CSSA 3-4-330 - JESUS CALLS HIS DISCIPLES

330. JESUS CALLS HIS DISCIPLES

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself ..."

The disciples of Jesus were not selected all at once, but in ones and twos. The first of them were disciples of John the Baptist, who directed them to Jesus. As the disciples continued with Jesus their knowledge of God's Word greatly increased, and they learned from him that true discipleship requires that a man should put God first in his life. As time progressed, it was necessary to select from among the disciples twelve men who would be especially charged with the respon sibility of preaching and upholding the truth. These men were called Apostles. The aim of this lesson is to see the full response which men must give to the Son of God.

John 1:29-51; Luke 5:1-11, 27-28; 6:12-16

"THE LAMB OF GOD" (Jn. 1:29-30).

It was the day after John the Baptist met a deputation from the Sanhedrin that he saw Jesus coming towards him, and proclaimed him to the assembled throng as "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world". This amounted to a declaration that he was the one through whom men would be reconciled to God. In Eden, Adam was told fig leaves could not cover his sin € only coats of skins (from a Divinely provided slain lamb) would do this (Gen. 3:7, 21). Lambs were also slain to deliver Israel's firstborn when those of Egypt were destroyed (Exod. 12:12, 13), while lambs were offered every morning and every evening as daily burnt offerings (Num. 28:3, 4). These lambs showed to Jews the role of Messiah, but the work of Jesus was to evoke a wider response, for he was the Lamb of God to take away "the sins OF THE WORLD".

THE FIRST DISCIPLES (Jn. 1:35-42).

Another day passed and John the Baptist was standing with two of his disciples € Andrew (Simon Peter's brother) and probably John, the writer of the Gospel record (cp. Jn. 13:23; 19:26). Seeing Jesus as he walked, the Baptist pointed him out to his disciples, saying once more, "Behold the Lamb of God", and immediately Andrew and John detached themselves from him and followed Jesus. These disciples were not then aware of the tragedy that would befall Jesus (cp. Lk. 18:34). It was sufficient for them that John had spoken of Israel s Messiah, the Son of God, and he was now pointed out to them. They would therefore follow him. Jesus turned and questioned them of their purpose and they sought an interview to discuss with him more closely the nature of his calling: "Master", they said, "where dwellest thou". He replied, "Come and see" and that afternoon € it was the "10th hour", about 4 p.m. € they talked with the Lord and stayed with him all night. One can im agine how their hearts would have stirred as Jesus taught them. Greatly stimulated by his discussion with the Lord, Andrew found Simon his brother and exclaimed, "We have found the Messiah!" They would have often discussed together the coming of Israel's Messiah, so Simon did not hesitate to come with Andrew. He was at once made aware he was in the presence of the Lord for, without any formal introductions, Jesus told Simon he knew him already: "Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas", he said. "Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone". The experiences of life, in service to his Master, would make their mark on Simon. His name, like his character, would change. He would become Cephas, or Peter. His eager, impetuous disposition would eventually be replaced by the rock-like stability so necessary to maintaining truth (Matt. 16:16-18).

THE CALL OF PHILIP AND NATHANAEL (Jn. 1:43-51).

