John 1:35-37 35The next day again John was standing also with two of his disciples, 36and when he looked at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus.
The quick sequence of this chapter continues with another time reference of the next day. The events move quickly with John’s ministry pointing the way to Jesus and then John stepping aside for Jesus to shine forth as God’s new and special revelation. John had disciples who followed him. He was popular, and many people went out to see him and be baptized by him. His followers went even as far as Ephesus (Acts 19). The greatness of John paled in comparison to the revelation of the Son of God.
At this point, the author introduces two unnamed disciples. We find out in verse 40 that one of the disciples was named Andrew. The second disciple is not named. Philip becomes a focus in verse 43, but he was in Bethsaida, across the Sea of Galilee and likely not the second discple mentioned here. Another option is that the second disciple was the author, John the Apostle, who may have only reluctantly included himself in a veiled was in certain places in his Gospel. We can assume the setting of this event is still around Bethany across the Jordan where John had been preaching and baptizing.
As John walked along with these two disciples, along came Jesus. Jesus had remained in the area, possibly because he wanted to call certain disciples to follow him. John, the author, does not seem concerned about geographical details in the story but more about the identity of Jesus and how people responded to him. John saw Jesus and pointed his disciples to him with the key salvific identity of the Lamb of God, repeated from verse 29. Since they were John’s disciples, they had heard his preaching about the Messiah. When Jesus was identified as God’s Anointed, they made the crucial decision to follow him.
The pattern in this chapter is symbolic for how anyone should respond to Jesus. Jesus is revealed as the revelation from God. He is the Savior, Messiah, and Son of God. He came as the Lamb of God to offer himself as the sacrifice for sin. Those who believe in him will experience the power of God’s grace and be forgiven and given eternal life.
For older posts, click here.