Imagine yourself casually strolling down the streets of your town. You may be window shopping or just sipping a cup of coffee as you enjoy the day. As you stop to glance in a new boutique, you realize there is someone beside you. As you turn to face Him, you notice a kind man, a stranger looking at you like He knows you.
“I’ve been wanting to speak with you since I saw you get your coffee,” He says to you.
“Do I know you?” You ask, not really afraid, but a little perplexed.
“You may have heard of Me, but we haven’t officially met in person. My name is Jesus, and I want you to put down your coffee and follow Me.” He states this so matter-of-factly that you immediately set down your favorite latte and walk with Him. There are others following this man, too, and you suddenly realize this is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and King of Israel.
Of course, this is a modern-day example of what it may have been like when Jesus chose his disciples. John 1:35-51 shows Jesus choosing His first disciples. Andrew, Peter and Philip followed Jesus without hesitation, but Nathanael waivered. Personally, I can relate more to Nathanael’s reaction than the other three who followed so quickly. Change doesn’t come easy for me, and I don’t think it came easy for Nathanael either.
Nathanael needed a little confirmation before he would take the plunge and follow Jesus. “How do You know me?” Nathanael questioned. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were sitting under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Jesus knew all about Nathanael before He even met him. This intimate knowledge convinced Nathanael and he replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”
Let’s talk about the other three disciples for a minute. According to this scripture passage, they followed Jesus without question from the beginning. Reading these verses made me wonder what it was about Jesus that caused these men to quit their jobs and refocus their lives to follow Christ. My conclusion is that the reasons for following Jesus are the same today as they were 2,000 years ago. Anyone who meets Him wants to learn more about Him.
The disciples followed Jesus because they could tell there was something special about Him. They wanted to know more, so they dropped everything to follow Him. It’s the same for us. The more we learn about Him, the more we want to know. The more I dig into the Bible, the more I want to learn about Jesus. There is something amazing about Him that draws us in today just as it drew in the disciples so long ago.
One irony is that unlike the opening story, I am usually not setting down my coffee to follow Jesus, I’m picking it up! The best part of my day is sitting on my favorite couch with a hot cup of coffee, reading the Bible and getting to know more about the Lord. “How do you know me?” I ask Him during one of these quiet moments. “I saw you here while you with your vanilla hazelnut coffee.” That’s all I need to know.
Scripture Reading: John 1:35-51
Prayer: Jesus, it’s amazing that you know us just by looking at us. After all, You created us and so You know everything about us. Please help us to make time for you each day to get to know you better.
