Answers Bible Curriculum Year 3 Quarter 1 Lesson 12
This week in Sunday school, we look at how Jesus’ ministry begins with the special calling of certain followers. Which disciples were called first and when? How did those who were called react to Jesus’ calling? What can we learn about our own call to follow Christ and our commission to tell others about Christ? We’ll consider these questions and more.
Our main texts for Sunday school will be John 1:29-51 and Matthew 4:12-22.
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ch all right well 9:30 so let’s begin good morning Calvary welcome to Sunday school we are concluding the first quarter of the third year of our answers Bible curriculum today with our lesson Jesus calls followers it’s technically was supposed to be the lesson last week but as you know I took one of the lessons and split it in two and I just used our extra day today normally review day I used our extra day to catch up so that’s why we’re on Lesson 12 while the other classes would have seen this lesson already if you’re guest in this class and you are coming from one of the other classes um it will be a review day for you this would have been normally a review day but we’re just going to be reviewing at least from your perspective the previous lesson so hopefully this will allow you to know those things that you learn better and maybe a little bit deeper last week we saw the final event in Jesus preparation for Ministry in his life and that was his temptation in the wilderness we saw last week that Jesus responses to Temptation are very instructive for us they tell us and teach us a lot Jesus both knew and believed the scripture so no matter what form of sinful Indulgence was presented to him by Satan Jesus unswervingly trusted in his father’s good character in his father’s good provision and his father’s good timing the different ways that that manifested in in Jesus Temptations were these Jesus refused to go outside the father’s will to provide for his own needs his own basic needs choosing rather to wait on the father to provide for the son’s hunger rather than supernaturally create food for himself by the way I mentioned last week that Jesus fasted and and I wasn’t sure what it was a full fast or maybe just eating a little amount of food but I just noticed from the parallel passage in Luke regarding jesus’ Temptation Luke is quite explicit when it comes to what kind of a fast it was he says Jesus ate nothing for 40 days so it was indeed a full fast so even while weak and basically starving Jesus saw the father’s will as more important than food even that the father’s will was his food it was more necessary and enjoyable than anything else so Jesus refused to go outside of the Lord’s will to provide for his basic needs Jesus refused to test the promises of the Lord Promises of protection he refused to test such promises through folly or Disobedience Jesus did not need to see the father’s protection visibly to believe in his God he would not Test the Lord Jesus also refused in his third Temptation he refused to obtain worldwide Dominion by worshiping Satan he chose to trust in the worthiness of his father to be loved worshiped and obeyed even to the point of humiliating death on the cross and the reward that came after that Jesus decided he would wait for the father’s perfect reward rather than try to obtain his own reward without righteous suffering now these Godly attitudes and beliefs that were Jesus’s in response to Temptation they ought to be reflected in our own Hearts as Christians we also saw last week though that the main point of hearing about Jesus’s Temptations was to again demonstrate to us that Jesus is the perfect Savior and Messiah Jesus was tempted and he can identify with his people’s struggles and give them help and time of need but Jesus also overcame Temptation every Temptation succeeding where both Man’s first representative Adam and where God’s chosen people Israel failed when they were tested Jesus then showed himself to be a perfect new representative both of mankind and of Israel and Jesus could therefore present himself present his life as a acceptable life life of obedience on behalf of those he would come to represent that is those who repent turn from their sins and believe in him when tested in the desert Jesus came out Victorious which had to be true of God’s perfect Redeemer and this is great news for all of us because when we fail and as we repent we can claim Jesus perfect and Victorious righteousness on our behalf and such Will Keep Us Safe in the love and in the security of God now how appropriate it is for Jesus to have been tested and proven before he officially begins his preaching Ministry and that’s where we’re going to now to remind you of the timeline for Jesus life Jesus was born around 5 BC it was baptized and tested around 26 or 26 ad so 5 BC to about 26 ad he’s about 30 years old and he be he now begins his three and a half year Ministry but where does the Messiah begin what does this proven Messiah and Son of God do first well as we’ll see today even as he begins preaching he picks out specific people to follow him but whom did Jesus choose when did he choose them why did he choose them how did these men react to Jesus’s calling and what did these events show us about Jesus and how we ought to react to meeting the Messiah that’s what we’re going to find out today so here’s our outline for our quest for our lesson we’re first going to take a look at the first calling of disciples that we hear in the gospel in the Book of John John chapter 1 well then look at a second calling of the disciples that we see in Matthew 4 and then we’ll finish by more specifically discussing our own application of these passages right that’s our game plan let’s pray before we go on Lord God it is a great word that we have to look at today I pray God that you would display yourself through this word that the people would hear its truth and be impacted by it that I would as well God may your spirit