John Bible Study - Lesson 5

John Bible Study - Lesson 5

Read the passage below using the 2 different Bible translations:

John 1:35-51 New International Version (NIV)

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus

³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

³⁹ “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

⁴⁶ “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

⁵⁰ Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” ⁵¹ He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

John 1:35-51 New Living Translation (NLT)

The First Disciples

³⁵ The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples.³⁶ As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.

³⁸ Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them.

They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

³⁹ “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.

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. ⁴¹ Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”).

⁴² Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” ⁴⁴ Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.

⁴⁵ 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.”

⁴⁶ “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

“Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.

⁴⁷ As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”

⁴⁸ “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”

⁴⁹ Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”

⁵⁰ Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.”⁵¹ Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.”

Note:

Here are the 3 questions for you to answer. I have given some basic answers below the questions to help you understand the passage. Answer the questions first yourself before you look at my answers. Take a moment before you begin and ask God to help you understand what you are reading.

3 questions to answer:

1.    Content: What is this passage about?

2.    Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

3.    Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

Answers to the questions above and some background:

Content: What is this passage about?

·        John the Baptist declares Jesus to be the Lamb of God

·        2 of John’s disciples decide to follow Jesus and spend the day with Him.

·        Andrew one of the John’s disciples who spent the day with Jesus tells his brother Simon that they found the Messiah.

·        Jesus decides to go to Galilee and asks Phillip to follow Him.

·        Philip tells Nathanael that they found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about, and that His name was Jesus the son of Joseph from Nazareth.

·        Nathanael says to Philip “can anything good come out of Nazareth”.

·        Jesus tells Nathanael things that only God could know about Him.

·        Nathanael declares Jesus to be Rabbi, the Son of God—the King of Israel

·        Jesus tells Nathanael that he will see greater things including: all heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.”

Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

·        Jesus is the Lamb of God (Who takes away the sins of the world - John 1:29)

·        Those who truly follow Jesus believe He has come to redeem His people and offer them true forgiveness and everlasting life.

·        Those who spend time with Jesus can deepen their faith and experience supernatural change in their spiritual condition.

·        The Prophets and Moses foretold about the Messiah, and Jesus fits that description.

·        Jesus knows the most intimate details of our lives.

·        Jesus is the way we receive everlasting life in Heaven.

·        Those transformed from their relationship with Jesus desire to tell others about their experience as well as the details about their life changing transformation.

·        Jesus wants us to be His followers.

·        Jesus is the bridge between God and man (Stairway between Heaven & Earth).

Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

·        Just like the disciples did spend time with Jesus in order to get to know Him

·        Take to heart and tell others about Jesus’ purpose for coming

·        Spend time studying and reading God’s Word (The Bible)

·        Pray about those things you don’t understand

·        Give God a chance to change the course of your life

·        Test everything your hear and read with the truth of God’s Word (The Bible)

Don’t forget:

John’s main purpose in writing this Gospel:

·        To tell the world that Jesus is the Messiah for the Jews and Gentiles

·        The events were recorded so that we might believe and have eternal life

John 20:30-31 New International Version (NIV)

The Purpose of John’s Gospel

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Questions to ponder:

·        Are you willing to spend time with Jesus in order to get to know Him and increase the level of your faith?

·        How are you following Jesus today?

·        If not Jesus, who are you following?

·        How much of your faith are you putting into the things of this world?

·        If you are, or when you become a believer, will you tell others about your experience with Jesus and how He has transformed your life?

·        Do you believe that Jesus can know all about you, even your sin?

·        How far do you think you are separated from God and do you want help to repair that relationship?

·        Do you believe Jesus can help you reconcile with God?

Have a great week…………….Dave