The calling of the first disciples in John 1 is not just a list of names. It is a living picture of how faith spreads through testimony, how skepticism is answered, and how ordinary men become convinced that Jesus really is the Messiah. In this episode, we trace the chain from John the Baptist to Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, and see why their eyewitness testimony matters for us today.
In this week’s episode, we explore:
- How John’s Gospel keeps returning to the themes of testimony, belief, and new life from God’s Spirit, and where this story fits in that bigger pattern.
- The way John the Baptist’s clear witness to Jesus as the Lamb of God sets off a ripple effect among his own disciples.
- How Andrew and the likely unnamed author John move from following John the Baptist to following Jesus, simply on the strength of trusted testimony.
- Why Andrew runs to tell Simon, how Peter is drawn in through his brother’s excitement, and what Jesus is doing when he gives Simon the new name “Rock.”
- How Philip believes when he sees his friends believing, and how he tries to persuade Nathanael with the promise, “We have found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about.”
- Nathanael’s honest skepticism about Nazareth, why Jesus praises him as an Israelite without deceit, and how one small miracle changes his mind.
- What Jesus’ supernatural knowledge under the fig tree reveals, and why Nathanael responds by calling him the Son of God and King of Israel.
- How titles like Messiah, Son of God, King of Israel, and Son of Man all point to the promised ruler of Daniel 7 who will receive everlasting authority.
- Jesus’ mysterious promise about heaven opened and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man, and how it connects to Jacob’s ladder and God’s work focused in Christ.
- The larger question this story raises for all of us: what will it take for you to believe, and how do testimony, evidence, and the work of the Spirit all fit together.
By the end of this episode, you will see more clearly how the first disciples became convinced that Jesus is the Christ and why their testimony is worth trusting. You will be better able to think about why you believe what you believe, more confident that God can use simple words and small signs to awaken faith, and encouraged to see your own story as one more link in the long chain of witness that leads others to Christ.
Series: Gospel of John: Believe and Find Life
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