John 1:43-44 “The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.”
The last part of John 1 is a succession of four days. Altogether, we see six disciples gathered throughout this four day period-James, John, Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathanael. On this last day, Jesus finds Philip and later on Nathanael. He knew Philip would be in Galilee, so knowing where he was, he found him and called him to be one of his disciples.
Philip wasn’t seeking Jesus and no one brought him to Jesus. Andrew and John were looking for Jesus and found him. Jesus welcomed them to follow him. Andrew brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus. Jesus encouraged Simon Peter by telling him he would be called Cephas, meaning Peter, instead of a name identified with impulsiveness and only bringing mischief. Christ is gracious to everyone, those that seek him and those that don’t.
The words ‘seek’ and ‘find’ are repeated over and over in this passage, and it’s interesting to see how they work together in different scenarios. As we look at the word find, there are two different ways of finding: “a casual stumbling upon a thing that you were not looking for, and there is a finding as the result of seeking.” Christ was intentionally looking for Philip that morning while Philip was none the wiser.
Christ revealed himself to some of these disciples when they weren’t expecting it. Think back to Saul when he was converted. This is what happened to him. He wasn’t looking for Christ at all. He thought he was doing the right thing until Christ revealed himself and blinded him! People’s eyes and hearts are opened today and have been through the ages by Christ revealing himself in various ways.
He also welcomes those who come seeking. Truly, he is seeking all of us. ‘The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ No one had to cry out for Christ to give himself up on the cross. His ask of “follow me” is an open invitation. Interestingly, it is used in Scripture to call the disciples and only twice otherwise.
These two words pack a punch, though! These words did have a surface meaning to the disciples, possibly to go back to Galilee or just ‘go back with us’. But we know they also meant be My disciple. There is an implication in those two words, a demand even. Is the
demand Christ makes in “follow me” an unreasonable demand? Have you yielded to the demand?
Many situations require or ask for a person or something to ‘follow’. ‘Like and follow’ on social media. A sheep follows. Travelers follow a guide. A soldier follows a commander. Cooks or bakers follow a recipe. We follow directions to a destination. And on and on. But when Jesus says, “Follow me,” it takes on a weightier meaning. It encompasses so much more than to just follow him to someone’s house, doesn’t it? We know we are being asked to follow him as our Teacher, the Son of God, the King of Israel, Savior, Redeemer, Hope, an entire belief system, Incarnate Son of God, and so much more! We are to obey and follow in His footsteps no matter where it leads. I could go on, but I know you get the idea.
So I ask again: Have you yielded to the demand that comes with “Follow Me”?
Reflect on this new verse as you start to put it to memory. Hebrews 11:4 – “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
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