Lent 2023: John 1:35-51

35 The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

37 The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?”

They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come and you’ll see,” he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.[a]

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah”[b] (which is translated “the Christ”), 42 and he brought Simon to Jesus.

When Jesus saw him, he said, “You are Simon, son of John.[c] You will be called Cephas” (which is translated “Peter”[d]).

Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus[e] decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.”

44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.

“Come and see,” Philip answered.

47 Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.

49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”

50 Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” 51 Then he said, “Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

—John 1:35-51

Read & Journal

Read John 1:35-51. Spend some time focusing on what you’ve read. These journal prompts can help.

• What does this passage teach you about Jesus? His character? His purpose?

• Consider the names or ways the different people in this passage use to refer to Jesus. What do these titles teach you about Jesus?

• When John the Baptist pointed out Jesus and called him the “Lamb of God,” two of his disciples left and started following Jesus. John’s role was to point people to Jesus and he seemingly never lost sight of that. What are some ways you can point others to Christ today through your words? Your actions? Your interactions with them?

• Several times in this passage, the disciples are invited to “come and see.” Why is that important as we think about our own walk with Jesus? How should it affect our interactions with others as we share our faith?

• When Philip tells Nathanael about Jesus, Nathanael asks if anything good can come out of Nazareth, since Nazareth wasn’t a very respected city and the location of a Roman army garrison. Rather than arguing the point, Philip simply invites Nathanael to come and see. In a world where many people want to argue and fight about faith, about Jesus, about politics, about morality, about everything—how can you live a life that invites them to come and experience the goodness of God?

• If you are a Christian, Jesus has invited you to come and follow him. Spend some time today considering how he has invited you into a relationship with him, how he has revealed himself and his character through that relationship, through his Word and through the Holy Spirit. Thank God for all the ways he has invited you to “come and see” what it means to walk with him rather than giving you a long list of do’s and don’ts.