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BACKGROUND
I’d like to begin this week with a little bit of background on the gospel of John itself. It’s unique amongst the four that we find in the New Testament I in the sense that where the other three share and overlap a lot of the same material, the gospel of John is about 92% exclusive, meaning you only get an account of it here in his book. That’s why Matthew, Mark, and Luke are sometimes called the synoptic gospels whereas John’s account stands alone. And that’s because it was probably written after the other three, so John didn’t feel a need to cover all the events that the others did. He also has a specific audience in mind. Where Matthew’s chosen audience is the Jews and Luke’s is the Gentiles, John’s is the Saints of the Church themselves. Those that have already been converted. Which is perhaps why I love it so much. I relate to that. I have a testimony of Christ. I feel that I have chosen to be one of his disciples. So John assumes that about his readers and instead of introducing us to Christ and his history and his teachings, he seeks to strengthen, intensify, and fortify our faith in Christ. One thing you might notice about the gospel of John is that it includes longer and more complete discourses of the Savior, and more detailed conversations between Christ and individuals. Which is really fantastic because you get a better sense of the way Christ spoke to people. People such as Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, certain members of the twelve apostles at the last supper, and others. The gospel of John focuses on Jesus’s Judean ministry, rather than the things he did and taught in Galilee and a large portion of the Gospel of John is spent covering the things the Savior did and taught during the last week of his mortal life. Therefore, you really get to know Christ in his role as Redeemer and Savior by studying this book of scripture. John is especially going to help us to get to know who Jesus Christ IS. His character, his personality, his nature. Whenever I study the gospel of John, I always feel like I know Him, Christ better. And I love him all the more because of it. With that said, then, without any further ado, let’s get into John chapter 1.
SEEING CHRIST
ICEBREAKER
As an Icebreaker, I might show the following pictures. The other day, a fellow teacher sent me a link to this website with a compilation of the funniest answers that students had given on tests over the years. So allow me to show you some of these, they’re absolutely hilarious. Here you go.
TRANSITION
Now typically, in the church, I think we place a lot of emphasis (myself included) on asking questions. Which is definitely important and appropriate. I mean, the restoration of the Church came about because a young man was willing to ask God a question. We’re encouraged by Moroni at the end of the Book of Mormon to ask God if it's true. And right now, in the Church’s seminary program, a new initiative has been implemented where we spend time teaching and training our students on what they should do when they have gospel questions and doubts. But today we’re going to flip the script a bit and I’d like to talk about becoming answerers as well as questioners. Perhaps we’ve spent so much time focused on our questions and on asking, that we forget that we are meant to give answers as well. We’re not only to receive answers from God, but to give answers back. If this life is a test of sorts, then the answers WE give are going to be key in determining our eternal destiny. So hopefully, we’ll be a bit more careful in the way we answer those questions than those students that we’ve just taken a look it. And I find it fascinating that the first three words that Jesus Christ utters in the gospel of John are a question. And what is that question? You’ll find it in John 1:38.
And the question is “What seek ye?” Hmmm. That is THE fundamental question isn’t it. Right from the get-go, Christ wants us to consider that essential question. What do you want out of life? What is it that you most desire? What are you looking for?
Could you take a moment to ponder your answer to that question? Because I can’t answer it for you. And a caution. Be careful that you answer Jesus’s question and not the one that the adversary usually likes to sneak in. They sound similar but have very different implications. Satan usually comes and asks, “What do you want”. And I feel that there’s a subtle yet significant difference between those questions, “What seek ye?” and “What do you want?” Seek implies effort on our part. Want implies ease and appeals to our natural man. And the adversary only has money, pleasure, power, and pride to offer. He even tried that approach on Jesus while tempting him in the wilderness. But those things are mere substitutes or inferior replacements for what our souls really need, and what I believe all are truly seeking for. So how do you answer that question? Truth? Peace? Success? Love? I imagine that most of us would probably answer. “I just want to be happy, Lord. I want to feel good about myself and about my life.” Well, Jesus has a response and an invitation to us however we answer that question.