change Us in the way that it was meant to by your word sanctify us encourage us convict us as we need cause us to become more holy As You Are Holy more effective for you as Witnesses while we’re on the earth in Jesus name amen all right please open your Bibles to the Book of John John chapter 1 if I asked you where Jesus first called his disciples your mind might immediately go to the scene of several of the disciples in their fishing boats being called by Jesus and Jesus saying something about making them Fishers of Men that is an important part of Jesus calling his disciples but that’s not actually where Jesus first gained his disciples it’s not the first call the synoptic gospels Matthew Mark and Luke they omit the real first step of Jesus’s calling followers but John the Apostle John in his gospel he gives us a little extra information about the earliest days of Jesus’s Ministry so that’s where we’re going to start look at the Book of John 1 verse 29 and we’re going to read down to verse 51 what’s the context here the passage we’re about to read well John the Baptist has been baptizing by the Jordan River people have been coming to him even people from the Pharisees and some of these people ask John whether John is actually the Messiah himself John declares to them I’m not the Christ but the Messiah is among you though you don’t know it yet that’s what he says right before a passage now let’s actually read our passage starting verse 29 to the end of the chapter the next day the next day he that is John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him and said Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world this is he on behalf of whom I said after me comes a man who has a higher rank than I for he existed before me I did not recognize him but so that he might be manifested to Israel I came baptizing in water John testified saying I I have seen the spirit descending as a dove out of heaven and he remained upon him I did not recognize him but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me he upon whom you see the spirit descending and remaining upon him this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples and he looked at Jesus as he walked and said Behold the Lamb of God the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus and Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them what do you seek they said to him Rabbi which translated means teacher where are you staying he said to them come and you will see so they came and saw where he was staying and they stayed with him that day for it was about the 10th hour one of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew Simon Peter’s brother he found first his own brother Simon and said to him we have found the Messiah which translated means Christ he brought him to Jesus Jesus looked at him and said you are Simon the son of John you shall be called sephus which is translated Peter the next day he purposed to go into Galilee he found Philip and Jesus said to him follow me now Philip was from Betha the city of the city of Andrew and Peter Philip found Nathaniel or Philip found Nathaniel and said to him we have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph Nathaniel said to him can any good thing come out of Nazareth Philip said to him come and see Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him and said of him behold an Israelite indeed in whom there is no deceit Nathaniel said to him how do you know me Jesus answered and said to him before Philip called you when you were under the Fig Tree I saw you ethaniel answered him Habi you are the Son of God you are the king of Israel Jesus answered and said to him because I said to you that I saw you under the Fig Tree do you believe you will see greater things than these and he said to him truly truly I say to you you will see the heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the son of man right that’s where our text ends so let’s now use our inductive Bible study method to analyze this passage and we’ll start with basic observations of the text notice that these events in our passage cover the next three days after people from the Pharisees visit John on the first day John gives testimony about Jesus on the second day two of John’s disciples start following Jesus and they grab a third disciple with them on the third day two more disciples begin following Jesus so by the end of the passage we have five disciples notice then that these events do not take place before Jesus’s baptism and Temptation in the wilderness but after John the Apostle our gospel writer does not mention anything about Jesus time in the wilderness in this gospel but for these events to take place in their sequence as presented this must be after Jesus’s time in the wilderness now notice the testimony that John the Baptist about Jesus John the Baptist gives five declarations first declaration he says look people this is the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sins by the way a lamb taking away sin should remind John’s listeners of what the oldest sacrifices for sure the sacrifice of the Old Testament particularly the sin offering and the offering on the day of atonement even the Passover sacrifices all of these come to mind when John says the Lamb of God especially the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world he says this is the one number two John says here is the one that I said is greater than I because he existed before me wait a second Jesus was conceived and he was born after John so how could Jesus have existed before John what’s the answer he Wasing himself as God John was testifying to him about Jesus that Jesus was God that’s the only way that Jesus could have existed before John and that’s going to connect with what Jesus declares later in the gospel when he says before Abraham was I am this is the recognition of Jesus’s deity so that’s the second declaration then John the Baptist says I did not recognize him at first but I came baptizing so that all Israel might see him