The following day Jesus determined to leave Judaea and go into Galilee some 80 or 90 kilometres to the north. Andrew, John and Simon, like himself, were all of Galilee. They had come to hear the preaching of the Baptist, who had truly led them to Christ, and whose work with them was thus fulfilled. It was natural that they should return with him to Galilee. On the way there, Jesus paused to gain another disciple. The cir cumstances of this calling are not disclosed: simply that Jesus said to Philip, "Follow me". Possibly he was pointed out by Andrew and Simon Peter for they were all of Bethsaida (Fish-town). They were ex periencing a wave of enthusiasm. Philip hurried to find his friend Nathanael, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph". But Nathanael enquired further. Nazareth he knew as part of despised Galilee (cp. 1 Kgs. 9:12, 13). Messiah was to come from Bethlehem, so he asked, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" "Come and see", said Philip. Jesus knew the hearts of all men. As Nathanael came nearer, he heard Jesus say: "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile". Nathanael was one of those sincere, artless people who are unmoved by what appears to them flattery, or mere cleverness. So he replied: "Whence knowest thou me", and was told, "Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee". Nathanael was staggered. His doubts immediately dissolved. This was a demonstration of power that revealed the hand of God. Here was no "son of Joseph", so He exclaimed: "Master, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel". He could see in this one before him the fulfilment of the law and the prophets € successor to David and Israel's promised King (cp. Ps. 2:2, 7; 2 Sam. 7:14; Isa. 9:6-7). But Jesus pressed the point further. He added: "Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 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" (cp. Gen. 28:12). It seems likely Nathanael had been reading under the fig tree the portion of scripture which Jesus alluded to, namely, Genesis 28. Jacob had departed from his parents and was to survive in Padan-aram with his uncle Laban by means of his guile. Later he was taught to depend on God and this was signified when his name was changed from Jacob ("heel catcher") to Israel ("prince with God"). Jesus' reference to Nathanael as "an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile" has overtones of the life of Jacob in it. If in fact Nathanael's mind was im mersed in this portion of scripture, imagine the impact made upon him! The one before him knew not only where he was but also his thoughts. No wonder he acclaimed Jesus to be the Son of God and the King of Israel (v. 49).

THE ESSENCE OF TRUE DISCIPLESHIP (Lk. 5:1-11, 27, 28).

As Jesus went forward, his words and his works attracted men to him. Slowly but surely the band of disciples grew, as for instance when Matthew left his tax-booth at Capernaum. Jesus said to him, "Follow me! And he left all, and rose up and followed him". There was a finality to this decision that was lacking in the response of the first disciples, for when they returned to Galilee with Jesus, on ly a few remained at his side, the others returning to their occupations while Jesus continued to preach and perform miracles. They had to be brought to see that discipleship in Christ involves putting God first and foremost in life. The record in Luke 5 fills out Matt. 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20. Simon, Andrew, James and John were working close to the lake-shore, within hearing of Jesus. They had fished all night, but had caught nothing. And now, at the beginning of a new day, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, the boats were moored by the lake-side, and the four fishermen were occupied in washing and mending their nets. The crowd grew and became so great that Jesus entered Simon's boat and removed a little from the shore so that he might speak to the people from the ship.  When he had finished speaking, he asked Simon to go out into the deep and let down his net for a haul of fish. They had toiled all night for nothing .It seemed futile to do anything further. The result was miraculous. A great number of fish was netted, so many that another ship had to be called and it also was filled € the net broke and the ships were in danger of sinking. The disciples were astonished. Simon Peter was overcome with a sense of unworthiness, but Jesus said, "Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch MEN". Having brought their ships to shore, they then "forsook all and followed him". The lesson they were taught deeply impressed them. Nor should it be lost upon us. It is so easy to think God is well pleased with us as we do our daily work, when, all the time, we stand idle in the gospel field. Quite often, even our best efforts in daily work fail because God is left out of account. Like the disciples, we need to remember that God is more interested in our "catching" men than fish. He will use us in this purpose if we (like the disciples) centre our lives in the Word, not in the World.

THE TWELVE (Lk. 6:12-13).

The numbers of men and women who attached themselves to Jesus grew rapidly as he preached the gospel of the Kingdom and did miracles. As time went by it became necessary, in order to preserve his work, to devote much attention to twelve of them € one for each of the tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28). They would be taught by him € be his "disciples" € that in turn they might be sent by him to instruct others € be his "apostles". It was not an easy task to make the selection and because of its im portance Jesus went out into a mountain "and continued all night in prayer to God". In the morning he made the choice. Of many we know little. We do know however that, Judas excepted, they were faithful to the responsibility placed on them. They showed human weakness and failed at times to carry out their Master's in structions, but learnt from their mistakes. They were not highly educated, nor were they chosen for their ability to speak, but because of their character (Acts 4:13).

