John 1:29-42
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” x
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). [1]
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What struck me in today’s passage is the comment that the two disciples that first approached Jesus spent the rest of that day with him. One of the disciples is Andrew, and although the other is not named, it is believed to be John, the author of the gospel.
So here we see the first two of Jesus’ disciples, the first two to physically follow him (1:37), who would soon be following Him in the fullest sense of the word. And what does Jesus do with them? John merely remarks that they spent the day together. What does this mean? Most likely, just talking, conversing, getting to know one another, sharing a meal, talking about their families, and so forth. And look what came from this day spent together: Andrew went to find his brother Peter and invited him to get to know Jesus as well.
Discipleship flows from a relationship with Jesus. And relationships grow from spending time together and doing life together.
So what does it mean to spend time with Jesus today? We encounter Jesus most readily in His Word and through prayer, speaking and listening with Him. Spending time connotes unhurried time in His presence. It’s so easy to hurry through a devotional or prayer time. I hear in this passage a call to slow down, to relax with Jesus, to meditate on His word, to cultivate the time to meditate in conversation with Him. And then to go into our day with the awareness that just because our prayer and Word time may be over, we haven’t in any way left His presence. And so we go through our day “spending the day with Him.”
Lord Jesus, remind me to slow down and spend time with You. Work in me also the awareness that You are with me throughout the day as my strength, hope, and life.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Jn 1:29–42). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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