In the context of John chapter 1, Jesus asks our question of John himself and his friend Andrew who have just been told by John the Baptist to “Behold the Lamb of God” as he points to Jesus. And so they start to follow him, and Jesus turns and asks our question. What seek ye? Now they’re not exactly sure how to answer that question, and so they ask him where he lives. And that’s going to prompt what we might call “the Great Invitation.” And it’s yet another simple three words. He says, “Come and see”. And it’s as if Christ is saying, not just to John and Andrew, but to you and me, “If you’re seeking joy, love, peace, and truth, then come, follow me, and you shall have all that you seek.” And John and Andrew do! Verses 39-41.
39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
I would love to have been a fly on the wall that day in Jesus’s house. I’d love to know what he said and taught them that evening. Whatever it was, when they leave, they’re convinced that they have found the Christ and they go out and spend the rest of their lives inviting others to “come and see” as well.
I feel that this little exchange between John, Andrew, and Christ, acts as a perfect microcosm of what John is hoping will happen with you and I, as the readers of his testimony. “This is what happened to me,” he says, “and it’s what I want to have happen to you.” I want YOU to come to the same conclusion. In fact, near the end of his gospel, he comes out directly and tells us why he wrote this book. And why did he write it?
John 20:31. What is it?
31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
SEARCH
To help us believe in Christ, John is going to help us to come and SEE him. That’s a major theme that we’re going to find in the gospel of John. The metaphor and the idea of “Seeing” is going to come up over and over again. And “seeing” here is given in the context of recognizing, understanding, and following Christ. Verses 1-18 of chapter 1 contain John’s introduction to this being he wants us to come and see. So what I want you to look for are the things that John most wants us to SEE or know about Jesus. What are they, right off the bat?
And a quick note here. We’re going to want to read these verses directly from the Joseph Smith Translation in the appendix of our Bibles. There are enough changes to the original text that we’re going to have a much better understanding of what John is saying by reading it there. So study verses 1-18. What do we learn about Christ here? Who was he?
To aid in this study, you could use the following handout. Now we know that Jesus is given many, many titles in the scriptures. He played countless roles and embodied numerous qualities. So what I have here is a large list of various titles or characteristics of Christ. As you study, circle the ones that John is highlighting here.
The Son of God
Preacher (Teacher)
The Only Begotten
The Light
The Word
The Creator
Full of grace and truth
Let’s go through the answers together here. And just look at verse 1, how does John commence his introduction of Christ? “In the beginning.” Does that phrase sound familiar to you? Where else have we heard that. That’s how Genesis starts. But this “in the beginning” is going to predate even that one. So he’s going to introduce us to the premortal Christ. And what is the first thing we learn about Christ’s role in the premortal world?
:1 In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God.
What’s the very first thing we see Jesus doing? Preaching. Preaching the word or the gospel. John first introduces us to Christ as teacher. I love that—for obvious reasons. Jesus, first and foremost was a teacher. So we can circle that one. He was, is, and always will be a teacher of God’s truth, his gospel. Christ taught the gospel even before he was born. No wonder he had such a gift for it during his mortal life. And that’s a great message for all you teachers out there. Of all the professions Christ could have come as, he chose to come as a teacher.
And John wants us to know something else about him in that first verse. What is it? The special relationship shared between Christ and his Father. And we’re going to want to keep an eye out for capitalized titles in this section. Jesus Christ was not only a son of God (I mean, we’re all sons and daughters of God) but THE Son, capital “S”. So let’s circle that title here. And why does he get that capital S before he’s ever even born? From other scriptures, we know that Christ was the first created spirit child of our Heavenly Parents. That’s why we sometimes refer to him as our older brother. And just as we saw in the Old Testament, the firstborn was often given a special responsibility—a birthright, a position of leadership in the family. Therefore Jesus Christ stands as a member of the Godhead and the leader of the spirit family of this world under God’s direction.
:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made which was made.
Jesus Christ is the creator of all things. We can circle that title now. So if we want to get a better idea of the character of Christ, just take a look at the world around us. All that beauty, all that complexity, all that color and order and diversity, came through Christ. We can see his divine fingerprints on everything we see in the natural world. And how can we not admire and desire to follow a being who could create something like that? We admire great artists by what they create. Well, Christ was the original artist and all artists since him have drawn inspiration from that original creation of his, the world and universe around us.
