The Audience John Is Writing To
John has established who Jesus is.
He is:
- The eternal Word.
- The Creator.
- The Light of the world.
- The Lamb of God.
- The Son of God.
Now John begins answering another important question.
How does someone become a follower of Jesus?
The answer is surprisingly personal.
There are no large crowds.
No dramatic sermon.
No public miracle.
Instead, one person tells another.
A conversation begins.
Someone follows Jesus.
Then they invite someone else.
John reminds us that the Kingdom of God often advances one relationship at a time.
The first disciples are not won through spectacle.
They are won through personal encounters with Christ.
John 1:35-51 NASB
Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And 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?” He 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. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). He 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). The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of 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.” Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 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 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 that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And 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.”
Key Focus of the Passage and Jesus’ Character
The focus is the call to discipleship, the transforming power of a personal encounter with Jesus, and Christ’s supernatural knowledge of those He calls.
Jesus reveals Himself as:
- the Rabbi worth following,
- the Messiah,
- the King of Israel,
- the Son of God,
- and the Son of Man who unites heaven and earth.
This passage introduces the lifelong pattern of Christian discipleship:
Come.
See.
Follow.
Bring others.
The People in the Interaction
This interaction includes:
- Jesus
- John the Baptist
- Andrew
- Simon Peter
- Philip
- Nathanael
What Happened in the Scene
The day after identifying Jesus as the Lamb of God, John the Baptist again sees Him walking nearby.
Once more he declares: “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
This time, two of John’s own disciples hear him.
Immediately they leave John and begin following Jesus.
Jesus turns and asks His first recorded words in John’s Gospel: “What are you seeking?”
Rather than answering directly, they ask where He is staying.
Jesus simply replies: “Come, and you will see.”
They spend the remainder of the day with Him.
One of those disciples is Andrew.
The first thing Andrew does afterward is find his brother Simon.
He joyfully announces: “We have found the Messiah.”
Andrew brings Simon to Jesus.
Jesus immediately gives Simon a new name: Cephas (Peter), meaning “rock.”
The next day Jesus finds Philip and simply says: “Follow Me.”
Philip then finds Nathanael.
Nathanael is skeptical.
“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
Philip does not argue.
He simply says: “Come and see.”
As Nathanael approaches, Jesus declares: “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
Surprised, Nathanael asks how Jesus knows him.
Jesus replies: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Whatever happened beneath that fig tree, Nathanael immediately realizes he is standing before someone possessing divine knowledge.
He responds with one of the earliest confessions in John’s Gospel: “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”
Jesus promises Nathanael something even greater.
He will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
“What Are You Seeking?”
Jesus’ first words in John’s Gospel are not accidental.
He does not ask: “What do you know?”
Nor, “What have you accomplished?”
He asks: “What are you seeking?”
That question reaches beyond Andrew and the unnamed disciple.
It reaches every reader.
Every person seeks something.
Purpose.
Meaning.
Security.
Acceptance.
Joy.
Peace.
Jesus begins discipleship by exposing the deepest desires of the human heart.
The question is not whether we are seeking.
The question is whether we are seeking the right thing.
“Come and See”
Rather than delivering a theological lecture, Jesus extends an invitation.
“Come and see.”
Christianity begins with relationship.
Doctrine matters profoundly.
But doctrine grows from knowing Christ.
Jesus does not merely provide information.
He invites people into His presence.
Notice how this phrase spreads throughout the passage.
Jesus says, “Come and see.”
Philip tells Nathanael, “Come and see.”
This becomes the pattern of evangelism.
Faithful witnesses introduce people to Jesus.
Christ Himself does the convincing.
Andrew: The Forgotten Evangelist
Andrew rarely occupies the spotlight.
Peter preaches.
Peter leads.
And Peter becomes one of the central figures in Acts.
Yet none of that happens without Andrew.
Notice Andrew’s pattern throughout Scripture.
He repeatedly brings people to Jesus.
Here he brings Peter.
Later he brings the boy with five loaves and two fish.
Still later he helps introduce Greek seekers to Christ.
Andrew teaches us that some of the greatest Kingdom work happens quietly.
History often remembers Peter.
Heaven surely remembers Andrew.
Jesus Gives Simon a New Name
The first thing Jesus does after meeting Simon is rename him.
Why?
Because Jesus always sees not merely what a person is.
He sees what they will become through His transforming grace.
Simon means “hearing.”
Peter means “rock.”
At this moment, Simon is anything but rock-like.
He is impulsive.
Emotional.
Unstable.
Yet Jesus names him according to His future work, not his present weakness.
This reflects God’s pattern throughout Scripture.
