel. The writer, indeed, does not name himself, but this is in accordance with his habit. The suppression of the name is an indication that he himself was the disciple spoken of, since had it been another he could have had no scruple in mentioning his name. We know also that the families of Zebedee and Jonah were partners in trade, and it was likely that the young men of the families would go in company to visit the Baptist when the fishing was slack. These two young men had already attached themselves to the Baptist; had not merely passed through the fashionable ceremony of baptism, and returned home to talk about it, but were laid hold of by Johns teaching and character, and had resolved to wait with him till the predicted Deliverer should appear.
And at length the day came when the master whom they trusted as Gods prophet suddenly checked them in their walk, laid his hand breathlessly upon them, and gazing at a passing figure, said, Behold, the Lamb of God! There in actual bodily presence was He for whom all ages of their people had longed; there within sound of their voice was He who could take away their sin, lift off the burden and the trouble of life, and let them know the blessedness of living. We are ever ready to think it was easy for those who saw Christ to follow Him. Could we read His sympathy and truthfulness in His face, could we hear His words addressed directly to ourselves, could we ask our own questions and have from Him personal guidance, we fancy faith would be easy. And no doubt there is a greater benediction pronounced on those who have not seen, and yet have believed. Still, the advantage is not wholly theirs who saw the Lord growing up among other boys, learning His trade with ordinary lads, clothed in the dress of a working man. The brothers of Jesus found it hard to believe. Besides, in giving the allegiance of the Spirit, and forming eternal alliance, it is well that the true affinities of our spirit be not disturbed by material and sensible appearances.
These two men, however, felt the spell, and followed Jesus-representatives of all those who, scarcely knowing what they do or what they intend, are yet drawn by a mysterious attraction to keep within sight of Him of whom they have ever been hearing, and whom all ages have sought, but who now for the first time stands clear before their sight. Without a word to their teacher or to one another, silent with wonder and excitement, they eagerly follow the passing figure. So does enquiry begin with many a soul. He who is much spoken of by all, but of whom few have personal knowledge, suddenly assumes a reality they scarcely were looking for. It is no longer the hearing of the ear, but now, whispers the soul, mine eye seeth Him. The soul for the first time feels as if some action were demanded of it; it can no longer just sit and listen to descriptions of Christ, it must arise on its own account, and for itself seek further knowledge of this unique Person.
Then Jesus turned and saw them following,-turned probably because He heard them following, for He suffers none to follow in vain. Sometimes it may seem as if He did; sometimes it may seem as if the best years of life were spent in following, and all to no purpose. It is not so. If some have spent years in following, and cannot yet say that Christ has turned and made them conscious that He is responding to their search, this is because in their path lie many obstacles, all of which must be thoroughly cleared away. And no man should grudge the time and the toil that is spent on honestly clearing away whatever prevents a perfect cohesion to this eternal Friend.
The question put by Jesus to the following disciples, What seek ye? was the first breath of the winnowing fan which the Baptist had warned them the Messiah would use. It was not the gruff interrogation of one who would not have his retirement invaded, nor his own thoughts interrupted, but a kindly invitation to open their minds to Him. It was meant to help them to understand their own purposes, and to ascertain what they expected in following Jesus. What seek ye? Have you any object deeper than mere curiosity? For Christ desires to be followed intelligently, or not at all. At all times He used the winnowing fan to blow away the chaff of the great crowds that followed Him, and leave the few immovably resolute souls. So many follow because a crowd streams after Him and carries them with it; so many follow because it is a fashion, and they have no opinion of their own; so many follow experimentally, and drop off at the first difficulty; so many follow under misapprehension, and with mistaken expectations. Some who came to Him with great expectations left in shame and sorrow; some who thought to make use of Him for party ends left Him in anger when they found themselves unmasked; and one who thought skilfully to use Him for the gratification of His own selfish worldliness, discovered that there was no surer path to eternal ruin. Christ turns away none for mere slowness in apprehending what He is and what He does for sinful men. But by this question He reminds us that the vague and mysterious attraction which, like a hidden magnet, draws men to Him, must be exchanged for a clear understanding at least of what we ourselves need and expect to receive from Him. He will turn from none who, in response to His question, can truly say, We seek God, we seek holiness, we seek service with Thee, we seek Thyself.
