Youth night bible lesson on John 1:43-51

I had always wondered what it would be like to go back in time and see Jesus in person when he was preaching on the hillsides and living amongst the people. I get the sense that Jesus’ disciples didn’t fully realize who Jesus was until he died and rose again. Knowing Jesus as I do now, I wonder how I would react if I were face to face with him in those times. What would I say? How would I react to his mere presence? To see a man that looks like any other man and know that he is God among us, I think I would be overwhelmed. I think I would fall flat on my face right in front of him. How would you react?

What if the Messiah didn’t come 2000 years ago? What if he was born in the 70’s? That would mean he is in his 30’s right now. That would be about the time he started telling his disciples to follow him. And what if you didn’t really realize what Jesus’ plan was? Then one day a man that looked like any other man, walked up to you and said, “Follow me.” What would you do? Maybe because it was Jesus, you would be able to see something special about him. Maybe the Holy Spirit would come upon you and direct you to follow him. If Jesus said to you today, “Follow me.” What would you do?

Last week we talked about how John the Baptist introduced Jesus. The day after that happened; John was still telling people that Jesus was the Lamb of God. John had been talking with 2 of his disciples when Jesus passed by and he said again, “Look, the Lamb of God.” Then the two disciples followed Jesus and spent some time with him. One of the two was named Andrew. He had a brother named Simon. Andrew found his brother and brought him to Jesus. Jesus then said to Simon, that he will be called Peter. Andrew and now Peter believed that Jesus was the, “Lamb of God.” They recognized that he was the Messiah, the one they had been waiting for.

John 1:43-51 (New International Version)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."

44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

46"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.

47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."

48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."

49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
50Jesus said, "You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51He then added, "I tell you[b] the truth, you[c] shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Now we see a pattern emerging. Andrew was excited that he met Jesus and finds his brother and brings him to meet Jesus. Philip meets Jesus and sees that he is the Messiah. Philip too finds someone and brings him to Jesus. What does that tell us about what we should do? Do you believe that Jesus is the, “Lamb of God?” Have you been saved? Both Andrew and Philip believe and they each brought someone with them to meet Jesus. This is a good illustration for us to also bring someone to meet Jesus. How do we do that? This is what we do on Wednesday nights.

Remember though that Jesus had already seen Nathanael under the fig tree before Philip found him. Jesus was already waiting for Nathanael. In the same way, Jesus is already waiting for those that we bring. Jesus already has a plan for them too. It’s not for us to try and save anyone, that’s Jesus’ job. But we can bring people so they can see for themselves that Jesus is the, “Lamb of God.”

Or maybe you’ve been brought. Think about what Nathanael realized. When he heard Jesus say, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
He had a realization that Jesus was this Savior. Picture Jesus showing up, staring you in the eyes, and saying, “I know you, and I want you to get to know me.” How would you react? Jesus does know you, and he does have a plan for you.

There’s nothing better than a caring parent, pastor, or friend who prods you toward God. But you only experience a relationship with God when you see and follow Jesus for yourself. Jesus won’t grab you by the scruff and shout in your face. The choice to enjoy his friendship, or not, is up to you.

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says,

20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Just like now, eating together back in Bible times was a sign of acceptance, shared values, and friendship. Jesus wants you to get to know him as if you could sit down at a meal together. You can’t exactly chow down with Jesus over at the In-n-Out, but you can tell him you want to know him better. That’s a desire he’ll always fulfill.