Now take a look at verse 4 and 5.
:4 In him was the gospel; and the gospel was the life, and the life was the light of men.
:5 And the light shineth in the world; and the world perceiveth it not.
OK. We’ve got a lot going on here. John is establishing some synonymous terms. What are they? GOSPEL, which we’ve already established is a synonym for WORD, and then LIFE, and LIGHT. They’re all the same idea. Just different terms to help us understand what it is that Christ preach. He preaches the gospel, the word, the life, the light. Gospel means good news. So he’s going to teach the good news of God’s plan, the good news of God’s mercy, the good news of his atoning sacrifice, the good news of our immortality and potential to obtain eternal life, or Celestial glory with God. His message would be life—it would bring vitality, purpose, and happiness to all that would hear it and believe it. His message would be light—it would bring guidance, clarity, comfort to all who would decide to abide by it. And all of those things were where? IN him. They didn’t just come FROM him. They were IN him. That’s why God sent his Son. Because his life would be an embodiment of all that he preached. He would truly LIVE the gospel. Because the gospel IS life. It is light. Jesus Christ’s example would shine throughout eternity. We can’t separate the man from his message—the God from his gospel—the light from its source.
And that’s why you see in these verses that Christ actually becomes these titles. He doesn’t just teach them, he embodies them. So in verses 7, 8, and 9 Jesus is referred to as THE light. So we can circle that title now. Is it any wonder then that Jesus will say later in John 8:12
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
That’s why he’ll introduce himself to the Nephites at Bountiful through the intense and thick darkness that surrounded them:
“I am the light and the life of the world” (3 Nephi 11:11)
And verse 9 goes a bit further and tells us that Jesus is the true Light, “which lighteth every man who cometh into the world.” Here we learn that Jesus is the source of what we refer to as the “Light of Christ”. A light that everyone who comes into this world is affected by. Some may call it conscience, or an innate sense of right and wrong, but we know that the source of that knowledge comes from Christ himself. John wants us to know that Christ is not only the light we must see, but the light by which we see and know everything else. He’s light by which we live. Because without him, we walk in darkness.
In verse 16 we see him become the Word, capital “W” now. He’s not just teaching it, he is it. He is God’s word, God’s message. We talked a little bit about that a few weeks ago as I was introducing the New Testament. We don’t just follow a rule book, a policy manual, or a checklist. We follow a person—a being. And following a being is different from just following rules or commandments. We are seeking to follow THE Word.
There’s yet another capitalized title that we find for Christ in verse 14. Christ was the Only Begotten. What does that mean? Let’s read both verses 13 and 14 for that answer.
13 He was born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the same word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
So John wants us to know that Christ was born a bit differently from the rest of us. His birth didn’t come about as the result of the will of man, but the will of God. And I almost hate to do this, it seems a bit indelicate, to try and explain the nature of Christ with a pie chart, but it does help me to understand the difference between Christ’s birth and ours. I mean, we’re all divine and eternal in part. We’re all the children of our Heavenly Father and our Heavenly Mother. They are the parents of our spirits. We share that with Jesus Christ. He too was created by our heavenly parents. But our Earthly Mother and Fathers are the parents of our bodies. So we are all at least 50% immortal and divine. But Jesus’s earthly Father was also Heavenly Father. So, again, I hate it to put it this way, to quantify divinity, but he was 75% divine, in a sense. But I think that might help us to comprehend why he’s called the Only Begotten Son of God. That’s what made Jesus different from us. So from his mortal mother, he inherited the power and ability to die. But from his immortal Father, he inherited the ability to take up his life again.
1:14 There’s also something else from verse 14 I want to point out. We learn of two of his greatest qualities here. Jesus was the personification of many qualities and attributes, but what two does John emphasize. He is full of grace and truth. We can circle that phrase on our list now. John wants us to know that he is a forgiving, merciful, understanding, and compassionate being—full of grace. And he is a being of wisdom and fact and a possessor of a knowledge of things as they really “are, as they were, and as they are to come (Doctrine and Covenants 93:24).” He is full of truth.