The answer which these men returned to the question of Jesus was the answer of men who scarce knew their own minds, and were suddenly confused by being thus addressed. They therefore reply, as men thus confused commonly reply, by asking another question, Rabbi, where dwellest Thou? Their concern was about Him, and so far the answer was good; but it implied that they were willing to leave Him with only such information as might enable them to visit Him at some future time, and so far the answer was not the best. Still their shyness was natural, and not without reason. They had felt how the Baptist searched their soul, and of this new Teacher the Baptist himself had said he was not worthy to loose his sandal-thong. To find themselves face to face with this greatest person, the Messiah, was a trying experience indeed. The danger at this point is hesitation. Many persons fail at this point from a native reluctance to commit themselves, to feel pledged, to accept permanent responsibilities and bind themselves with indissoluble ties. They are past the stage of merely keeping Christ in view, but very little past it. The closer dealings they have had with Him have as yet led to nothing. Their fate hangs in the balance.
Out of this condition our Lord delivers these two men by His irresistible invitation, Come and see. And well for them it was that He did so, for next day He left that part of the country, and the mere knowledge of His lodging by the Jordan would have availed them nothing; a warning to all who put themselves off with learning more about salvation before they accept it. An eagerness in acquiring knowledge about Christ may as effectually as any other pursuit retard us in making acquaintance with Him. It is mere trifling to be always enquiring about One who is Himself with us; the way to secure that we shall have Him when we need Him is to go with Him now. How can we expect our difficulties to be removed while we do not adopt the one method God recognises as effectual for this purpose, fellowship with Christ? Why enquire longer about the way of salvation, and where we may find it at a future time? Christ offers His friendship now, Come with Me, now, He says, and for yourself enter My dwelling as a welcome friend. Can the friendship of Christ do us harm, or retard us in any good thing? May we not most reasonably fear that hesitation now may put Christ beyond our reach? We cannot tell what new influences may enter our life and set an impassable gulf between us and religion.
Sixty years after, when one of these men wrote this Gospel, he remembered as if it had been yesterday the very hour of the day when he followed Jesus into His house. His whole life seemed to date from that hour; as well it might, for what could mark a human life more deeply and lift it more surely to permanent altitude than an evening with Jesus? They felt that at last they had found a Friend with human sympathies and Divine intelligence. How eagerly must these men who had of late been thinking much of new problems, have laid all their difficulties before this master-mind, that seemed at once to comprehend all truth, and to appreciate the little obstacles that staggered them. What boundless regions of thought would His questions open up, and how entirely new an aspect would life assume under the light He shed upon it.
The astonished satisfaction they found in their first intercourse with Christ is shown in the bursting enthusiasm with which Andrew sought out his brother Simon, and summarily announced, We have found the Christ. That is how the Gospel is propagated. The closer the tie, the more emphatic the testimony. It is what brother says to brother, husband to wife, parent to child, friend to friend, far more than what preacher says to hearer, that carries in it irresistible persuasive power. When the truth of the utterance is vouched for by the obvious gladness and purity of the life; when the finding of the Christ is obviously as real as the finding of a better situation and as satisfying as promotion in life, then conviction will be carried with the announcement. And he who, like Andrew, can do little himself, may, by his simple testimony and honest life, bring to Christ a Simon who may become a conspicuous power for good. The mother whose influence is confined to the four walls of her own house may lodge Christian principle in the heart of a son, who may give it currency in one form or other to the remotest corner of the earth.
The language in which Andrew announced to Simon his great fortune was simple, but, in Jewish lips, most pregnant. We have found the Christ! What his people had lived and longed for through all past ages, I have found and known. The perfect deliverance and joy which God was to bring by dwelling with His people, this at last had come. Taught to believe that all evil and disappointment and thwarting were but temporary, the Jew had waited for the true life of man-a life in the presence and favour and fellowship of the Highest. This was to come in the Messiah, and Andrew had found this. He had entered into life-all darkness and shadow were gone; the light shone round him, making all things bright, and piercing into eternity with clear radiance.
The words with which Jesus welcomes Simon are remarkable: Thou art Simon, son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas. This greeting yields its meaning when we recall the character of the person addressed. Simon was hot-headed, impulsive, rash, unstable. When his name was mentioned on the Lake of Galilee there rose before the mind a man of generous nature, frank and good-hearted, but a man whose uncertainty and hastiness had brought him and his into many troubles, and with whom, perhaps, it was well to have no very binding connection in trade or in the family. What must the thoughts of such a man have been when he was told that the Messiah was present, and that the Messianic kingdom was standing with open gates? Must he not have felt that this might concern others,-decent steady men like Andrew,-but not himself? Must he not have felt that instead of being a strength to the new kingdom he would prove a weakness? Would not that happen now which so often before had happened-that any society he joined he was sure to injure with his hasty tongue or rash hand? Other men might enter the kingdom and serve it well, but he must remain without.
