What Does A Disciple of Jesus Look Like?
We are continuing our series about the Gospel of John and the passage of focus is John 1:35-42. This passage looks into how Jesus gained his first disciples and answers an important question, “what does a disciple of Jesus look like?” There are three different features that we can extract from this passage which shows us what a disciple of Jesus looks like:
1. A Disciple of Jesus has a relationship with Him (v.35)
John the Baptist was standing with his disciples, and as Jesus walked by, he called Jesus '“the Lamb of God”. John understood that his job was to prepare the way for Jesus and now that he was here, he was pointing people to Jesus. By John’s declaration, two of John’s disciples ended up leaving him and following Jesus. Upon following him, Jesus asked John’s two disciples what they wanted, but their reply showed that they were far more interested in seeing who Jesus was and what he did. The disciples wanted to know more and Jesus invited them to officially follow him.
It’s encouraging to see that Jesus wanted them to follow him, essentially starting a relationship with them. And it’s evident the disciples enjoyed Jesus’ company so much that they remained with him for the day, and then until his death and resurrection as recorded in the Gospels. This is a great reminder that if we call ourselves followers or disciples of Jesus, we need to stay in the relationship with Jesus. We need to continually abide in Him and follow Him.
2. A Disciple of Jesus desires to share their experience (v.40-42a).
Andrew was one of the disciples that left John to follow Jesus. After spending the day with Jesus, Andrew was so excited, he went to find his brother to tell him that he had found the Messiah. It’s amazing to see that after he had an encounter with Jesus, he immediately looked for his brother, Simon, to tell him all about Jesus. This speaks volumes as to how much joy and satisfaction Andrew found in Jesus. So much so, that he wanted to share his good experience so that others could follow.
Just in the same way when we find a good restaurant or a quality product, we have this burning desire to share it with others so they too can enjoy the experience. It’s not much different to being a disciple. As a disciple, we have to share our experience with others. On the other hand, if we do have a relationship with Jesus and don’t share our experience with others, we need to ask ourselves, “is Jesus my everything?”
3. A Disciple of Jesus surrenders their life to His Plans (v.42b)
After Andrew spoke to Simon, together they go to find Jesus. Upon meeting Simon, Jesus states that Simon’s name is now Peter meaning ‘rock’. When we think of Peter’s life story, he is far from being as dependable or solid as a rock. Peter often acted irrationally at times and even denied Jesus three times before Jesus was crucified. His words (and sometimes actions) showed that he was far from being our definition of a rock. Yet, Jesus who surely knew what was to come called him ‘rock’ regardless. Surely, it was because Jesus knew Peter’s future plans.
While we might doubt the Peter portrayed in the Gospels, he eventually became what Jesus had planned. Peter boldly spoke before the early believers about Jesus Christ. He went so far as to dying for his faith. Peter surrendered his life to Jesus’ plans and was able to transform because of the Holy Spirit. It’s important to note, that the Holy Spirit that is within Peter is also within us. We are transformed and equipped by the Holy Spirit. All we need to do is to surrender and live a life of obedience following Christ. This means that we trust Jesus with our whole life and we understand that Jesus’ way is the best and only way to live.
Father God,
Thank you that you have sent Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Saviour. I pray that as Jesus’ followers we desire to have a deeper relationship and share our experiences with others. I pray that we are not afraid and that we can continue to surrender our life daily. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who transforms and reminds us of these truths.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen