The Rabbi

Well, welcome to each and every one of you who are gathered online and to those of you gathered in home gatherings all throughout the city. Welcome. We do encourage you, if you have the chance, if your health allows in this season, to gather in groups in homes. We need each other more than ever these days. We don’t want anyone to have to worship alone, so if your health allows, please host a home gathering and gather your friends around God’s Word.

A couple years ago I was doing some reading on brain science (chuckles) and I discovered these things called mirror neurons. They are a recent discovery, one of the most important discoveries of the last couple decades in neuroscience. We’ve learned that they develop well before the age of twelve months, and they function to help us learn. And so basically what happens is when we observe someone doing something, there is a neuro pathway that is fired (boom, boom, boom) through your brain that is the exact neuro pathway that will be used when you yourself do the same action, so seeing someone do something creates a neuro pathway that you then reinforce when you actually do the behavior yourself. So in seeing it, your brain experiences what it is you are about to do, and then when you do it, you reinforce it as you copy it. So, for example, we all know how this works, but let’s say I’m on the floor. I’m playing with my son, Jude, and we’re playing with balls, or whatever, and I pick up the ball and then I throw it. What’s he going to do? Right! He’s going to want to pick up the ball and throw it. In other words, we copy, we imitate, we mirror behaviors. This is how we learn. This is why children all the time are always copying their parents and role models. Even when we don’t realize we’re doing it, this is actually functioning. It’s why people tend to mirror each other’s posture when they’re in conversation. I don’t know if you know that, but if someone crosses their arms it’s more likely that the other person will cross their arms. If someone leans forward the same thing will happen in reverse. If I smile, you’re most likely to smile. If I laugh, we know laughter is contagious, and you’ll join in laughing as well.

This is why we say, you know, “You’re setting a bad example,” or “You’re setting a good example.” Or we use language like, “Let’s model good behavior right now,” because neuroscience tells us we’re always imitating other people, especially those that we admire and whose opinions we value. So in our lives there’s a whole list of people who influence us, shape who we become, people like parents and teachers and grandparents, heroes that we have, bosses that we work for, mentors in our lives, celebrities, social media influencers. All of these people are creating opportunities that we then mirror.

Marketers have gotten ahold of this and they know this intuitively. That’s why they always have successful, attractive, and charismatic people hawking their wares and modeling and using their products. They know that we are wired to mirror the behaviors of others. That’s why styles come and go. That’s why everyone tends to get the same haircuts, why certain trends develop, and what’s in right now (Right?) even down to the kind of metals that are in (rose gold or whatever). In other words, whether we realize it or not, we are all wired to mirror, to pattern after others, to imitate. In other words, we are all followers, or to use the language of the Bible, we are all disciples. We don’t get to choose if we’re going to be followers, if we’re going to mirror, mimic, imitate. We don’t choose whether we get to do that, but we do get to choose who we imitate, who we mirror, who we follow. And we have found, and neuroscience would reaffirm this, that whoever gets our admiration, whoever gets our attention, whoever gets our affections, that is who we will most mirror, pattern ourselves after, imitate, and follow.

Now, in our passage today we’re going to come, (This is John 1:35–51) we’re going to come to a point where we see that Jesus is actually offering Himself as someone worth following. And I want to show you today three reasons why Jesus is worth following. Three reasons Jesus is worth following. I’ll give them to you upfront so that you can have a road map for this time together:

First, Jesus knows life.

Secondly, Jesus knows us.

And thirdly, Jesus knows heaven.

Okay? So let’s jump in, but before we do that would you close your eyes? Let’s bow our heads and pray together.

Father, as we come to your holy Word now, we pray that you would instruct us, show us Jesus in all of His beauty and majesty, His tenderness and compassion. Help us see ourselves truly and follow Him with all that we are. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Amen.

So first of all, in this passage Jesus knows life here. I want to read the first few verses if you will. John 1:35: “The next day again John (This is John the Baptizer) was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said, ‘What are you seeking?’ And they said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and you will see.’ So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.”

