John 1:40-42
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Sit comfortably and breathe deeply for a few seconds before you begin. If you haven’t read the Introduction to John’s Gospel, read it here.
In our last meditation we considered Jesus’ invitation to two of John the Baptist’s disciples to “Come and see.” Today’s meditation explores what happens just after one of those disciples accepts the invitation. Read John 1:40-42 imagining the emotions that Andrew might have been experiencing.
Andrew is obviously a person seeking something more in life. He followed John the Baptist and soaked up John’s prophetic declarations, and he was quick to become acquainted with the one John pointed out as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” At Jesus’ invitation he came and saw and listened, and now he believes. So great is his excitement about Jesus that he cannot keep it to himself.
When is the last time you felt so thrilled or excited about Jesus that you longed to tell someone? Talk to Jesus about this. If it’s been a while, or if you’ve never really experienced Jesus this way, consider asking him to reveal himself to you in a new and deeper way.
Read John 1:40-42 again this time imagining what Peter might have been thinking and feeling as he encountered Jesus.
Simon is a fine name – it was the name of many Israelite men – but its original meaning is somewhat unclear. When people encountered God in the Old Testament, God often gave them a new name imbued with meaning, and now God-in-the-flesh does the same for Peter. His new name means “rock” as in a small stone. The pebble of Peter’s newfound faith in Jesus will grow to become a strong foundation one day thanks to his brother Andrew’s introduction.
Have you ever introduced someone to Jesus and seen Jesus make a difference in their life? Stop to contemplate this for a moment.
It is our privilege to share our excitement about Jesus with others, but it is not our responsibility to convince them of who Jesus is. Ours is simply to issue the same invitation to others that Jesus issued to Andrew, “Come and see.”
If you’ve never had the incredible joy of introducing someone to Jesus, stop for a moment and ask Jesus to give you an opportunity to do so.
If you have introduced others to Jesus, take a moment to enjoy the memories of how Jesus has brought meaning to other’s lives and allowed you to be part of the process.
If during this time of meditation you have become aware of something Jesus is inviting you to do, make a plan for following through before you move on.
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