and then number four when I baptized him I saw the spirit of God descend upon him like a dove just as God told me what happen for the one who himself baptizes with the Holy Spirit I saw all this happen that confirms what God said to me and then number five John says plainly this is the Son of God that’s quite a testimony from John the Baptist on jesus’ behalf and then notice that or notice the first two men that follow Jesus these two are Disciples of John the Baptist but they leave John and they follow Jesus the next day after John says again Behold the Lamb of God we learn that one of these disciples is named Andrew but we never hear the other disciples name kind of curious in fact throughout this gospel that is the Gospel of John there’s always one disciple hanging around with Jesus does different things but who remains nameless though sometimes he is described as the disciple whom Jesus loved who is this well we’ll come back to that notice though that these two disciples call Jesus teacher and they ask him where he’s staying and then they stay with him now verse 41 says that before the two go to stay with Jesus one of the two Andrew he goes to find his brother Simon and he tells Simon we have found the Messiah what does Andrew then do why he brings Simon to Jesus and then notice what Jesus does he looks at Simon and he declares a name change says I know that you are Simon the son of John or Simon bar Jonah but now you shall be called sephus that’s the Aramaic name that means rock or stone and translates to Peter in Greek so Jesus declares a new name for Peter now notice verse 43 Jesus intends to go to Galilee but Jesus first finds Phillip and notice this is the third time in the text that we have the idea of finding someone he found Phillip and we’re going to see that term twice more people are doing lots of finding in our passage Jesus finds Phillip and Jesus says to Phillip follow me we then hear that philli Andrew and Peter are all from the same City Betha that’s a city on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee Jesus hometown of Nazareth by the way was on the west of the Sea of Galilee West Side actually a little bit Inland but so you got two cities on the opposite sides of the Sea of gall so these three men are all from the same area but notice that once philli is called what does he do he goes to find Nathaniel Nathaniel is also called barthol you in the gospels Philip goes to Nathaniel and what does he say Philip says we have found him who we have found the one of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote It’s Jesus of Nazareth wait a second what did Moses in the law ever say about the Messiah do you remember AET like will that’s right so back in Deuteronomy I have the reference here is Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses says a prophet like me will arise among you and to him you must listen and those words apply to the Messiah so Moses the first writer of the in the Old Testament he declared something about the Messiah and of course the rest of the Old Testament does too as we get the prophets especially one in the Old Testament to the other you have all the writers looking forward to the coming of Messiah and Philip says now we found him from the beginning to the end of the Old Testament there were declarations about him but now he’s come and we have found him it’s Jesus of Nazareth but notice Nathaniel’s response how would you characterize Nathaniel’s attitude skeptical at least yes certainly skeptical now this may simply be that he doesn’t want to believe something without evidence he’s trying to be an honest guy or maybe he’s just a little contemptuous because what does he say Well when Philip mentions that Jesus from Nazareth Nathaniel responds can anything good come from Nazareth now in the Bible Nazareth one of these cities of Galilee seems to be a place that’s held in some contempt not only among the Jews who were pretty contemptuous of the area of Galilee in total but even among galileans Nazareth was a city that you look down on perhaps because it was small it was rural and it was unimportant but Nathaniel uses some hyperbole to express his skepticism and perhaps contempt can anything good come out of Nazareth much less the Messiah for which we’ve all been waiting can anything good come Philip simply replies come and see so Nathaniel goes and notice that when Nathaniel approaches Jesus Jesus is the one who speaks first declaring that Nathaniel is indeed an honest and upright Jew Jesus even quotes the Old Testament when describing Nathaniel Psalm 32:2 says this this is Psalm 32:2 how blessed is the man to whom Yahweh does not impute iniquity and in whose Spirit there is no deceit that second part of the verse that phrase being applied directly to Nathaniel but Nathaniel asks perhaps again skeptical how do you know me that Jesus declares before Philip called you when you were under the Fig Tree I saw you this answer deeply affects Nathaniel and Nathaniel confesses you are the Son of God you are the king of Israel but then Jesus makes two ponderous declarations he says you think what I told you what I just told you was amazing you’re going to see much greater things than that then Jesus says truly truly that is Believe Me trust me you know what I’m about to say is incredible but it’s absolutely true you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the son of man now that is a very profound statement but what is Jesus talking about we can break this down to two parts first think back where in the Old Testament did we see angels of God ascending and descending on something yeah Jacob’s dream what we sometimes call Jacob’s Ladder or Jacob’s staircase this is Genesis 28:12 Genesis 28:12 says he that’s Jacob he had a dream and behold a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven and behold the angels of God were ascending and descending on it but what was the point of Jacob’s Dream well we talked about it many months ago when we were still in Genesis remember what had