John 1:35-51 – Jesus’ Public Ministry, First Converts – Answers

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).

43The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” 50Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Interesting Words
the Lamb

amnos –  a lamb (as a type of innocence, with sacrificial connotation), sacrificial lamb (used for sacrifice); a young sheep without blemish (especially a one-year old lamb)… Lev 5:6; Isa 53:7, 8; 1Peter 1:19;

Messiah

Messias – Messiah, the O.T. title corresponding to Christ, the Anointed One. Also referenced in… John 4:25 and John 7:40.

Christ

Christos – The Anointed One, Christ (Greek), Messiah (Hebrew). 1Sam 2:35; Ps 2:2; Isa 11:1, 2, 3; Jer 23:5; Gen 22:18; Matt 1:1; John 4:25; Acts 2:36;

truly

amén – verily, truly, amen; at the end of sentences may be paraphrased by: So let it be, as an “emphasis marker,” introduces a statement of pivotal importance – i.e. that is essential in interpreting the over-all passage…. Matt 13:16-17; Mark 10:15;
Luke 18:28-29, 30;

Cross References

• Matt 4:17;
• Matt 4:18, 19-20;
• Mark 1:14-15;
• Acts 2:37-38, 39;
• Gen 28:10-11, 12, 13, 14, 15;

Discussion Questions
Print (ctrl-p) or copy the following to a word processor to enter your answers, then meet with some friends to discuss. You can also compare your ansers to mine for a virtual discussion… my answers… to return…. back

  1. For a second time, John the Baptist refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:41). What did he mean by that?
    • It meant forgiveness of sins against God, according to His process.
    • Payment that God will accept for what we have done wrong.
    • Finally, an answer to the sin problem that has faced man from the creation.
    • Man has been spiritually dead since Adam and now because Jesus is God incarnate (John 1:1-2), we can finally have a real solution.
  2. What were the results of John the Baptist’s comments?
    • Several men understood what he said and followed Jesus, even though they did not know where it would lead them
    • At first they just wanted to see where He was staying.
    • They spent that night with Jesus because it was late, getting toward dusk, 4:00pm.
  3. What justification do you see for the response from the two disciples of John the Baptist in John 1:37?
    • They had been following John the Baptist and John introduced Jesus to them as the Lamb of God.
    • It is possible that they had heard about or seen His healing miracles.
    • They were certainly open to the activity of God and wanted to be a part.
  4. After Jesus calls Andrew, he goes and finds his brother Simon Peter. How would you interpret their conversation?
    • Typical of close friends and brothers, Andrew pulled no punches but was very direct.
    • He stated that they had found the Messiah, the Christ.
    • Both were obviously open to the news of finding the Messiah. Both were looking for him.
    • Simon Peter had no issues following Andrew to Jesus.
    • Jesus demonstrated that He knew Simon and immediately changed his name to Cephas which means Peter.
  5. From what is recorded here, what happened with Philip and Nathanael?
    • Jesus specifically found Philip and called him to follow Him.
    • Again, it is a natural conversation between two close friends. They lived in the same town.
    • Jesus displayed some supernatural abilities in finding Philip and/or in knowing what Nathanael was doing before his call from Jesus through Philip.
    • Again it appears that Nathanael and Philip were both waiting for the Messiah and eager to follow.
    • Nathanael was very transparent and readily shared his question about Nazareth.
  6. How can you explain the reaction of Nathanael to Jesus?
    • Nathanael was especially impressed by Jesus statement of his prior actions and worshipped Jesus as God.
    • He was a little skeptical at first being from Nazareth which apparently did not have a good reputation or not readily apparent from the Old Testament.
    • Once he confirmed Jesus as the Christ, Nathanael wholely committed himself to Jesus.Nathanael was especially impressed by Jesus statement of his prior actions and worshipped Jesus as God.
    • Again his transparency was obvious fully committing to the ministry of Jesus without issue..
  7. What other explanation can be given for Nathanael’s response?
    He could have been confused, but the would be contrary to his upstanding member of the community and a valuable worker in the fishing industry.
    • Jesus could have done prior research, and totally deceived Nathanael. However, that means that Jesus had evil intensions, was fueled by Satan… it would be remarkable that such a person could pull off the deception and teach as He taught, changing the world.
  8. What do you make of the statement Jesus made to Nathanael in John 1:50, 51?
    • Jesus is God and knows the future in His unlimited divine side. Thus it was easy for Him to project Nathanael’s future.
    • Jesus certainly knew all the Messianic prophecies that He was fulfilling and would fulfill in the future.
    • Jesus may have been referring to Gen 28:12, 14; Dan 7:13, 14; These are Messianic prophecies, which Nathanael may have known.