0784. Some Who Received Christ

Some Who Received Christ

"And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God" (Joh_1:34).

While as a whole the world rejected Christ, and Gentile and Jew refused to know Him or receive Him, yet there were those who broke away from the course of the age and who opened their hearts, and, in faith, received the Lord. We will only notice some of those in the 1st chapter of John who did receive the Lord.

1. There was John. Joh_1:15 : "John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of Whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me."

Joh_1:19-20 and Joh_1:27 : "This is the record of John, * * I am not the Christ." "He it is, Who coming after me is preferred before me, Whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose."

Joh_1:32 : "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him."

Joh_1:34 : "And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."

2. There were John’s two disciples. These two disciples heard John acclaiming Jesus as the Lamb of God and they followed Jesus. The Lord asked them: "What seek ye?" They said unto Him: "Where dwellest Thou?" He answered, "Come and see." From that day they received the Lord and followed Him. See Joh_1:36-38 : "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?"

3. There was Peter. One of the two disciples of John who followed Christ was Andrew, Simon Peter’s 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."

4. There was Philip. Verses 43,44: "The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow Me." "Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter."

5. There was Nathanael. Joh_1:45 : "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."

Philip found Nathanael and told him of Christ. Nathanael doubted, and said, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip did not try to argue, he simply said, "Come and see." When Christ saw Nathanael, He said: "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" The man was greatly surprised and said: "Whence knowest Thou me?" Christ responded, "Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree I saw thee." Then Nathanael said: "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" (Joh_1:49-50).

It is most refreshing to know that in the same chapter where we read "they knew Him not," and, "they received Him not," we also read of the above five distinct instances, where they both knew and received Him. A small minority indeed! That is always true. "Few there be that find Him." But we thank God for the few.

Even to-day the world still refuses Christ and turns Him down, yet there are always, here and there, a few who receive Him as the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and who follow Him in the way.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR