Follow the Expert - November 3

Read John 1:35-42 (ESV)

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

Reflect

How does Jesus show that He is worthy of our following Him? What does it mean to follow Him?

Follow the experts. That is the spirit of the age. But what makes someone an expert? The dictionary says an expert is “a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area.” It makes a lot more sense to follow an expert rather than an amateur. Why would anyone want to take the advice or sit under the teachings of someone who doesn’t have any idea what they are talking about? So we consult experts in various fields. We want expert instructors in our classrooms. We seek medical experts when we are sick. We consult financial experts to make wise decisions regarding our money. When we need legal help, we consult the legal experts.

But is there an expert expert? What I mean is, someone who knows everything about everything? Because if there is, wouldn’t it be wise to follow the expert expert?

Two of John the Baptist’s disciples, Andrew and John the Apostle, had been seeking a spiritual expert. John the Baptist preached about the need to repent and prepare their hearts for the coming Messiah who had long been promised. The fact that they were disciples, or followers, of John the Baptist demonstrates that they understood that their sin was a problem and they were looking for the solution. They were seeking the One who could deal with their sin once and for all. They were seeking the Messiah.

Before Jesus arrived on the scene, John the Baptist had the expert advice on the sin problem—receive the baptism of repentance and get ready to meet the Messiah!

But once Jesus did arrive on the scene, John the Baptist humbly and wisely pointed his followers to a greater expert than he. He pointed them to the Lamb of God who could do more than just baptize them with water and tell them to repent. The Lamb of God had the power to take away the sins of the whole world! So Andrew and the Apostle John followed John the Baptist’s expert advice and followed Jesus—the expert expert.

But Jesus challenged them a bit to determine what exactly they were looking for? At that time, the Jews were under Roman oppression. Many of them thought the Messiah was going to save them from Rome and reestablish the nation of Israel. These Jews had political expectations for their Messiah. Jesus already knew John and Andrew’s intentions, of course, but He forced them to do a little soul-searching. It seems they genuinely wanted to know more about Jesus because they wanted to know where He was staying. After listening to Him teach, they were so convinced that He was the One they’d been looking for they invited their brothers to come and see, too.

Friends, there is no better expert to follow than God Himself. He has the answers we are seeking. He has the solutions to our problems. And He’s the only One who is able to handle our sin problem. If we are wise, we’ll do as Andrew and John did. We’ll follow Him and we’ll invite others to come along and see for themselves.

Respond

Lord, You are the expert expert. You know everything about everything. And yet, You willingly chose to come to earth to teach us, lead us, and suffer for us so that You could take away our sin. You alone are worthy of being followed. Jesus, I am Your disciple forever. Amen.

Reveal

Share one truth about Jesus that moved you, then explore together how He answers their deepest questions.