Coming in this mood, he is greeted with words which seem to say to him, I know the character identified with the name Simon, son of John; I know all you fear, all the remorseful thoughts that possess you; I know how you wish now you were a man like Andrew, and could offer yourself as a serviceable subject of this new kingdom. But no! thou art Simon; nothing can change that, and such as you are you are welcome; but thou shalt be called Rock, Peter. The men standing round, and knowing Simon well, might turn away to hide a smile; but Simon knew the Lord had found him, and uttered the very word which could bind him for ever to Him. And the event showed how true this appellation was. Simon became Peter,-bold to stand for the rest, and beard the Sanhedrim. By believing that this new King had a place for him in His kingdom, and could give him a new character which should fit him for service, he became a new man, strong where he had been weak, helpful and no longer dangerous to the cause he loved.
Such are the encouragements with which the King of men welcomes the diffident. He gives men the consciousness that they are known; He begets the consciousness that it is not with sin in the abstract He takes to do, but with sinners He can name, and whose weaknesses are known to Him. But He begets this consciousness that we may trust Him when He gives us assurance that a new character awaits us and a serviceable place in His kingdom. He assures the most despondent that for them also a useful life is possible.
As Andrew, in the exuberant joy of his discovery of the Messiah, had first imparted the news to his own brother Simon, so Philip, when invited by Jesus to accompany him to Galilee, sought to bring with him his friend Nathanael Bartholomew (son of Tolmai). This was one of the devout Jews who had long been wondering who that mysterious Personage should be of whom all the prophets had spoken, and for whom the world waited that He might complete it. The news that He was found seemed only too good to be true. He had come too easily and unostentatiously, and from so unlooked-for a quarter, Can any good come out of Nazareth? Good men, as well as others, have their narrow views and illiberal prejudices, and mark off in their own minds as hopeless and barren whole religions, sects, or countries out of which God determines to bring that which is for the healing of the nations. To rise above such prejudices we must refuse to accept current rumours, traditional opinions, proverbial or neat dicta which seem to settle a matter; we must conscientiously examine for ourselves,-as Philip says, Come and see. He instinctively knew how useless it was to reason with men about Christs claims so long as they were not in His presence. One look, one word from Himself will go further to persuade a man of His majesty and love than all that any one else can say. To make Christ known is the best way to prove the truth of Christianity.
The shade of the fig-tree is the natural summer-house or arbour under which Eastern families delight to take their meals or their mid-day rest. Nathanael had used the dense foliage of its large and thick leaves as a screen behind which he found retirement for devotional purposes. It is in such absolute seclusion, retirement, and solitude that a man shows his true self. It was here Nathanael had uttered himself to his Father who seeth in secret; here he had found liberty to pour out his true and deepest cravings. His guilelessness had been proved by his carrying into his retirement the same simple and unreserved godliness he professed abroad. And he is astonished to find that the eye of Jesus had penetrated this leafy veil, and had been a witness to his prayers and vows. He feels that he is known best at the very point in which he had most carefully contrived concealment, and he recognises that no one is more likely to be the fulfiller of his prayers than that same Person who has manifestly been somehow present at them and heard them.
To the man of prayer a suitable promise is given, as to the man of uncertain character a promise fitting his need had come. Under his fig-tree Nathanael had often been in sympathy with his forefather Jacob in his great experience of Gods attentiveness to prayer. When Jacob fled from home and country, a criminal and outcast, he no doubt felt how completely he had himself fallen into the pit he had digged. Instead of the comforts of a well-provided household, he had to lie down like a wild beast with nothing between him and the earth, with nothing between him and the sky, with nothing but an evil conscience to speak to him, and no face near save the haunting faces of those he had wronged. A more miserable, remorseful, abandoned-looking creature rarely lay down to sleep; but before he rose he had learned that God knew where he was, and was with him; that on that spot which he had chosen as a hiding, because no one could find him, and scarcely his own dog track him to it, he was waited for and met with a loving welcome by Him whom he had chiefly wronged. He saw heaven opened, and that from the lowest, most forlorn spot of earth to the highest and brightest point of heaven there is a close connection and an easy, friendly communication. If Jesus, thought Nathanael, could reopen heaven in that style, He would be worthy of the name of King of Israel. But he is now to learn that He will do far more; that henceforth it was to be no visionary ladder, swept away by the dawn, which was to lead up to heaven, but that in Jesus God Himself is permanently made over to us; that He, in His one, visible person, unites heaven and earth, God and man; that there is an ever-living union between the highest height of heaven and the lowest depth of earth. Profound and wide as the humanity of Christ, to the most forgotten and remote outcast, to the most sunken and despairing of men, do Gods love and care and helpfulness now come; high and glorious as the divinity of Christ may the hopes of all men now rise. He who understands the Incarnation of the Son of God has a surer ground of faith, and a richer hope and a straighter access to heaven, than if the ladder of Jacob stood at his bed-head and Gods angels were ministering to him.
[8] See Mr. Reiths rich Handbook on The Gospel of John (Clark).