A Lamb Who Leads
John 1:29-42
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
Preparing to teach
- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
Click to read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge
Key Verse: John 1:41 — He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed).
“He first found his brother . . .”
What would you do first if you heard good news, amazing news, the news you’d been waiting a lifetime to hear? Maybe the news that a universal cure for cancer had been announced, or that Israelis and Palestinians had finally reached a substantive and lasting peace accord, or that an inexpensive way to trap carbon dioxide and reduce climate change had been discovered.
Any of these things would have major, world-reaching effects. They would enhance security, save lives, and improve living conditions in every part of the globe.
Suppose you just heard such life-changing news. What would you do first?
Andrew went and told his brother, Simon.
Who would you tell?
Testimony One (vv. 29-34)
Our text is concerned with three testimonies to Jesus that follow another.
The first two are from John, commonly known as “John the Baptist,” though “John the baptizer” is more appropriate. The Fourth Gospel does not specifically describe John’s baptism of Jesus, but it contains an account of John’s testimony to Jesus in a baptism setting that has similarities to those in the other gospels, so it is implicit. [DD]
John’s baptismal remarks were not his first testimony to Jesus. Earlier, in the midst of a theological discourse on Jesus’ identity, the author parenthetically noted that John had spoken of Jesus without naming him: “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me’” (v. 15).
John later testified to priests and Levites who wondered if he was the Messiah by saying that he was not the one, but had been sent to prepare the way. Quoting from Isaiah 40:2, he said “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’” (vv. 23).
John went on to say that though he baptized with water, another was coming who was so much greater than he that he felt unworthy to untie his sandals (v. 27). This took place, we are told, “in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing” (v. 28).
Our text begins on “the next day,” and presumably in the same setting, when John saw Jesus approaching and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (v. 29). [DD]
A careful reading suggests that John’s testimony in vv. 29-34 does not mention Jesus’ actual baptism, because it may have occurred on the previous day, and it was only through divine revelation associated with Jesus’ baptism that John came to realize that the mystery Messiah he had been preparing for was Jesus himself.
Only then could John point to Jesus and say “This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me’” (v. 30, compare v. 15).
What did John mean? Wasn’t he born before Jesus? Luke 1:26 says John’s mother Elizabeth was six months pregnant with John when the angel first announced to Mary that she would conceive. It’s clear that John had more than earthly birth order in mind. The gospel writer, who clearly believed that Jesus as the divine “Word” had existed from the beginning (1:1), apparently attributed to John the shared belief that Jesus had a prior existence in heaven before coming to earth. Thus, John could insist “he was before me.”
It may seem unusual that John, at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, would identify him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This seems to be the sort of thing one would say in retrospect, after the crucifixion and resurrection, after Jesus had suffered on behalf of others.
It is true, of course, that the Fourth Gospel was written many years after Jesus’ earthly ministry, and so the terminology would be familiar to readers – but the author presents John as choosing that terminology early on, perhaps to identify Jesus as a different kind of Messiah. Some contemporary Jewish writings spoke of the anticipated Messiah as a powerful warrior lamb, and the Apocalypse of John (Revelation) also speaks of Jesus as the mighty Lamb of God, slain but victorious, who would judge the world.
Such terminology effectively looks at power in a different way: the Lamb of God would overcome through suffering and willing sacrifice, not through overt expressions of military might.
Verse 31 implies that John learned that Jesus was the Messiah only through his baptism: “I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel” (v. 31).
This is an interesting thought: though the synoptic gospels portray John as challenging people to be baptized as a sign of repentance, the Fourth Gospel implies that the ultimate goal of his baptizing ministry was the revelation of Jesus.
In v. 32 John describes having seen “the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.” John apparently interpreted this as the sign that Jesus was the Messiah: “I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” (v. 33).
Now, John could say, “And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God” (v. 34).
This must have been a bittersweet time for John – he joyfully recognized and testified that Jesus was Messiah, but in doing so he fulfilled his primary mission. What would he do now? And would his disciples leave him to follow Jesus?
Testimony Two (vv. 35-40)
John’s second testimony took place on the following day, when he was talking with two of his disciples as Jesus walked by, and he declared again “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” (vv. 34-35).
If John came to bear witness to the coming Messiah, and the Messiah arrived, it was only natural that his disciples should then pledge their allegiance to him. It’s not surprising, then, that the two disciples left John and followed after Jesus (v. 37).
When Jesus noticed that they were following him, he turned and asked, “What are you looking for?” The question could just as easily be translated “What do you want?” These are the first words spoken by Jesus in the Fourth Gospel: “What do you want?” (v. 38).
What do we want from Jesus? As Rudolf Bultmann once commented: “It is the first question which must be addressed to anyone who comes to Jesus, the first thing about which he must be clear” (The Gospel of John, a Commentary [Westminster John Knox, 1971], 100). Is forgiveness all that interests us, or are we interested in following Christ into a new kind of life?
The disciples’ answer seems simplistic, but it has deep implications. They asked: “Where are you staying?” That was not just a request for information; it indicated a desire to spend time with him there.
“Come and see,” Jesus said, and they followed him to the unnamed place. Was it a guest room in someone’s home? A quiet spot in the shade of a date palm grove? The author doesn’t say, though he notes the oddly specific time of day: it was “about four o’clock in the afternoon” (v. 39). [DD]
What is the significance of this? If the disciples followed Jesus to where he was staying at four in the afternoon and then “remained with him that day,” the implication is that they remained with him for a while, perhaps overnight, listening and learning.
How much time do we spend with Jesus? How often do we seek his presence and go intentionally to a quiet place where we can listen for his voice and reflect on what we believe he is calling us to do?
Testimony Three (vv. 41-42)
The third testimony is not from John, but one of those former disciples. Only one of the two is named:
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. We are not told whether the action in vv. 41-42 took place on the following day, or after only a couple of hours with Jesus, but Andrew knew exactly what he wanted to do first.
“He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah.’” Greek did not use exclamation points, but don’t you think there should be one?
Andrew then led Simon to Jesus, “who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).”
Mark also seems to indicate that Jesus nicknamed Peter early on: “So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter) . . .” (Mark 13:6). Matthew associates the new name with a later encounter.
Following Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus said “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). This may or may not indicate the origin of the name.
This suggests a different picture from the synoptics. There, Jesus seeks out the first disciples and calls them to follow. Here, it is the disciples who seek Jesus.
This thought can provide fruitful reflection for modern believers. While we believe that Jesus, like a good shepherd, is constantly seeking out the lost, those who are wise will also seek him. When we find ourselves in a state of spiritual ennui, we can’t just sit around waiting for Jesus to find us and jerk us up by the collar. It’s important that we seek him, too.
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: John 1:29-42
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
If you had to introduce your students to your friends in an elevator, what would you say? How would your students introduce you to their friends? How do you introduce your students to your friends? Do you choose a different way to introduce your students in different ways? Have you ever thought about why you introduce your students the way you do? These aren’t things that solely define your students, but they are the first things that you think about. How do you want to think about your students?
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: John 1:29-42
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“Two Things About Yourself Scene” from Wonder
Via www.youtube.com
Need Help?
Learn how to better use Nurturing Faith teaching resources.