So there we have it—John has just given us a much deeper and more meaningful comprehension of who Christ is. Hopefully we SEE him better now. But that’s not all John is trying to accomplish here. He’s hoping that this SEEING will have an effect on us.
WHAT MUST WE DO?
What’s John’s hope? See if you can find it in verses 7, 12, 16. What is it? Believe in Him, believe on his name, or receive Him. And do we? Do we believe in Christ? Do we truly have a conviction that Jesus is everything that John has just told us he is? Because there were and continue to be many people who don’t believe these things. There are many in the world who “perceiveth it not” (1:5) who “know him not” (1:10) who “receive him not” (1:11)
Which side do you fall on? Because we can choose to ditch the classroom of the great teacher, or we can choose to sit at his feet as his pupils. We can see the world as some giant cosmic accident, or we can see it as the masterpiece of the divine creator. We can choose to walk in the darkness of the opinions and philosophies and the manipulations of men ,or we can walk in THE LIGHT of Christ. We can consider Jesus to be a mere historical figure or a great moral teacher, or we can see him as the very Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father.
THE PROMISE
But if we DO, decide to COME and SEE (or believe and receive) Christ, what is John’s promise to us? What will be the result? See what you can find in the following verses:
1:12 Become the sons (and daughters) of God. And that there means more than just being spiritually created by our Heavenly parents. We become the sons and daughters of God-Christ—born again as Children of Christ. Children of the covenant. Both sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, but also children of the Father of our faith—Jesus Christ, and his symbolic spouse, the Mother of our faith, his Church. Those are the sons and daughters he gives us POWER-good word, to become. Because there is great power in it.
1:16 Receive of his fulness. A fulness of what? Everything that he has and is. A fulness of light, a fulness of life, a fulness of power, a fulness of glory, a fulness of truth. But most importantly “even immortality AND eternal life (through his grace)”. We can return to God’s presence and not only live with him but be like him.
1:17 Life and truth come through Jesus Christ but not just any kind of life, endless life.
1:19 And in verse 19 a promise that we can be saved. Saved from darkness, from ignorance, and from misery.
So can you see why John 20:31 is such a great summation of John’s purpose. These first 18 verses are basically an expansion and detailed in-depth version of that verse.
31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
So, what seek ye? What’s YOUR answer? Do you seek light, and truth, and salvation, and grace, and power, and life? YES? Do you know where to find them though? John found them. Andrew found them. They found them by going to Christ’s house and hearing him. So if you wish those same blessings, “COME, and SEE”.
TRUTH
All that we truly seek in life can be found in Jesus Christ.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Which of the titles of Christ we’ve discussed today is most meaningful to you? Why?
As you have sought to “come and see” Christ in your own life, what have you found?
One final idea here. You may wish to conclude a study of this portion of John chapter 1 by singing “I Believe in Christ”.
MORE TITLES OF CHRIST
As you continue to study John Chapter 1, you’ll find that it contains even MORE titles of Christ. So if you wished, you could use the same handout to continue a discussion of who Jesus is and his roles here in mortality. Can you find any other titles of Christ in verses 20-51. The easiest way to do this is to scan through those verses and look for capital letters. And then you could circle those titles as well on our handout.
And what other ones do we find?
In verses 29 and 36 we have the title, the Lamb of God.
In verse 38 Rabbi or Master
In verse 41 Messias and the Christ
In verse 49 we see Nathanael also refer to him as Rabbi, and then the Son of God, and then the King of Israel.
And then Jesus Christ in verse 51 refers to himself as the Son of man.
I’m not going to go into detail on the significance and meaning of each of those titles, but I invite you to ponder them. What do they reveal about the nature and mission of Jesus Christ? And which of those mean the most to you?
