John 1:29-51

John 1:29. The next day

This chapter is a record of the events that occurred on different days. Sometimes God does great things in a single day; one extraordinary day may have more in it than a hundred ordinary years. It is well for us to try to live by the day, and not to let any day pass without some good action having been done in it. Let us never have to cry, «I have lost a day.»

John 1:29. John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

We ought never to be slow in delivering such a message as that which John the Baptist uttered. I do not wonder that, as soon as ever John knew that Jesus was the Messiah, he told the good news to others. Hast thou found Jesus? Tell thy brother tonight; or, if not tonight, go as soon as thou canst, and bid him, «Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.»

John 1:30. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am. I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

John was acquainted with Jesus, for they were related to one another, and were brought up together, but he did not officially know him as the Messiah until he saw the Holy Spirit descending and remaining on him; for that was the Lord's token by which he was to recognize him. He refused, therefore, to follow any knowledge or judgment of his own. He would not know Jesus as the Christ until he saw the private mark for which the Lord had told him to look. As soon as he saw that, then John said that he knew him; and as soon as he thus knew him, he began to preach him. Has the Lord given thee in thy soul a token that Christ is thy Saviour? Dost thou know him by the witness of the Holy Ghost? Then go and speak of him to others and, like John, say, «Behold the Lamb of God.» Let this be your one business between here and heaven.

John 1:35. 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!

«Again the next day.» See how the Evangelist goes by days in his record. John preached the same sermon two days running, and if you proclaim Christ and him crucified, you may preach him two hundred days running, but you will never preach him too often. If you preach Christ as the Lamb of God, the great Sin-bearer, you may be always at that blessed work. There are some who very seldom preach Christ as bearing the sin of men; so that others of us must do it all the oftener to make up for their shortcomings. As for me, I can say with Charles Wesley,

«His only righteousness I show,

His saving truth proclaim;

‘tis all my business here below,

To cry, ‘Behold the Lamb!'»

John 1:37. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

It is hard preaching when you preach away your congregation, but John did this deliberately, He wished these two no longer to be his disciples, but to become the disciples of Jesus. He had mastered the meaning of his own words, «He must increase, but I must decrease,» and he was quite willing that it should be so: «The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.»

John 1:38. 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? He saith unto them, Come and see.

He gave them a full invitation to come to the place where he tarried, and see for themselves. That is what Jesus still says, «Come and see.» If any of you want to know him, «Come and see.» You are perfectly welcome to «Come and see» all that Jesus has to show you.

John 1:39. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

The best part of that day was the portion which they spent with Jesus it was the best day they had ever enjoyed, for they lived with Jesus. It was also the beginning of better days for these two disciples; for, having once lived with Jesus, they learnt never to live without him. Oh, that we also may abide with him!

John 1:40. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

Where should missionary work begin? A brother should begin with his brother. It is all very well to have a desire to go to the heathen in Africa; you had better begin work as a missionary in England, and then go to Africa. He who cannot win his brother is not likely to win anybody else. «He first findeth his own brother Simon:» this Andrew, who was afterwards to bring so many to Christ, must begin at home, and succeed there. If we are not faithful with one or two relatives, how can God trust us with a pulpit and a congregation?

John 1:42. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona:

«Simon, son of a dove, thy name may point thee out as being timid; mind where thou dost wing thy flight.»

John 1:42. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone.

Something more solid than the son of a pigeon; something more stable than the son of a dove. Christ changes men's names, and changes their natures, too. He can make the most fickle of us to become firm and steadfast. Oh, that he would thus work by his grace upon us!

John 1:43. 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.

«The day following.» See, friends, what a wonderful chapter this is. There is a book called, The Book of Days; I call this chapter the chapter of days. Every day seems memorable for some great event. «Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter,» was a poor, miserable village; but God greatly honoured it. Great works often begin in little places. The best of beings came out of the despised town of Nazareth, and three of the best of men, Philip, Andrew, and Peter, came out of Bethsaida.

John 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.

True faith may make blunders. Jesus was not the son of Joseph, except by reputation, and he was Jesus of Bethlehem quite as much as he was Jesus of Nazareth; but true faith is accepted of God even though it makes some mistakes. It believes God's Word, and it believes God's Son, and therefore it shall be accepted.

John 1:46. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

Christ had said, «Come and see.» Now Philip used the same words, «Come and see.» It is always right to follow the example that the Lord Jesus has set us.

John 1:47. 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?

You may remember that, a short time ago, I preached a sermon upon Nathanael. He was a kind of Jewish John Blunt, a man who always spoke his mind. He had a mind, and he had a mind to speak it, and he spoke his mind. So, the moment that Christ spoke of him, he asked, «Whence knowest thou me? «He was conscious that Christ did know him, and being a man who was altogether free from cunning and craftiness, he pointedly asked how Christ came to know him.

John 1:48. Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

What was he doing under the fig tree? Jesus knew, and Nathanael knew, but nobody else knew, and perhaps nobody else ever will know. That was a secret between Christ and Nathanael. He was doing something there that he regarded as quite private, and the Saviour's allusion to his being under the fig tree was the plainest proof he could have of Christ's divinity. «Oh!» thought he, «he who can remind me of that secret transaction must be God.»

John 1:49. 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.

You who are honest in heart, you who can be convinced by a single argument, and, mark you, one good argument is as convincing as twenty good arguments, and a great deal better than a hundred bad ones, you who are willing to be led by a single thread shall be led. If you are willing to believe on what is clear evidence, you shall have more evidence: «thou shalt see greater things than these.» God will show much to that man who has eyes with which to see it. He who will not see, and does not wish to see, shall grow more and more blind, and the darkness shall thicken about him.

John 1:51. 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.

He could see actually what Jacob saw only in a dream, when he beheld that wonderful stairway of light which leads from earth to heaven, even the Lord Jesus Christ, who by his manhood and his Godhead bridges the distance between us and God.