Now just pause for a moment there. You’ll remember from last week that John had baptized Jesus and identified Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This was the whole point of John’s ministry, to warm up and point the way to Jesus, that Jesus would be revealed in Israel. And so here He is the very next day now and he points out Jesus again, “Behold the Lamb of God.” And these disciples of John who were following him, these were his disciples. The word is mathetes. It means learner or follower. In other words, John was their rabbi. He was their teacher. He was their guide to life. He was their guide in spiritual matters. And John, who they have been following, now points the way to Jesus, and so they naturally go after Jesus because that’s where their rabbi said to go.

And as they are following along (I love this question.), Jesus turns around and notices these two crazy people following Him and He says, “What are you seeking? What are you after? What’s up with you guys? What do you want?” And the first word out of their mouths in response is rabbi, the Jewish word for teacher. In other words, they were coming to learn from Him. That’s what they wanted. They want to become His disciples. They want to apprentice their lives to Him and learn how to do life. “Rabbi, be our teacher.”

And then they ask, “Where are you staying?” Translation: “We want to be where you are. So where are you?” And Jesus says, “Come, and you will see.” And so they follow. And apparently they spent the rest of the day with Him. It was about the tenth hour. That’s from sunrise, so probably about 4 p.m. in the afternoon. And they would have shared the evening meal together. They would have talked late into the night. And likely here they probably crashed, you know, at the house and just stayed with Him.

There’s a little pun here. John says, “They stayed.” The word for stay is meno. It means remain or abide. And those of you who know the book of John will know this is a word that comes back. In John 15:4 Jesus says, “Remain in me and I will remain in you.” This is the word meno. Remain, stay, abide. In other words, there’s a pun here. Not only do they come and just spend the night. They made their home with Jesus from that day on. This was a deep move in their journey.

They saw Jesus as someone worth following. And first it was because John had endorsed Jesus and pointed them to Him, but then they quickly came to realize that Jesus is the master of life. Jesus is the master of life. They saw in Jesus a life that was whole and complete, that brought together in unity traits that so often in this life are separated. He combined them, so for example, Jesus had unbounded power and unassuming humility at once. Unbounded power and unassuming humility. Here He is calming the storms and casting out demons and healing diseases, and on the other side, “Let the little children come. Do not hold them back.”

Terrible might, total meekness. He clears the temple and says, “Don’t cast the first stone.” He speaks truth to power. He says to the Pharisees, “You blind guides! You whitewashed tombs!” and yet He’s totally surrendered to His Father. “Not my will but yours be done.” He has courage and kindness, justice and mercy, glory and servanthood.

Friends, I don’t know how you think of Jesus, but Jesus is not just some random ancient religious figure. He’s brilliant. He’s mesmerizing. He’s magnetic. He has a brilliant mind. He’s quick-witted and good-humored. He’s the kind of guy you would want to be around. Jesus’ life is one that is undebated in its moral upstandingness. Everyone admires His ethics. Jesus has perceptive insights into the human condition that are utterly breathtaking. He has the courage to stand up and challenge the status quo, the religious corruption of His day, and He exemplifies servant leadership in the core of who He is.

Jesus radiates knowledge of God, intimacy with the Almighty, and Jesus is alive, pulsating with life in every fiber of His being. And when you watch Him in the New Testament, you realize He’s totally secure in who He is. He’s got nothing to prove to anyone. He’s full of wisdom. He knows when to speak and when to stay silent. He has utter command. Nothing rattles Him. And then you watch Him and at the end of His life, and the bravery to walk toward the cross and lay down His life. He knew every ounce of pain and torture that was coming, and He walked without flinching into the middle of it. And not to mention the resurrection when Jesus blew the doors off His own grave and arose with power and strength and victory over sin, death, and Satan, and triumphed on the cross.