COME AND SEE
ICEBREAKER
To continue though, another icebreaker activity you could try. I invite my students to have a little conversation with another person in the class. I divide them up into pairs and ask them to think about one of their favorite places to go on vacation and to consider why they love it so much. It could be a particular lake or camping spot that they go to every year as a family. It could be an amusement park that they love to visit. A beach. A particular National Park. An island they’ve been to on a cruise. A country or city they’ve visited. Anything like that. A place they love to go and see. Now have them turn to their partners and try to convince them WHY they should also want to go and visit that place. What makes it so wonderful? What makes it worthwhile? Why should they too desire to travel there? And after both partners have had a chance to do this, you can explain, “Now you could spend hours trying to convince that person why YOUR place is worth visiting, but what might be the best way to help them to really know what makes it so special? What is the only way they could truly understand what that place is like?” They just need to see it for themselves! That’s the only way they can really know why the effort to get there would be worthwhile. You could invite them to come with you. You could encourage them to go themselves. You could say, “You know what, you just need to go. And trust me, it’ll be worth it.” It’s the most natural thing in the world for us as people, when we’ve had an amazing experience, seen something remarkable, or experienced an exciting event to want to share that with those around us—especially our friends and family. I mean, what do you do the next day after you’ve seen a great movie or eaten at a fantastic restaurant? You try to convince others to go to see or try it too. This is also one of the funnest things about being a parent. Showing my kids all my favorite movies, taking them on the hikes and backpacking trips I loved as a kid, going with them for their first time on my favorite rides at Disneyland and seeing THEIR eyes light up. It’s the closest thing to experiencing that thing again for the first time yourself—to see it through the eyes of someone you love. This desire to share comes naturally to us. When we’ve experienced something great, we want others to experience it too.
TRANSITION
That idea leads us to the next great principle that I feel John chapter 1 can teach us. I began this lesson by telling you about John and Andrew’s experience with finding Christ. And do you remember who was it that pointed them to Christ? It was John the Baptist. And a quick note here. You’ll notice that verses 6-8, and then verses 20-34 deal specifically with the mission and the testimony of John the Baptist. He’s a major player in John’s introduction. But I’m not going to go into as much depth on him and those verses here this week because the role and teachings of John the Baptist are going to be one of the major focuses of our lesson next week. But I would like to point him out as a powerful example of our next principle here in this chapter. He, John the Baptist, had already come to SEE Christ as the Messiah, and Savior, and Light, and Only Begotten and all the other wonderful titles we’ve looked at already. So what did he do? Did he just sit at home and revel in the fact that he knew who the Messiah was? Did he walk around smugly content that he was privileged enough to be the bearer of this great secret? No, when the time was right, he spread the word! He told everyone about it! He triumphantly proclaims as he points to Jesus, “Behold the Lamb of God!” That was his version of “Come and see”. And so they do! And as a result, they too are converted and become disciples of Christ.
TRUTH
SO what’s the principle? The Truth. You finish it for me. Once we have found Christ, we should ________________. And I would complete that sentence with: we should invite others to come and see him too.
SEARCH
So now, can you find any other examples of this truth in the remaining verses of John chapter 1?
And we find it, in verses 41-42 It says that Andrew “first findeth his own brother Simon and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus.” And then Peter meets Jesus and becomes his disciple as well.
We also see it in verse 45 after Philip has become a disciple of Christ.
45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
And then, this interaction with Nathanael is going to reflect a common worldly attitude or reaction we might run into when we invite others to come unto Christ. Initially, Nathanael is a good example of those people John mentioned earlier in the chapter that would “comprehend him not”, and “know him not” and “receive him not”. And why won’t they receive him? Nathanael says, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” That’s a common worldly response—prejudice, doubt, skepticism. Nazareth? Why would the Messiah come out of Nazareth. It’s a no name town. Jerusalem maybe. But this little backwater Galilean hamlet? Not likely. It's reminiscent of a lot of people’s reaction to Joseph Smith. An uneducated farm boy from upstate New York? A prophet? Really? Or “you guys believe that the New Jerusalem is going to be in Missouri? Or, prophets of God, the true Church, in Salt Lake? A small city in the middle of the American West? Do our preconceptions and expectations of Christ and his gospel sometimes hold us back from really finding the truth. We’ve got to be careful not to put on those blinders.
But how does Philip react to this initial resistance from his friend? Does he get offended and walk away? Does he sit there and try to reason him into discipleship. Does he argue with Philip’s incredulity and cynicism? No. What DOES he do and how can his example help us in our efforts to invite?