just happened before that dream Jacob had just stolen his brother’s Birthright he was fleeing to laban’s house but God gave this dream to Jacob and God was showing ja Jacob you don’t normally see what I’m doing but let me peel back the veil and show you what an active God I am look at all my angels they’re going up and down they’re coming from Heaven going back to Heaven they are accomplishing my will I am not static I am not um I am not doing nothing I will indeed bring to pass the Covenant blessings that were pronounced on you Jacob therefore do not be afraid that was what God was showing Jacob in that dream but back in John Jesus alludes to that same instance in Genesis but then he says something surprising not only will you see the Angels ascending and descending but what will be their staircase this time why it’s the son of man himself it is Jesus himself so we have this thing with the angels ascending and descending but then this phrase son of man is very important this is one of Jesus’s favorite ways to describe himself in the gospels he calls himself the son of man literally this phrase simply states that Jesus is human he is the son of a man he is one of the sons of men now that’s significant because as we have clearly gathered from the Old Testament a son of man or just a man is in a theological sense cursed sinful and unimportant to be a son of man is to in a way be contempt in God’s sight listen to a few verses from the Old Testament that talk about what it’s like to be a son of man Psalm 8 verse4 Psalm 88 verse4 the psalmist writes what is man that you take thought of him and the son of man that you care for him Psalm 114 Psalm 114: 2-3 Psalm 114: 2-3 the psalmist writes this time Yahweh has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand who seek after God they have all turned aside together they have become corrupt there is no one who does good not even one and then Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes 3:18 Ecclesiastes 3:18 Solomon writes he observes life I said to myself concerning the sons of men God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts the sons of men are but beasts and this is just representative we see men we see the sons of men as insignificant and even sinful and corrupt throughout the Old Testament but the Old Testament also uses the the phrase son of man in some surprising ways and we have to keep those in mind too when Jesus adopts this title for instance Psalm 80: 17- 19 not just the phrase son of man but even the cont concept of Son of Man Psalm 80: 17- 19 psalmist writes he’s speaking to God let your hand be upon the man of your right hand upon the son of man whom you made strong for yourself then we shall not turn back from you revive us and we will call upon your name oh Yahweh God of hosts restore us cause your face to shine upon us and we will be saved so here in that Psalm the psalmist cries out for God’s provision protection restoration but it involves God upholding a man even the son of a man the son of man and then Isaiah Isaiah 52: 13- 15 whenever you think Isaiah 52- 53 you’re thinking about some of the prophecies about the Messiah Isaiah 52: 13- 15 Isaiah 52: 13- 15 Isaiah writes speaking with God’s voice behold my servant will prosper he will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted just as many were astounded at you my people so his appearance was marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men thus he will sprinkle many nations Kings will shut their mouths on account of him for what had not been told them them they will see and what they had not heard they will understand this involves a man a special man from God one of the sons of men but most significantly is what Daniel says you may remember this Daniel chapter 7 Daniel 7: 13- 14 Daniel writes as he views a vision from God I kept looking in the night visions and behold with the cloud of Heaven one like a son of man was coming and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him and to him was given Dominion glory and a kingdom that all the peoples Nations and Men of every language might serve him his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which will not pass away and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed so all of these things are in the background of the name son of man what do we make of all this well let’s now proceed to our second step that is interpretation let’s use our observations now to try and answer some interpretations interpretation questions about the passes we just read first who is the unnamed disciple who was first called with Andrew it’s got to be the apostle John when we look at the Gospel of John compared to the other gospels it’s interesting that while the other gospels will talk a lot about the Apostle John he’s never mentioned in this gospel but there’s always this unnamed disciple and he seems to be doing things along that that coincide with what the other gospels say that John did so we should understand this unnamed disciple the one who’s called with Andrew this is John the Apostle another question what is significant about Jesus changing Simon’s name to Peter what does a name change itself signify owners say that again ownership yeah it’s not it’s an expression of authority um you could even say ownership remember back in Genesis one of the things that God has Adam do is to name all the animals that was a sign of man’s authority over the beasts um we see with Daniel and his friends they are renamed by the king of Babylon he was trying to show his authority even his ownership of them and it’s also appropriate for Jesus as he becomes the rabbi or the teacher the leader of these new disciples that he would even choose to name some of them and he chooses to do that for Peter now there could be something even um appropriate to his name about being a stone being a rock maybe it’s his uh his obtuseness maybe at certain times it could also be his uh found the the foundational role that he will play in establishing God’s church but