Friends, Jesus’ life is an embodiment of what it means to be truly, fully human, completely alive. Jesus has the secret of what it means to be full of life, abundant life. So the disciples follow Him, and here’s the good news for you and for me. Jesus offers us apprenticeship in living. Even to this day, Jesus offers us apprenticeship in living.

You know, every so often you see these things on the internet, or whatever, for the Master Class Series. You know, all these great people who are just masters of their area and they’re teaching their craft. Right? “The Master Class Series!” Do you realize Jesus is the master of all life, of real life, true life, abundant life? And this, friends, in the Bible we have Jesus’ Master Class in living. He’s here to teach what He has mastered. Don’t you want to enroll in His course, in His life?

Now here’s the question. If not Jesus, then who? You’re going to learn to live life from somebody. You’re going to copy someone. Your mirror neurons will make sure that happens. Who will you look to? If not Jesus, then who? Who else do you have in mind? Won’t you come and see this Jesus because Jesus is worth following, friends, because He knows life. He knows life. But not only that, He knows us. Jesus knows us.

In verse 40, look at this: “One of the two who heard John speak (one of these two disciples) and followed Jesus was Andrew (okay?), Simon Peter’s brother.” Now we never find out who the other disciple is. (Chuckles) It’s maddening. John just doesn’t think it’s important. Okay. There are all kinds of theories on who he is. We have no idea. But notice here he says, “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.” He assumes we already know Simon Peter from the other Gospels because John is writing a bit later, so he’s filling in the gaps here. Verse 41, “[Andrew] first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah (which means Christ, the anointed one, the king, the Davidic king).’ He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas (which means Peter).’” (laughs)

Now who does this? I love this. “What’s your name? Oh, good to meet you. Okay. I’m going to call you this.” (laughs) Who does that? Who just changes someone’s name the first time they’re meeting them? This is pretty audacious stuff. Cephas is the Aramaic word, and Peter is the Greek word. They both mean rock. Rock. He calls him Rocky, you know? So this is the Sylvester Stallone, you know, “Eye of the Tiger” moment. This is Rocky. Okay? He is firm. He is going to be reliable, unshakeable. This is an ennobling name.

Now, here’s what’s crazy. If you know the Gospels you will know this name is a stretch because Peter talked a good game, but he couldn’t follow through. He couldn’t execute. Right? He was all about, “Oh, I’m going to do this. I’m going to do this. I’ll never betray you. I’m going to stand up for you Jesus.” He had great intentions, horrible execution. He would always falter in the moment of the crisis. But Jesus, listen, but Jesus saw something in him. Jesus knew who he could be. No, Jesus knew who he would be. And He calls it out in advance. “You will be a rock, Peter, unmovable, unshakable. Simon, Simon, listen. You come follow Me and I will transform you. I will make you into who you were always meant to be. I will make you a rock. Cephas, Peter. Everything in you will change for the better if you come follow Me.”

Now, look at this. Verse 43, “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee (So He’s going up north.) He found Philip and said to him, (That’s not me. This is a different guy. Okay?) [he said,] ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter (So he was a hometown boy up in Galilee.) Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote (This is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy), Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’” And Nathanael says to him, “‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” Come and see.

Now notice how this is spreading. Word of mouth advertising. Right? One person to another. This is how the Gospel works. This is how you and I came to follow Jesus Christ. Someone told us to come and see, and we did, and now we’re here following Jesus.

And friends, this is how the Gospel will continue to go forward as we invite others by word of mouth and say, “Come and see the man who is the fulfillment of all of our great longings. Come and see Jesus.”

Now, notice Nathanael’s skepticism here. He’s a hard sell, isn’t he? Some of it is prejudice. You know, he looks down on people from a certain region, Nazareth. That’s not good. Some of it is hesitance. Maybe he’s just one of these people that, you know, he’s a hard sell. “You have to prove your case to me before I buy. It sounds a little too good to be true here, you know.” And for those of us who tend to be a little skeptical in life, this is very comforting because Nathanael’s not, he’s not in. He’s just kicking the tires. He’s like, “I don’t know,” but he comes and he sees Jesus. And notice how Jesus receives him.

