What Jesus Did

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Come, follow me." Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter's hometown.
Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth."

"Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

"Come and see for yourself," Philip replied.


—John 1:43-46 NLT

Key Thought​

"Come...

 

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Come, follow me."

—John 1:43 NLT

Key Thought​

Jesus found Philip in Galilee. Philip, at his best, was a practical and sensible man.[1] At his worst, Philip was earth-bound and without imagination.[2] Yet Jesus saw something special in Philip. He was of eternal value, just like any other person. However, Jesus also felt Philip had something unique to offer to the work of the Kingdom. So, led by God...

 

Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of [John the Baptizer's disciples] who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means "Christ").

—John 1:40-41 NLT

Key Thought​

Did you notice the first thing Andrew did after he started following Jesus? He searched and found his brother and told him about Jesus! Each time we see Andrew in the Gospel of John, he is bringing others to Jesus. [1]...

 

Jesus looked around and saw [John the Baptizer's two disciples] following. "What do you want?" he asked them.
They replied, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"

"Come and see," he said. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.


—John 1:38-39 NLT

Key Thought​

"Where are you staying" could be accurately translated by the slang expression...

 

The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, "Look! There is the Lamb of God!" When John's two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.

—John 1:35-37 NLT

Key Thought​

John had already talked about Jesus being the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." [1] This time, however, his identification of Jesus as the Lamb of God provokes a response from two of his own disciples. They...

 

[John the Baptizer said,] "I didn't know [Jesus] was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, 'The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God."

—John 1:33-34 NLT

Key Thought​

Our goal of spending a year in the Gospel of John is to reach this same point that John the Baptizer did! We want to know what Jesus did; so when we reach...

 

[John the Baptizer said,] "I did not recognize [Jesus] as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel."
Then John testified, "I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn't know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, 'The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'"


—John 1:31-33 NLT

Key Thought​

Isn't it...

 

[About Jesus, John the Baptizer said,] "He is the one I was talking about when I said, 'A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.'"

—John 1:30 NLT

Key Thought​

What John says in this verse sounds kind of like a broken record. [1] John the Baptizer doesn't falter or fail in this testimony about Jesus. He remains faithful and true to his task of pointing others to Jesus. He praises Jesus' greatness and trumpets the need of all people...

 

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

—John 1:29 NLT

Key Thought​

Animal sacrifice seems so foreign, maybe even cruel, in our day. Yet it was God's way of helping people know that their sin was costly, injurious, and serious. Their sin didn't impact just them, but it touched all they influenced and it damaged their relationship with God. Taking a lamb from their own flock — something precious and of...

 

John told [the Pharisees who asked him what right he had to baptize], "I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. Though his ministry follows mine, I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal." This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

—John 1:26-28 NLT

Key Thought​

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."© If we are not careful, we can find ourselves...