The Story

It seems that John who wrote the Gospel and a man named Andrew were both disciples of John the Baptist, and that one day sometime after the Lord was baptized they all three were standing together reverently watching the Lord as He walked. Just think for a moment. John the Baptist knew that he had been sent to prepare the way for the Lord. And now He actually stood before him. "Behold the Lamb of God!" One of the two who heard John speak was Andrew; the other was probably the disciple John. They left John the Baptist to follow Jesus; and would they not also be eager to call their friends to share their gladness in having found the Messiah? Andrew called his brother Simon, and the Lord called him Cephas or Peter, which both mean "a stone."

John was baptizing in the Jordan, near Bethabara, which is thought to be a ford on the Jordan a little south of the Sea of Galilee. They journeyed from Bethabara into Galilee, the Lord and a little company of those who were beginning to believe in Him. The company grew, as the Lord called Philip, and Philip called Nathaniel. Philip was from Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee, the city of Andrew and Peter, and Nathaniel's home was Cana, the little town near Nazareth, to which the Lord and the disciples were going. (John 21:2) Nathaniel wondered that the Lord saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him, but the Lord said that he should see greater things than these. "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." By this the Lord meant that He was opening the way of heaven to men. They could ascend toward heaven by learning and obeying what He taught them, and a new life would descend into their hearts from Him. (A.3701)

1. By what name did John the Baptist describe the Lord? What did it mean?

2. Who was called to the Lord by Andrew? Who by Philip?

3. In what city did Andrew and Peter and Philip live? What was Nathaniel's home?

4. What does the name Peter mean? Why did the Lord give the name to Simon?

5. Of what story in the Old Testament does verse 51 remind you? What is the meaning of the picture?

This account of the gathering of the first disciples suggests the privilege and duty of helping one another to know the Lord. We ask, "Where dwellest Thou?" when we desire to know the quality of the Lord's life and of heaven, and we abide with Him for a day when we begin to receive of that life from Him.

The twelve apostles also, like the twelve tribes of Israel, represent various elements of Christian character that are gradually awakened and led to the Lord. We are most familiar with the meaning of Peter and John. We associate Peter with his declaration of the Lord's Divinity, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) He stands for a strong, living faith in the Lord. It was on account of his representative character that the Lord gave Peter his name, for Peter means a "stone" or "rock," and a rock is a type of fixed, unchanging truth. (A. 3750; E. 411) John was "the disciple whom Jesus loved," and his writings are full of the tenderest expressions of the Lord's love. We shall find this the quality of John's Gospel. See also the first Epistle of John, 4:7-11. John stands for a deep love for the Lord. (R. 879) Each of these disciples had a brother who also became the Lord's disciple. In each case the brother represents a related faculty. James the brother of John represents a love of the neighbor which is like unto love for the Lord. Andrew, Peter's brother, represents obedience to what one knows of the Lord. (A. preface to chapter 18)

One of the two who heard John the Baptist speak and followed the Lord was Andrew, and the other who is not named was without doubt the disciple John. The first turning of the understanding to the Lord is not with a full and living faith, but with obedience. This leads to faith, as Andrew called his brother Simon. The name Simon also means "hearkening," reminding us that obedience is always a part of living faith. (E. 411) It is also in keeping with the hidden nature of love, that the disciple who represents this element of character remains unnamed. It is felt, but cannot be definitely described.

Another disciple was found as they went from the Jordan into Galilee. It was Philip. He is a type of intelligence. The fact that he was from the city of Andrew and Peter suggests that the faculty which he represents belongs to the understanding. Philip is also associated with Andrew in other places. See John 6:7-9 and 12:20-22. The name Philip means "lover of a horse," and the horse is a type of spiritual understanding. The relation of Philip to intelligence appears in his saying, "Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us" (John 14:8), and in this very lesson in his words to Nathaniel, "Come and see."

The element of character for which Nathaniel stands is indicated both by the Lord's description of him, "an Israelite in whom is no guile," and by his sitting under the fig tree. He is a type of a state of simple goodness. The spreading fig with its sweet fruit corresponds to such simple goodness. We know that one who is in such goodness is ready to be instructed by the Lord. (E. 866)

Notice the different expressions used in describing the Lord to Peter and to Nathaniel, for each one knows the Lord according to his own ability to know Him. To Peter He was called the Messiah or Christ. The words mean "anointed," and describe the Lord in the kingly power of His truth. It is so that Peter knows Him. To Nathaniel He was called "Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." The name seems especially to emphasize the bringing of the Divine power into the practical, natural life of the world. (E. 684)

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