Verse 47: “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’” There’s nothing sarcastic in this statement. Jesus is affirming something in him. He says, “Nathanael, you’re the real deal. There’s no guile in you, no fakeness. What you see is what you get.” And far from being affronted by Nathanael’s skepticism here, Jesus admires him for his honesty and his transparency. He says, “Listen, you’re not faking. You’re not just telling me what I want to hear. You don’t believe me yet. That’s okay. I appreciate your straightforwardness, Nathanael.”

Now Nathanael says to Him (verse 48), “‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’” Now, we don’t know what the fig tree thing is all about. All we know is whatever happened under the fig tree, whatever’s going on, I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe he’s writing poetry. I don’t know. He didn’t tell anyone about it. We don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is, Nathanael understood it to be private, and that he had never shared it with anyone. It was his little secret.

Verse 49: “Nathanael answered him, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” He realizes that Jesus knew everything there was to know about him, and this is a bold confession here. “You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel! Rabbi!” He is coming under apprenticeship to Jesus because he realizes Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves.

In 1955 two men by the name of Joseph Luft and Harry [Harrington] Ingham created what is now known as the Johari Window. They literally took their names, Joseph and Harry, “Johari,” and they just created a word. Johari Window, okay? It’s a psychological tool used to understand the self. And they said who we are kind of reveals through a four-pane window. Okay? So in one pane of the window is the open self. This is the self that is known to us and is known to other people. All right? So there are things that we reveal about ourselves, we’re very self-aware of, and other people see and know as well. That’s the open self. It’s out in the open in the arena.

The second pane is the blind self. This is the self that is unknown to me but known to you. In other words, we all have blind spots. There are things about me that I don’t know but you know because you can see me more clearly at times than I see myself. The blind self.

The third pane of the window is what they call the hidden self. This is the self that is known to me but not disclosed to you. Okay? This is the fig tree moment. In other words, we all have a part of ourselves that is secret to us, that we don’t readily disclose, that we hold back from others and we don’t reveal about ourselves. This is the hidden self. This is whatever’s happening under the fig tree. This is the hidden part of Nathanael’s life.

And then there’s a fourth pane which is the unknown self. It is unknown to us because we don’t even know this part of who we are, and it is unknown to others. And it isn’t until certain circumstances come along and it presses things out of us that surprise us about ourselves, and other people see them for the first time as well.

There’s an unknown self in all of us. And for Peter in this context, it is the rock. Peter doesn’t see himself as a rock. Nobody sees him as a rock, but Jesus sees who he will one day be. And this window just helps us, I think, realize Jesus knows all of that about us. He knows what we know. He knows what others know. He knows what we know and hide. But He also knows the things about us that we don’t even know yet.

Do you realize that Jesus knows you like that, that His knowledge of you is so deep, so rich, so completely exhaustive that He knows you completely? And more importantly He loves you utterly.

Tim Keller in his book, “The Meaning of Marriage,” has this beautiful quote I just want to share with you. He says this. “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”

Friends, to be completely known and to be loved utterly is nothing short of transformational. It’s transformational. And friends, Jesus offers us transformation in identity. Friends, where do you think Peter’s courage will come from? Remember Peter when he faltered? He denied Christ three times on the eve of Jesus’ crucifixion, and then he went back to fishing, just sulking. When did Peter find his courage? It’s when Jesus met him on the beach at the end of the book of John, and He restored him three times over: “Do you love me, do you love me, do you love me?” And Peter was known all the way down—all the ugliness, all the brokenness, all the failures—and Jesus loved him still. And He forgave him, and not only that, He trusted him again: “Feed my sheep.”

Friends, that’s what gave Peter the courage to stand up on the Day of Pentecost and own Jesus in front of thousands of people when he denied Him before a servant girl just a few weeks before.

