John 1:40-51
Main Verse: John 1:41
by Brian Phillips
Reflection
Andrew was mesmerized! He hung on every word John said.
Then one day, as they were all standing around, John yells out, “There he is!”
Can you imagine? Until now, it seemed so unimaginable. Andrew probably never thought it would happen in his lifetime. And now, there he was. Jesus. The one whom John had been talking about. The “Lamb of God,” who would take away all the evil and ugliness in this world. The one who would save us from ourselves. Walking right by them!
It would be like seeing your favorite movie star walking down the street. Andrew could hardly contain himself. So, he and a friend just started following Jesus.
Eventually, Jesus turned around. He probably was grinning from ear to ear when he asked them what they were doing. He didn’t mind. In fact, he wanted Andrew and his friend to hang out with him. So they did for the rest of the afternoon.
What do you think Andrew did after that? Keep it to himself? Get Jesus’ autograph to show it to his friends later? No. He was so excited, he goes and finds someone else to introduce to Jesus. His brother Simon. The one Jesus nicknames “The Rock.”
And Andrew wasn’t alone in sharing his excitement. When Jesus picks Philip out of the crowd and invites him to come along, Philip can’t contain himself. So, he finds Nathanael. And Jesus welcomes Nathanael similarly as he did Peter, treating him as a long time friend.
Food for Thought
One Mother’s Day, I called in a big order to my favorite local pizza joint. The bill came to $32.60. I hopped in the car, drooling at the thought of the smell of my favorite pizza.
When I arrived, I pulled out my wallet to pay. But, to my surprise they said, “no charge.” Every year, they randomly pick one holiday as “free pizza day.” That year it happened to be Mother’s Day.
What do you think I did? I called my closest friends and told them about it. Some jumped right on it. Others didn’t believe me and missed out on free pizza!
So What Now?
Have you shared your excitement about Jesus with your friends, lately? Remember, it’s their problem whether they believe you, or not.
Prayer
Lord, give me the courage to share Jesus with my friends. Make my excitement contagious. But, continue to remind me, as Jesus said in John 6:44, that it is YOU who draws people to him, not me (John 6:44). In Jesus’ name, Amen.