He just simply says: “Come and See”. And he brings his friend to Christ. I think that’s a great pattern for us to follow. Nobody is ever going to be reasoned into the church. You’ll never argue a person into conversion. We don’t threaten. We don’t beg. We just invite! We say, “Come and see”. Just come to Church, see what you think. Just read a portion of the Book of Mormon. Give it a chance. You may be surprised. Come to this fireside with me, attend an institute class. We’d love to have you join us for this youth activity tomorrow night. Come and see. What’s the phrase that sits below the name of the church on every placard of every church building throughout the world? Visitors Welcome. Yet another way of saying, “come and see.”
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
So two questions to stop and consider here to help us like the scriptures to ourselves. First:
What is your discipleship story? What were the circumstances that initially led you to come and see Jesus?
Who do you feel you could bless with your testimony of the Savior? Will you pray for and look for an opportunity to invite them?
GREATER THINGS THAN THESE
Now luckily for Nathanael, he doesn’t allow his initial doubt to hold him back from at least giving his friend a chance. And he does come, and he sees Christ. And what’s the result of that willingness to respond to the invitation? Before we read these final verses, I have one more fill in the blank truth I’d like you to consider. If I am willing to “Come and See” Christ, then __________________. Now read verses 47-51 and tell me how you would complete that sentence.
And what happens. The first thing Jesus does when he sees Nathanael is call out, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.” And Nathanael asks with a bit of astonishment, “Whence knowest thou me?” or How do you know who I am? And Jesus reveals something about Nathanael that only Nathanael would have known. He says, “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee”. So he gives Nathanael a small, spiritual experience, so to speak. Nothing grand or overly miraculous, but something personal and meaningful to Nathanael. And that’s enough for him. He believes! I love that about him, no guile indeed. He believes easily and doesn’t allow his initial bias to quench his faith. And so he straightway calls out, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel”. He’s already ready to accept Jesus as the Master.
TRUTH
So how could we complete our principle? Here’s one way. If I am willing to “Come and See” Christ, then he will show me his power.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
And is that true? What about you? Have you ever had a Nathanael like experience with the Savior? A small yet significant manifestation of his power in your life? An answer to a prayer. A minor miracle. A small touch of heaven that you can’t bring yourself to explain away as coincidence. And I do love that his experience was such a small thing. It’s not some huge miracle or healing or parting of the Red Sea kind of display. It was minor but personal. And I believe that God will provide all of us with these kinds of experiences if we’re willing to give him the chance, to respond to the invitation. To exercise a particle of faith, or no more than desire to believe. For me, it was an answer to a prayer while trying to learn how to swim. For my Dad, it was God listening to his pleas on behalf of a beloved pet rat, for my Grandma, it was protection from an attacking dog. And none of these things are grand in scale, but they were huge to those who experienced them. I’m grateful for a God that is willing to confirm faith personally and powerfully to those who respond to his call.
And then, how does Jesus respond to Nathanael’s declaration? I love it, this is so great. And I’m sure he said it with a big smile on his face, so pleased with Nathanael’s easy faith.
50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
So in other words. Nathanael, you believed just because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? That’s enough to convince you? How marvelous. You just wait. You’re going to see much greater things than that. Your faith is going to be rewarded with greater and greater manifestations of my Spirit. Prepare your soul to see the heavens opened and angels ascending and descending. And oh, buckle up Nathanael, because you are going to see things you never thought possible. And he will, won’t he.
TRUTH
So perhaps we could add to our principle here? If I am willing to “Come and See” Christ, then He will show me greater and greater manifestations of his power throughout my life.
CONCLUSION
So are you ready to SEE some great things in the coming months as we study the life of Christ? Remember, that John’s principal audience is those who are already disciples of Christ. This chapter can serve as a reminder of our initial experiences with the divinity of Jesus Christ but also of greater things to come—greater manifestations of Christ’s power and spirit. Those things are sure to come as we continue to follow him. And hopefully John has inspired us to go out and invite all to come and see him like we have. To be John’s and Andrew’s and Phillip’s ourselves—to go out and find our Peter’s and the Nathanael’s, who then will go out and invite others themselves. And that’s how this Church grows. In ones and twos as we reach out to invite those around us with excitement and humility to Come and see. And when they do come, they are sure to SEE great things. And I testify to you that that principle is true because I have experienced that very thing. God has shown me great things, many times over. I’ve seen Christ’s power, in small ways, and in big. He’s real. His power is real. And I can promise you, that if you come to Him, you’ll see his power as well.
