”And [John the Baptist] looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’” John 1:36.

“The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, ‘What do you seek?’ They said to Him, ‘Rabbi’ (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), ‘where are You staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). John 1:37-39.

The opening verse 36 above has been included to maintain context, it was covered in the last post on June 7, 2017.

The tenth hour is 10 a.m. Roman time and 4 p.m. Jewish time. No one seems to know which it was for sure, though I favor 10 a.m. because it appears as though these men went out to find their brothers on the same day and then returned to Jesus to spend the rest of the day with Him.

The latter time is just awkward because 3 p.m. is the time of the evening sacrifice in the temple and people would be starting to settle down by the 4 p.m. hour; unless, of course Andrew went out to find his brother the next day.

“One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, ‘You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas’ (which is translated, a stone). The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip 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.’ And Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” John 1:40-46.

It is worth noting that as these men came to Jesus they immediately found their brothers and brought them to Him. This would be typical of anyone who comes to Christ that they would immediately desire to share the good news with their siblings, spouse, parents, or close friends.

Unfortunately, oftentimes we are met with disbelief, even derision. If after you have hit the wall with them, the only thing you can do is pray for their salvation; I mean this, do not give up praying, even if it takes many frustrating years, God is able to do far above anything that we imagine.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21.

Another tip we can get from this passage is how Philip spoke to Nathanael in verses 45-46, Nathanael responded to his brother with doubt, but Philip merely said, “Come and see.”

Too often we try to argue a person into heaven, when we should be taking them to Jesus.

I mean by that, that the most powerful argument for Christ is found in the Scriptures; quote, or read the Bible to them, do not try to use your own wisdom.

Very often it is easier to quote Scripture to them because there is no looking up a verse; it just spills out of your mouth. The Spirit of God can use Scripture that you have in your heart, often, more effectively this way.

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12.

If the word of God fails to move them, then it is necessary to show them Jesus in your own walk. If you are reading, praying, and associating with other Christians, your life will change, slowly perhaps but surely, and folks notice these things, they may not like them, but they can see a difference.

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.” 2 Timothy 2:15-16.

Remember though, this is not some performance where you try to act like you think a Christian should act, rather this is a change that comes from within your heart as you associate with Christ who dwells within you.

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!’ Nathanael 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.’ Nathanael answered and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Because I said to you, “I saw you under the fig tree,” do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’ And He said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’” John 1:47-51.

The last sentence above is a reference to a dream that Jacob had while he was fleeing from his brother Esau. The entire account is in Genesis chapters 25 and 27-28.

“So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: ‘I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.’ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’” Genesis 28:11-16.

Jesus the Lamb of God is that ladder that stretches from earth to heaven.

What Do You Seek? John 1:37-51 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 6-13-12 updated on 6-10-17.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.