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Humble Hero
rabbis were ready to receive such a king. But One who intended to
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establish a kingdom of righteousness in their hearts, they would not
accept.
John Directs His Followers to Jesus
On the following day, while two disciples were near, John again
saw Jesus. Again the face of the prophet lighted up as he called out,
“Behold the Lamb of God!” The disciples did not fully understand.
What did the name mean that John had given Him—“the Lamb of
God”?
Leaving John, they went looking for Jesus. One of them was
Andrew, the brother of Simon; the other was John the evangelist.
These were Christ’s first disciples. They followed Jesus—anxious
to speak with Him, yet awed and silent, lost in the thought,
Is this
the Messiah?
Jesus knew that the two were following Him. They were the
first fruits of His ministry, and joy came into the heart of the divine
Teacher as these souls responded to His grace. Yet when He turned
to them, He asked only, “What do you seek?”
They exclaimed, “Rabbi [Teacher], ... where are You staying?”
In a brief interview by the roadside, they could not receive what they
longed for. They wanted to be alone with Jesus and hear His words.
“He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where
He was staying, and remained with Him that day.”
If John and Andrew had possessed the unbelieving spirit of the
priests and rulers, they would not have been learners but critics,
to judge His words. But they had responded to the Holy Spirit’s
call in the preaching of John the Baptist, and now they recognized
the heavenly Teacher. The words of Jesus were full of freshness
and beauty to them. A divine illumination was shining on the Old
Testament Scriptures. Truth stood out in new light.
The disciple John was a man of earnest and deep affection, eager
yet thoughtful. He had begun to discern “the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
.
Andrew set out to share the joy that filled his heart. Going in
search of his brother Simon, he announced, “We have found the
Messiah.” Simon also had heard the preaching of John the Baptist,