BUILDING OUR BRETHREN
ICEBREAKER
There’s one more quick point that I’d like to make this week about Jesus Christ and his character before we close. Remember that we’re wanting to become even as he is, to receive his image in our countenances. We don’t just want to come and see Him; we want to see the way he saw. We want his eyes. So a brief and simple icebreaker here. Do you have a nickname? If you do, what’s the story behind it.
SEARCH
And with that as an introduction, I just want to show you something about Jesus that I find phenomenal. Use the following handout to look up the listed verses in your scriptures and just take note of what he’s doing. What do all these verses have in common? And you’ll notice that two of these verses come from John chapter 1. So let’s cover this attribute of the Savior here.
1:42 What did he decide to call Simon? Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. Can you imagine how that must have made Peter feel about Peter. “You know what Simon, I’m not going to call you Simon. I’m going to call you, “The Rock”. Peter was the Rock long before Duane Johnson ever was.
1:47 What’s the first thing Jesus says to Nathanael when he meets him? Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Guile means deceitfulness or deception. How would that have made Nathanael feel about Nathanael? “Ah hah, now there’s an honest Israelite”.
Can you see him saying these things with a smile on his face?
Mark 3:17 What nickname did he give to James and John? He called them Boanerges. Which means, “the Sons of Thunder.” Which I always felt would be a good name for a pair of tag team professional wrestlers or luchedors. But wow, can you see those two men just standing up a little bit straighter after receiving that kind of compliment from the very Son of God? Wow! I’m a son of Thunder! Don’t you think they’d feel more powerful, more capable. To know that Christ had that kind of confidence in them.
To the Roman Centurion who came to plead for the life of his servant, Jesus said in Matthew 8:10
“Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”
Matthew 15:28 What did he say to the Canaanite woman? “O woman, great is thy faith”
And there are many other examples in the gospels of Jesus building people up. John is going to come to be known as John the Beloved. Of all the people in Jericho that he could have decided to have lunch with, he chose the despised publican Zacchaeus, and reminded all that “he also is a son of Abraham”. He defended the woman who came in to wash his feet as a “woman who loved much”, though everyone else in the room saw her as a sinner, and on and on. We’ve just learned a magnificent thing about the Savior.
TRUTH
What is our truth? Jesus always sought to build people up with nicknames, praise, and compliments. We can too!
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
To help my students apply this lesson themselves, I like to challenge them to go out and follow the example of Jesus in this. To think of someone in their life who may need a little encouragement right now. A relationship that could do with some strengthening. A person they know who doesn’t seem to get much attention or sits alone in class, at church, or at lunch. And to think of a sincere, genuine compliment that they could give that person, and then do it, tell them. And then to just sit back watch what happens. How did that person react? Did it make a difference? And how did it make you feel? As a teacher, you may want to follow up on this challenge in a later lesson.
CONCLUSION
Praise is a superpower. It blesses in both directions. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving. I still remember a compliment that a certain Elder gave me on my mission. He said, “You know Elder Wilcox, you’re the kind of guy who . . . and then he gave this really incredible compliment. I’ve never forgotten it. To this day, I still get mileage out of what he said. I’m sure he probably wouldn’t even remember saying it, but I still do. It made me want to live up to it or work even harder to reflect it. It made me a better person and continues to do so. Jesus always sought to build people up. He was a builder. Yes, he was a carpenter, and I’m sure he built many a table or chair or cabinet. But what he really excelled at, was building souls—building people. And he spent his life doing just that. He understood the power of words and praise to lift and encourage. He saw the Rock in the Simon. He saw the Israelite with no guile in the Nathanael. He saw the Beloved in the John. The son of Abraham in the Zacchaeus. The sons of thunder in James and John. May we do the same kind of thing. Let’s go out and build people.
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