The "Twelve" were:

1. SIMON PETER € also called Cephas, a stone (from the Aramaic for Peter Jn. 1:42). He was the son of Jonas ("Bar-jona" in Matt. 16:17), a fisherman of Bethsaida (Matt. 4:18; Jn. 1:44). He was originally a disciple of John the Baptist and was married (Mk. 1:30; 1 Cor. 9:5). He wrote 2 epistles and influenced Mark in writing his Gospel.
2. ANDREW € Peter's brother who had been a disciple of John the Baptist (Jn. 1:35, 40). He introduced Greeks to Jesus (Jn. 12:20-23).
3. JOHN € also a fisherman, a son of Zebedee, of Bethsaida (Matt. 4:21; Lk. 5:10). With James his brother, he was called Boanerges € "son of thunder" (Mk. 3:17). He was probably the cousin of Jesus, and the one whom Jesus loved. He wrote a Gospel, three Epistles and the Revelation.
4. 4 JAMES € John's brother (Mk. 1:19). Their mother was probably Salome, sister of Mary (cp. Matt. 27:56; Mk. 15:40; 16:1; Jn. 19:25).
5. 5. PHILIP € also of Bethsaida in Galilee (Jn. 1:44).
6. 6 BARTHOLOMEW € means son of Tolmai. He was from Cana of Galilee and is thought by many to be Nathanael. He is mention ed only twice (Jn. 1:45; 21:2).
7. MATTHEW € also called Levi (Matt. 9:9; Lk. 5:27). He was son of Alphaeus. He was a publican or tax gatherer in Galilee and wrote the first Gospel.
8. THOMAS € called also Didymus, meaning "a twin" (Jn. 11:16). He initially doubted that Jesus had been raised from the dead, but became convicted when the Lord appeared before him (Jn. 20:24-29).
9. JAMES € son of Alphaeus (Matt. 10:3), possibly "James the Lit tle" or "Less" (Matt. 27:56; Mk. 15:40; 16:1; Lk. 24:10).
10. LEBBAEUS THADDAEUS € also called Judas, but not Iscariot (Lk. 6:16; Jn. 14:22). He is thought by some to be brother of James, "the Lord's brother" (Jude 1; Lk. 6:16; Gal. 1:19).
11. SIMON ZELOTES € a member of the political party called the Zealots (Lk. 6:15). The term Canaanite applied to him should be Canaanean from Kanan, the Aramaic for Greek "Zelotes" (Matt. 10:4).
12. JUDAS ISCARIOT € son of Simon Iscariot (Jn. 6:71 RV). Iscariot is "ish Kerioth", i.e. man of Kerioth in the south of Judah (Josh. 15:25). He betrayed Jesus, and was later replaced by Mat thias (Acts 1:23-26).

LESSONS FOR US:

• Jesus was proclaimed by John as "the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world".
• Jesus, by his demeanor and actions, was clearly recognised by his early disciples as not only the Messiah, but also as the Son of God.
• The miracle of the fishes taught the disciples the necessity for total commitment, and "they left all and followed him".
• Jesus drew to himself a select band of men he knew would have to carry on the work after his death. With but one exception, these men were faithful to their calling, leaving an example to all disciples down through the ages.

REFERENCE LIBRARY:

"A Life of Jesus" (M. Purkis) € Pages 61-65, 95-98

"Nazareth Revisited" (R. Roberts) € Chapters 12, 16, 22

"The Gospel of John" (J. Carter) € Pages 28-29

"The Story of the Bible" (H.P. Mansfield) € Vol. 8, Pages 90-94, 117-120, 143-145

PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS:

1. How did John the Baptist point out Jesus to his disciples? What do the words that he used teach us of Jesus?
2. Describe the calling of Nathanael.
3. After their initial calling, some of Jesus' disciples went back to their original occupations. How did Jesus show them that they must have total commitment in their work for God?

ESSAY QUESTIONS:

1. Describe the way in which the work of John the Baptist prepared the men who would follow Jesus.
2. Name the twelve apostles, and describe some of the notable features and characteristics of these men.
3. Summarise the calling of the disciples and selection of the twelve apostles.