I was reading John last night (quite possibly my favorite gospel, I LOVE IT so far), and I came across a thought that I thought was really interesting about his earliest disciples! If you read it, it's interesting, because the disciples all came from different walks of life, had different personalities and views of Jesus, were looking for different things, and were all called in different way...but they all found everything they needed in Jesus! I also think they do a good job of representing all different kinds of followers, even today.
- Andrew left a former teacher (John). Jesus asked him what he was looking for, and he basically said all he wanted was Jesus. Jesus didn't answer all of his questions, but he still followed him.
- Simon Peter was brought to Jesus by his brother Andrew's witness. He was told of the Messiah, the anointed one, and was BROUGHT to Jesus. There, he was renamed.
- Jesus asked Philip to follow him, and Philip thinks of him in terms of Scripture.
- Nathanael was a great Jew, but he doubted when a friend (Philip) told him the Good News. Jesus told him who he was and said he'd always been there in his life.
To me, Andrew and Simon are converts, and Jesus and Nathanael are the cradle Christians who have come to really believe it, but of course, that's just what I saw! I personally think I am a Nathanael, by the way:)
Anyway, I just loved how Jesus calls EVERYONE to his side! If you want to read the rest of this passage, it's John 1:35-51...enjoy!
God bless! -Erin
