We Have Found The Messiah: An Exposition Of John 1:35-42

We Have Found the Messiah: An Exposition of John 1:35-42

The previous passage was accented by John’s verbal testimony of the Christ when he calls out: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John the Baptist not only used the sign of water baptism as a testimony, but also spoke. This should remind us that we have to do more than just live the Christian life in front of the world and hope they see the light. The Gospel of John does not promote the idea of secret discipleship. Sooner or later, the secret disciple must become public. There is a saying: “Preach the gospel; if necessary, use words.” As well intentioned as that sounds, there is a major flaw with this type of witness. Yes, it is important that one’s actions agree with one’s words, but it is the preaching and testifying to the Word of God that saves. This is why Paul in Philippians can rejoice that even when Christ is preached from the wrong motives, Christ is preached. God created the universe by speaking. The new creation depends upon the faithful and Spirit-led spoken witness of Jesus Christ. As Paul says, “Faith comes by hearing; and hearing by the Word of God.” This requires that He be preached by those whom God has sent. John the Baptist is the example of this verbal witness of one sent by God.

In this passage, it says that it was the next day. The previous passage was introduced by the same words, and the next passage by a similar means. It is a three day sequence in which one passage naturally leads into the next. In the previous passage, John uses the historical present tense in Greek for the word translated “saw” in most translations into English. The historical present is used to transport the reader/hearer of the text back to the scene as though they were actually there when John the Baptist saw Jesus. Here the seeing is in the past as one would normally expect; however, there is a historical present here. John “says: “Behold the Lamb of God!” This is a repeat of the first half of John’s words which He spoke when he saw Jesus come. By putting this into the historical present, he is placing emphasis on John’s speaking. John spoke the words the day before. He speaks it again on this day. But he also speaks this for all time. We should hear his proclamation in our hearts as though John the Baptist was speaking before us today. We need to hear “Behold the Lamb of God!” again and again that we might fix our hearts and minds upon Him. This becomes the very root of discipleship.

What was the result of John’s habitual proclamation? We see here that there were two of John’s disciples who heard it. Maybe others who called themselves the disciples of John the Baptist heard John. But there was something different about these two disciples. They understood the implications of the Baptist’s words and followed Jesus instead. Why did not others follow. We know later that John still had disciples in the third chapter. But if one listens careful to John’s witness, we will leave off following other teachers, even good and faithful ones like John the Baptist. A teacher that does not deflect attention away from one’s self unto Jesus has failed to communicate the message. It is not necessarily the teacher’s fault. It is not John’s fault that all of his disciples did not leave him to follow Jesus. Isaiah was told in the 6th chapter of his book that the people’s hearts were dull. They would see and not perceive, and hear and not understand.

John spoke and two of his disciples followed. Jesus noticed them and says: Whom are you seeking?” Note again the historical present “say” is used. It is a question that Jesus asks us as well. The verb for seeing is the Greek word which is related to the English word “theatre.” There is a dramatic sense to Jesus’ gaze upon these two. There is more than just a casual seeing here. He saw the earnestness of their following. There would be many who would follow Jesus. The gospel says that there we those who followed Jesus for what they could get out of Him, whether it is be healing or bread. When Jesus failed to meet their expectations, these “followers” deserted Him. Jesus is recorded in John to be that knew the hearts of all men. He could see beyond the outward appearance to the very heart. This is what He was in these two disciples. They really wanted to follow Jesus on His terms and not theirs. So Jesus says the same to us. When He looks upon us, what does He see?