for whatever reason certainly as a mark of authority and ownership Jesus renames Simon to Peter or sephus another question if Nazareth is so unimportant and contemptuous even in the sight of Israel why would God have his Messiah come from Nazareth to fulfill a prophecy that a light will come to land of Gentiles G certainly true now thanks for mentioning that we’re going to see in just a moment when we go to Matthew 4 that this connects with some of the prophecies given in the Old Testament particularly one in Isaiah that says from the land of zebulun and the land of Napal Galilee of the Gentiles that’s where the light comes from so certainly Jesus would need to come from one of the cities of Galilee if he’s going to fulfill that prophecy but why else is it appropriate for Jesus to come from Nazareth considering God’s whole work of redemption we think of M salvation think about the the economy of Salvation the way that God does things when it comes to Salvation whom does he choose to save whom does he choose to exalt the ones that are contemptuous in the eyes of the world he chooses the weak to shame the strong he does that with Believers it’s then entirely appropriate that he would do that with his own Savior Jesus as we’ve already seen he didn’t come in in pomp he didn’t come into Jerusalem he wasn’t born with all the Splendor of royalty he was born in Bethlehem he was acclaimed by simple Shepherds and we’re seeing that theme continue he lives in Nazareth he grew up in Nazareth this no-name town this unimportant town that even other people in Galilee look down on but this was to the glory of God he was going to use even a savior from Nazareth this CH even more of the son’s incredible humility and the wisdom of God totally contradicting the wisdom of men another question why was Nathaniel so affected by Jesus’s Declaration of seeing Nathaniel under the Fig Tree what’s so significant about that declaration yes I see that hand in the back indication of om perhaps yeah for sure he he sees this as a demonstration of divine power in one way or another it may simply be that he didn’t think that anybody could know where what the situation was when Philip arrived Philip didn’t have a chance to tell Jesus where he found Nathaniel but Jesus already knew and he tells Nathaniel before anyone even has a chance to talk now perhaps you might saywell aren’t there a lot of fig trees in Israel and couldn’t Jesus have just made a lucky guess well something about the the situation makes that uh makes it so that couldn’t be the case Nathaniel as we’ve already seen is pretty skeptical but he he is arrested by Jesus’s statement it may be that the Fig Tree was a secluded one or one that was very special to Nathaniel And he was sure that nobody else knew about it or nobody else considered the significance of it and yet this Rabbi this person that he’s never met before he knows this particular detail about Nathaniel and he recognizes only someone from God only even God himself because he calls him the Son of God only he could know yes yeah go ahead that hethel that he was an Israelite was no deceit so Jesus identified something inwardly going about him his heart condition and he also saw his outward so he saw both the whole man his inward condition and his outward where he and who he is yeah that’s a great Point thanks Danny with the two statements from Jesus just to repeat what you said Jesus really shows that he knows Nathaniel inwardly and outwardly I saw you from the outside but I also see your heart I know that you’re an Israelite in whom there is no deceit and I think yeah maybe in both of those things affect Nathaniel And he says what Philip said is must be true this is the Messiah this is the Son of God he recognized something Supernatural about Jesus another question considering the meaning of Jacob’s staircase in Genesis what was Jesus declaring about himself by eluding to the Genesis 28 account you will see the Angels ascending and descending on the son of man what is Jesus saying well if the staircase in Genesis was about showing God is accomplishing his will he is actively sending his servants having them go to and from the Earth all all of that’s happening behind the scenes and you don’t see it if that was true in Genesis then the same thing is true when Jesus uses that description to talk about himself Jesus was declaring himself to be part of and even the focal point of God’s continual work and plans angels will indeed continue to minister and accomplishes accomplish God’s will but how will they do that it will be via the agency of the son of man to say it another way Jesus declares himself to be the connection between Heaven and Earth through which God’s angels will continue or God’s angels will minister to and on behalf of men Jesus was essentially telling Nathaniel you are going to see God’s great works unfold through and on me the son of man you’re not just going to see God is active but you’re going to see all of that is happening through me I am the focal point in a sense I am the bridge through which all of God’s all of God’s plans are being accomplished you’re going to see that you’re going to see the great things of God 28 the Contex of that Tex is that yes Alles of the earth will blessed through anding to himself of all the families being blessed through him will be fulfilled in Christ yeah I think we can say that too it’s not merely that just as God was active in the Old Testament and accomplishing his will so he is in the New Testament accomplishing everything to Jesus but even what he began to accomplish through Abraham and through Jacob with the abrahamic Covenant was going to find its fulfillment and that was you’re right Bill the part of the context of that dream to Jacob in Genesis 28 is that the promises of Abraham had just been extended to Jacob and we do see their continuation and even their culmination in Jesus so we see this uh this declaration this great declaration about Jesus regarding Angels ascending and descending but also there’s