John 1:36-40
John 1:36 (KJB)
And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
 
Looking upon - Fix one’s gaze upon or direct the eyes to
 
Jesus had now returned to the place where John baptized Him and as He had walked by him, John had fixed his gaze upon Him as it was not just a quick glance. He then declared a second time that Jesus was the Lamb of God. The Scripture does not say that Jesus was coming specifically to see John but that he was walking near.
 
John 1:37 (KJB)
And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
 
Heard - Hear with understanding
Followed - To cleave steadfastly to one, to go with or after
 
Here is the reason that the two disciples are mentioned. Jesus was apparently speaking to a group and these disciples had heard Him. They just did not hear Him physically but they understood what He was saying. This means they were given spiritual ears to hear AKA they were saved. They were disciples of John but now since John’s main ministry was over, they had now followed Jesus and not just as curious followers but they clave to Him which means they were serious disciples. This is a great principle for ministry. John the Baptist was a great prophet and he did not take offense at his disciples following Jesus. This is the essence of any true believer’s ministry that they are to follow Jesus and those whom they lead to the Lord, must be pointed to the Lord. They must be discipled not to follow the preacher or teacher, but to follow Jesus. As we stated before, each Christian is a conduit to lead others to the Lord and then to help them focus their lives on the Lord. We must never try to gain disciples or build a following. What we do is disciple new Christians with their focus on the Lord.
 
John 1:38 (KJB)
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
 
Master - Teacher
 
From this verse onward begins the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. The two disciples must have been following Jesus when He turned around and ask them “What seek ye?” He did not ask, whom do you seek? He asked as if they were looking for the meaning of life or an explanation of something that Jesus had previously said while they were listening to Him. They obviously had many questions concerning the teachings since they had called Him “Rabbi” which means Master or Teacher, and then went on to ask Him where was He residing? In the case of being a disciple of Jesus, the what are you seeking is never detached from the whom are you seeking? That has never changed throughout the centuries.
 
John 1:39 (KJB)
He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
 
Since Jesus did not have a permanent home or base of operations, no doubt they stayed in a remote area, probably a booth made of branches since it was the tenth hour which would be 4 PM. The day was now drawing to a close so they probably stayed with Jesus that night. He told them to come and see where He was staying. This may have been the first test to see if these disciples were looking for standing in Israel or were true followers of Jesus. (Mat 8:20 KJV) And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. According to Matthew 8:20, the Lord lacked a permanent home while on earth and stayed many times in Spartan conditions or even in the fields. This would be a test to see if these disciples were genuine. The true disciples of Jesus do not look for a permanent residence on earth but look forward to a permanent residence in Heaven. So if one wanted to follow Jesus and did not like the fact they would sleep in less than good conditions, then that might convince the false disciples to leave. If they could not stand the fact of sleeping in fields, what would be their reaction when the real persecution would come?
 
John 1:40 (KJB)
One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
 
Here we now have the identities of the two disciples who followed John and then became followers of Jesus. The first one listed is Andrew. The name Andrew means “manly or manliness.” Instantly, the Bible states that he was the earthly brother of Simon Peter. It is said his ministry was to what is now modern-day Russia. Andrew preached Jesus to its inhabitants. Christians there claim that he was the first to bring them the gospel. It is also said that he preached in the Roman province of Asia (modern-day Turkey). Andrew was martyred for His faith. He was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece because of his rebuke of Aegeas for his idolatry . After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: "I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it." He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired. This is the reason why Jesus could only have true disciples because He knew what fate awaited them at the end of their earthly ministries.
 
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