26.1 After his forty days of temptation in the wilderness, Jesus returned to the area of Bethabara where John the Baptist was baptizing. He spent the next several days there, during which time he met five of his future disciples and called them to follow him. This is recorded in the Gospel of John chapter one, verses 19-51
26.2 Those few days must have been a relaxing time for Christ after his ordeal in the desert. He needed the rest. Trying times were soon to come. John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin and close friend, would soon be thrown into jail for the righteousness he loved.
26.3 It was during these days that Jesus called his first disciples.
26.4 Priests and Levites from the sect of the Pharisees had been sent from Jerusalem to question John about whether or not he was the Messiah. The question was not a hostile question. They genuinely wanted to know. When John made it plain that he was not the Messiah, they wanted to know if he was Elijah or "that prophet". When John answered "no", they pressed him further.
Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John 1:25
26.5 John's answer must have startled them.
I baptize with water: but there is one standing among you, whom you know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. John 1:26-27
26.6 Apparently the next day Jesus returned from his wilderness temptations. John saw him coming and proclaimed,
Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. John 1:29-30
26.7 Then John continued on...
And John bare record, saying, I saw (past tense) the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode (past tense) upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record (past tense) that this is the Son of God. John 1:32-34
26.8 Since John was speaking in past tense, we know that Jesus had already been baptized by this time, and that he had come back from the wilderness where he had been tempted.
26.9 Then, the next day, John and two of his disciples were standing together when John saw Jesus walking, and watching him, he said,
Behold the Lamb of God! John 1:36
26.10 When the two disciples heard this, they left John and began to follow Jesus! (Exactly as John wanted them to)
26.11 One of the two men who followed Christ was Andrew. The other one was John, son of Zebudee.
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? John 1:38
26.12 Both men were invited to follow Christ to his dwelling. There they spent the night there, but first, Andrew found his brother Peter and brought him to Jesus. The text reads as follows:
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, (four o'clock). One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona; thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone. John 1:39-42
26.13 Jesus now had three disciples. The next day he would call two more.
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, we have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. John 1:43-46
26.14 The Jews had a tradition that the Messiah would be called "ben Joseph" or "the son of Joseph". That's probably why Philip mentioned it, but Nathanael was unimpressed because of Jesus' lowly hometown of Nazareth. It was a small village actually, with a population of only about 360. There was only one small well. The water supply was not enough to support a larger population. The town was poor, and had a bad reputation.
26.15 Jesus would soon change that however.
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily , verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
John 1:47-51
26.16 So it happened that Jesus' first five disciples were gathered together. They were all from Galilee, and it seems clear that they had all been John's disciples -- from now on they would follow Christ!
26.17 John could not have been more pleased.
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