that second part by taking on the title of son of man what was Jesus declaring about himself yeah Dwayne yeah this is a Messianic claim I think we can actually see in the term son of man the same thing that we’ve been seeing in these last couple lessons about Jesus there is a declaration of Jesus’s Humanity but also in his of his deity even in the phrase the son of man because a son of man there’s a clear identification with man sinful and contemptible man Jesus became a man he is a son of man that he might save the sons of men but also there is that because of promises made about a certain son of man and even promises made about the rule and Glory of that son of man there is a declaration in this term of messiahship and even deity see Jesus says I am the special son of man who will redeem Israel I will suffer for Israel’s sake I will come on clouds of glory and I will receive total Dominion from the Ancient of Days this term son of man is not a mere term of humility that that Jesus adopted this is a declaration about himself as the Messiah even as God which you might not expect because you’re like son of man how could that be something about God but because of what the Old Testament said regarding a special son of man and this is exactly what Jesus says to the Sanhedrin later on when Jesus is about to be crucified they ask him they demand of him are you really the Messiah or not and he says to them Matthew records Matthew 2664 Matthew 2664 Jesus said to them you have said it yourself that is you have said and you are correct that I am the Messiah nevertheless I tell you Hereafter you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the Clouds Of Heaven what is Jesus declaring there he’s alluding back to Daniel 7 for them he tells them I am the one that Daniel spoke about I will come on the Clouds Of Glory I am that son of man I am God and of course that’s one of the reasons why they put him to death because they would they refused to believe that and they saw that as blasphemy so understand then that this term son of man is no no mere Meek title it is a specially chosen title that simultaneously declares Jesus’s Redemption of humanity and his kingship and coming Glory now just a couple other things notice that in our chapter Jesus never told his new followers to go bring others to him nevertheless they did so Andrew goes to find Peter brings Peter to Jesus Philip goes to find Nathaniel brings Nathaniel Jesus why did they do this yeah Ro well this is indicative first of all that that Philip understood the Old Testament somewhat he was looking for the Messiah he was seeking for the Messiah and Nathaniel by his response indicates also that he is also familiar with the Old Testament prophecies going back to Moses and he is also a Seeker which I think is another reason that Christ has to in whom there is no deceit he is a true seeker of God unlike the Jews who were supposedly looking for the Messiah when he really came rejected him Nathaniel Philip and John and Andrew they were actually seeking for the Messiah and this is just indication were those scures wereing yeah for sure the you’re right I’ll just repeat a little bit of what you said that clearly Philip Nathaniel um and Andrew even Peter and John they were looking for the Messiah that’s why Andrew and John were Disciples of John the Baptist and we certainly know from The Book of Luke that there were plenty of people who were looking for the Redemption of Israel Israel as a nation was looking forward to their Messiah but as you point out Roy they weren’t looking for the Messiah as God intending the Messiah to come but these people were looking for the Messiah and so once one of them found the Messiah encounter the Messiah he knew that other people were looking for the Messiah too so he wanted to go tell them about the Messiah want to tell them we found the one you’re looking for you can see that there’s just a basic love and care for another person in sharing that declaration it’s not as if Phillip or Andrew says all right I found the Messiah but I don’t need to tell others about it no he this is such a great thing everybody’s been looking for the Messiah everybody needs to know about this Messiah and so they naturally go and find a close friend or go and find a brother and they tell him come see the Messiah has finally come of course Jesus will later command his disciples to do basically what they are doing he will command them to tell others about him teach others about him bring others to him but even before we get an official command we see the disciples telling others about the uh the coming of Messiah and bringing people to Jesus so we see at the end of John 1 Jesus has five disciples John Andrew Simon Peter Philip and Nathaniel but this is just part one of the calling of these men with these five Jesus begins some of his preaching and Ministry he also begins to do Miracles and we hear about that in the next chapter of John but there’s another calling coming for these disciples and we’re actually going to move out of John to see the second calling turn over to Matthew chap 4 let’s look at part two of The Calling of these disciples let’s look at Matthew 4 verses 12 to 22 we won’t analyze this passage as deeply but let’s notice a few things Matthew 4: 12-22 follow along with me now when Jesus heard that John as John the Baptist had been taken into custody he withdrew into Galilee and leaving Nazareth he came and settled in Capernaum which is by the sea in the region of zebulun and naph this was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet the land of zebulun and the land of Na by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan Galilee of the G Gentiles the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death upon them a light dawned from that time Jesus began to preach and say repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers Simon who was called Peter and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen and he said to them follow me and I will will make