Abram becomes Abraham.
Jacob becomes Israel.
Simon becomes Peter.
Grace gives believers a new identity before they fully live into it.
Philip: Immediate Obedience
Jesus simply says: “Follow Me.”
Philip offers no recorded questions.
No objections.
No delay.
He simply follows.
True discipleship begins with obedience.
Understanding often comes afterward.
Many people wait until every question is answered before following Christ.
Philip reminds us that faith walks before it fully sees.
Nathanael’s Skepticism
Nathanael asks: “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
His skepticism is understandable.
Nazareth was an obscure village with no significant prophetic reputation.
The Messiah was expected to come from Bethlehem, not to be known as a Nazarene.
Philip wisely avoids arguing.
He simply repeats Jesus’ own invitation: “Come and see.”
Many debates are best answered by introducing people to Christ Himself.
Experience with Jesus often accomplishes what arguments cannot.
“An Israelite Indeed”
Jesus describes Nathanael as: “An Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit.”
The wording intentionally recalls Jacob.
Jacob, whose name later became Israel, was known for deception.
Nathanael represents the opposite.
He is honest.
Sincere.
Searching.
God delights in sincere seekers.
Jesus immediately recognizes genuine integrity.
The Fig Tree
Jesus says: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
John never explains what happened beneath the fig tree.
Apparently, Nathanael immediately understands.
Many scholars believe he had been praying or meditating on Scripture.
Whatever occurred, Jesus’ knowledge convinces Nathanael that He possesses supernatural insight.
The deeper lesson remains clear.
Long before we seek Christ… He already knows us.
Nothing in our lives escapes His attention.
His call begins with His initiative.
“You Will See Greater Things”
Nathanael’s confession is remarkable.
Yet Jesus says his faith has only begun.
Greater revelations lie ahead.
Miracles.
The Cross.
The Resurrection.
The Ascension.
The coming of the Holy Spirit.
Discipleship is a lifelong journey of seeing Christ more clearly.
The first encounter is only the beginning.
Heaven Opened
Jesus concludes with a profound promise: “You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
This directly echoes Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28.
Jacob saw a ladder connecting heaven and earth.
Jesus now declares: He Himself is that ladder.
He is the meeting place between God and humanity.
The bridge once symbolized by Jacob’s vision now stands before Nathanael in living flesh.
Heaven is accessible only through Christ.
This statement beautifully concludes John’s first chapter.
The eternal Word who came from heaven now becomes the only way back to heaven.
Mood and Tone
The tone moves from curiosity → invitation → discovery → transformation → worship → promise.
Every encounter demonstrates that meeting Jesus changes lives forever.
What Jesus Reveals
Jesus reveals Himself as:
- the Rabbi worth following,
- the Messiah,
- the Son of God,
- the King of Israel,
- the Son of Man,
- and the bridge between heaven and earth.
The Response of Others
John the Baptist
He willingly loses followers so they may gain Christ.
Andrew
He immediately brings his brother to Jesus.
Peter
He receives a new identity.
Philip
He obeys Christ’s call without hesitation.
Nathanael
He moves from skepticism to worship.
The Lesson for Us in 2026
1. Jesus Still Asks, “What Are You Seeking?”
Only He satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart.
2. Evangelism Often Happens One Person at a Time
Andrew changed history by bringing one brother to Jesus.
3. Christ Gives Believers a New Identity
Grace defines us by what Christ is making us, not merely by what we have been.
4. Honest Questions Can Lead to Genuine Faith
Jesus welcomes sincere seekers.
5. Jesus Alone Connects Heaven and Earth
Every relationship with God begins and ends with Christ.
Final Reflection
The first chapter of John’s Gospel closes with ordinary people whose lives become extraordinary because they encounter Jesus.
A wilderness preacher points to Christ.
Two disciples begin following.
One brother tells another.
A skeptical friend accepts an invitation.
A fisherman receives a new name.
A doubter becomes a worshiper.
This is how the Kingdom grows.
Not through celebrity.
Not through spectacle.
But through faithful people introducing others to Jesus.
Notice that no one in this chapter fully understands who Jesus is.
Yet each encounter reveals a little more.
The Lamb of God.
The Messiah.
The Son of God.
The King of Israel.
The Son of Man.
John invites us to make the same journey.
The deeper we walk with Christ, the greater our understanding becomes.
And like Andrew and Philip, genuine disciples cannot keep Him to themselves.
They naturally begin saying to others: “Come and see.”
So the question becomes:
Who first said “Come and see” to me, and who in my life is waiting for a simple invitation that could introduce them to the Savior who changed everything for me?
