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.”
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 happens when we spend time with Jesus? Look at Andrew. He was one of the two that had been following John until they encountered Jesus. They kind of invite themselves to be his followers by asking where He is staying and end up spending the day with him.
And what is the result? The first thing that Andrew does is go and tell his brother. He is immediately brought into the mission of Jesus, the mission of God, and is moved to act. But he not only tells his brother, he brings his brother Simon Peter to Jesus.
What struck me about this passage today is this connection between verse 39 and 40. Andrew spends time with Jesus, and then is moved to act in mission. I think there is much more going on here than Andrew finding something new, like he would tell his friends about a new restaurant he found. Andrew has already become a disciple, following Jesus, becoming more like Jesus, and seeking to make more disciples. Did Jesus tell Andrew to get his brother? Did He need to tell him?
There’s an important discipleship point here. When I spend time with Jesus, I grow as a disciple who makes disciples. When I rest in Jesus, abide in him, I am equipped by Him to bring forth fruit (John 15:1-8).
I have learned over the years the value of my daily time with Jesus in the morning. I have learned that spending that time is a blessing and skipping that time has consequences. I need to abide in my Savior so that I can bear fruit.
So my prayer is that God would bless those times that are for spending with Him, and that He would make me fruitful for the kingdom, as Andrew was.
[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Jn 1:29–42). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