you Fishers of Men immediately they left their Nets and followed him going on from there he saw two other brothers James the son of Zebedee and John his brother in the boat with zebede their father mending their Nets and he called them immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him notice a few things notice that some time has gone by since the events of John 1 there we saw John baptizing and testifying about Jesus but here John is in prison this is clearly not the case in the Book of John chapter 1 moreover we see Jesus moved to capernium he’s no longer in Nazareth and he’s preaching repentance in light of God’s imminent Kingdom arrival notice also that while walking along and likely preaching at the Sea of Galilee Jesus sees Simon and Andrew practicing their trade they fishermen he tells them to follow him and from what we know in John we tells them to follow him again but this time he adds I will make you Fishers of Men We then see a description here that we did not see earlier in John notice how the disciples react they immediately leave their work they totally leave it behind and they follow Jesus same thing happens with James and John when Jesus calls them they leave the boat they leave their father and they follow follow Jesus so what’s going on here with this second calling what what’s significant about what we see here well noticing that this is a part two is informative for us in at least two ways first it shows us why these men are so willing to follow Jesus it’s not as if some random guy comes along Jesus talk to some people that doesn’t know and just says follow me I mean he is God he could he could force somebody to to follow him if it were God’s will but this isn’t the first time that disciples have encountered Jesus they already know about him they’ve already in a way become his disciples they’ve heard his preaching they’ve been taught by him they’ve seen some of his miracles they know who it is that is calling them so that’s helpful to realize but a second thing to realize is notice the difference between this calling and that which we see in John 1 what is the big difference yeah Ro in John that it is sort of an initial calling and in and their first actually their first getting acquainted if you will uh with with the Lord I mean John the Baptist points him out John the Baptist gives his great testimony this is the Son of God and then the next day John and Andrew were there uh and then that’s when we see andw and grabing Peter and so forth um but the second calling and that’s where they first make their acquaintance the second calling that we see in Matthew seems to be more one where there is this uh more dedicated commitment for like of a better way I mean where Jesus is saying okay this is it you know we I know you let’s go now it is time for me to begin my Ministry follow me justs to me yeah I think you’re right to characterize it that way there they are getting to know they’re getting acquainted with Jesus in their first calling but there’s a it’s like a Jesus is taking it to another level as uh some have described it Jesus is Calling them to fulltime discipleship notice in John one there’s no mentioning of their leaving their vocations behind there’s no mentioning of becoming Fishers of Men but here that’s what Jesus says essentially stop being Fishers of fish you’re now going to be become Fishers of Men I need I’m calling you now to full-time discipleship and these men have come to know who Jesus is and so they’re already willing to do what Jesus says they do leave behind their vocations they become full-time disciples ready to learn from him ready to minister with him by the way just so we’re reminded when we think about being a fisher of men let’s not think about modern Recreation fishing this isn’t somebody casting a line with a hook with some bait and then hoping to get a fish remember the fishing that these kind of disciples practiced in their vacation net fishing fishing where you work together with a whole bunch of other guys to get in a huge catch of fish even drag net fishing where you’re getting hundreds of fish uh in in one set of fishing that’s the image that Jesus has in mind when he says you’re Fishers of Men they going to be in a sense cast ing Nets bringing in boatloads of people into God’s into God’s kingdom but he needs them to be fulltime he can’t make them into fishes of men or he needs to have them their full attention their full amount of time he needs them to be with him all the time if he’s going to disciple them make them into fishes of men Jesus says he will do this sinful and weak as you are I will make you disciples into the fishes of men I will cause you to catch and even save men come follow me come learn from me be with me all the time now note that John in his gospel he didn’t tell us that these were fishermen at least not not right away but now we hear in Matthew Matthew these disciples are not only from Gentile is Galilee but they’re just fishermen and these men are not impressive from a worldly perspective in fact when we look at the full compliment of the 12 disciples as Jesus calls them it’s kind of a mly bunch most of the men are fishermen we also have a traitorous tax collector and a former partisan and terrorist against Rome this is the group they’re mostly uneducated they have thick Galilean accents this is what God chooses to call these are the fishes of men these are the disciples why would God choose these it goes back to what we were saying earlier right the glory of God is not seen through the honorableness.
I give God all the glory 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31 is where we see that concept of the weak shaming the strong spelled out specifically 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31 it says for consider your calling Brethren that there were not many wise according to the flesh not many mighty not many noble but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong and the base things of the world and the despise God has chosen the things that are not so that he might nullify the things that are so that no man May boast before God but by his doing you Corinthians are in Christ Jesus you became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and Redemption so that just as it is written let him who boasts boast in the Lord is how God does salvation this is his wisdom so bringing this all to a conclusion what are main takeaways from these passages describing Jesus calling his first followers and beginning his ministry we see at least three things one Jesus again is showing himself to be the man who identifies with Sinners yet to be the God who was able to save those Sinners and who will one day Reign Over the whole Earth as King two Jesus ministry begins in a way consistent with the nature of God’s whole gospel plan the Messiah from snoozeville Nazareth calls a bunch of fishermen into full-time discipleship in preparation for what will be their full-time Ministry God is already using the weak to shame the strong for his glory and three once the disciples found the Messiah they told others and even brought people to Jesus in order that those persons might meet and become Disciples of the Messiah as well such behavior is completely appropriate considering the greatness of Jesus and the later official calling of these disciples as Fishers of Men but what do these truths mean for us today now we come to step three of our method let’s talk about application many ways we can apply this text but I’m just going to focus on three that relate to the main truths of the text first there’s application regarding our own salvation like those like the salvation of the Jews in the first century and uh the Gentile at at that time it all rested on a Nazarene who came as both Son of God and Son of Man God’s son became a man’s son in accordance with the scriptures in order to save men and Reign Over the whole earth he is the messiah in whom we must believe he is the Christ in whom we must trust he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world who provides the covering that we all need as Sinners so we must repent and believe in this savior the only savior we too must become his disciples and as we do Let Us Praise the Lord for him and live lives worthy of him and of the Salvation that is in him second we have become a part of God’s great plan of the weak shaming the strong we’re just like the fishermen that Jesus called we’re just like the Church of Corinth that didn’t have anybody great in it according to the world we too in the 21st century we’re not wise we’re not Mighty we’re not of noble birth but in Christ we become wise we become Mighty we be even become royalty inheritors of an everlasting Kingdom all the blessings and Riches of God are ours in Jesus therefore let us live differently from the world let just not seek what the world seeks let just not cling to what the world clings to let us not love what the world loves but’s seek the things which are ours above through Jesus let just not courot the favor of the world trying to make ourselves seem cool or sophisticated or popular or cultured as if we could gain their favor and somehow gain some influence for Christ’s sake friendship with the world is enmity with God love of the world is treason toward God we cannot serve two masters we do want to love the world when it comes to salvation but we don’t want to love the um not the good opinion but we don’t we don’t want to seek the world’s favor in an ungodly way we don’t want to become friends in a sense with worldliness with the world system so let us stop being like the world but in fact show the world how different we are from them because of our love for Christ we must be the light of God’s great wisdom and power that exposes man’s so-called wisdom and self-righteousness then finally and along the same lines understand that we are Fishers of Men as well the ministry of gospel reconciliation has been not only given to the disciples but is given to those who are their disciples that which has been passed down all the way to us we too are made by Jesus and the Fishers of Men it is our duty but also our reasonable response after all you if you’re a Believer you have found the Messiah you have found the Savior or rather you have been found by him therefore will you not tell anybody will you be silent when you have such a treasure are you not great F that someone told you about Jesus someone confronted you about your need for Jesus if you are thankful at all why do you not do the same for others for your fellow man Jesus came to save the whole world salvation has been extended to the whole world and we are a part of that we are made in the fishes of man let us not give excuses let us not say oh God will just send someone else it’s uncomfortable or I don’t want to experience rejection or suffer hardship or I just don’t feel like I’m able to do it we have the promises of God so when we refuse to obey the Lord in this way we put him to the test we appear to God like Moses saying God I’m not a good speaker I’ve never been a good speaker I don’t know what to say send someone else did not God make the mouth will he not teach us what to say you promised that so let us obey the Lord in this way let us love our fellow men in this way let us go after them as Fishers of Men we have the promises of God well we’re out of time for today and that’s it for this week and this quarter next week is a special Sunday school I won’t be with you next week you’ll be doing something different but the following week we will begin a special Sunday summer Sunday school miniseries and I’ll be back with you then you have questions comments on today’s lesson please email me or talk to me in some other way and I will see you again soon let me just pray real quick God we thank you for this word pray that it would have its effect that people meditate on it and that we would give you glory love you even more for what we’ve heard from your word today in Jesus name amen all right I’ll see you guys in two weeks