Friends, Jesus can transform us. He took weakness in Peter and made it a rock. He took a skeptic in Nathanael and made him a believer. He can change you too. Jesus is in the business of transforming people. He knows you completely. He loves you utterly. He forgives you entirely, and He can transform you perfectly. Won’t you come and see? Won’t you come and see because Jesus is worth following. He knows life, He knows you, and thirdly He knows heaven. Jesus knows heaven.

Look at verse 50: “Jesus answered him (This is Nathanael),

‘Because I said to you, “I saw you under the fig tree,” do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’” (laughs) He says, “Do you think the fig tree thing is impressive? Wait! Just wait! You’re going to see heaven opened. You’re going to see the veil torn back. You’re going to see supernatural things revealed, the doors of heaven blown open wide, the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

What is this phrase, angels descending/ascending? What’s going on here? Well, Jesus is referring to two Old Testament passages here: Jacob’s Ladder from Genesis 28, and the Son of Man from Daniel, chapter 7. Let me show you these really quickly here. In Genesis 28, Jacob, one of the patriarchs, the father of Israel, is wandering. He’s going through, journeying, and this is what it says. This is Genesis 28:11–19: “And [Jacob] came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and he lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels (Listen to the phrase) of God were ascending and descending on it! (Okay? Do you get the allusion?) And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’ So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and he set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel.”

So Jacob here takes a nap. He wakes up in the morning, realizes the place where he has been lying is the place where heaven meets Earth. It is a nexus point between heaven and Earth where they come together, holy ground, sacred space. He calls it Bethel, House of God, place where God dwells. This is before the tabernacle, before the temple, but this is temple and tabernacle language, the place where the holiness of God touches down to Earth. Okay? The nexus point here.

Jesus is saying to Nathanael, “Come. Come with me, and you will see in real life, in plain day, what Jacob dreamed about.” Now, this is not the only reference to Jacob in this story. Jesus has already hinted at this. He said, remember when Nathanael came, He said, “This is a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Do you remember what Jacob’s name means? Deceiver. And Jacob’s name was turned to Israel. So there’s already an allusion on the table. Here’s a true Israelite in whom there is no deceiver, like Jacob. What’s with these allusions, references to the Jacob story? What’s going on here? Well, wait for it.

Let me show you the second text, Daniel, chapter 7. This is a vision that Daniel has, and he says this. Daniel 7:13–14: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days (God the Father) and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

So here you have a divine human being who is coming, the Son of Man, who is presented before the Ancient of Days (God the Father) who is given dominion, glory, and a kingdom. It is a worldwide, multi-ethnic, everlasting, permanent, indestructible kingdom. And the Son of Man, listen, the Son of Man is the one who brings the kingdom of heaven down to Earth. The kingdom of heaven brought down to Earth.

So okay, so Bethel, the Jacob story, is the place where heaven meets Earth, and the Son of Man language from Daniel 7 is the person who brings heaven to Earth. So Bethel is the place where heaven meets Earth. The Son of Man is the person who brings heaven to Earth.

Do you realize what Jesus is saying here? Jesus is the nexus between heaven and Earth. Jesus is the nexus point. “Nathanael, if you come and follow Me, you will see the place where heaven and Earth meet in Me. In Me! I am Bethel. I am holy ground. I am the House of God where God dwells on Earth. It’s Me! Bethel!”

Now, let me tease this out just a little bit further. Remember back in chapter 1, verse 14, John said, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling amongst us.” The word “dwelling” there is literally “The Word became flesh and tabernacled amongst us.” House of God! Tabernacle! We have seen His glory, the glory of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

If you skip down to the end of chapter two just a few paragraphs later, in chapter two, verses 19 to 21, Jesus will say, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I’ll raise it up.” And John says, “He wasn’t talking about the temple, the building. He was talking about His body. I am the temple, the house of God on Earth. I am Bethel.” Do you see? “You will see heaven come down to Earth in Me, the Son of Man.” Jesus is saying, “I am the ladder between heaven and Earth. I am the one, the Son of Man, who brings heaven down to Earth. I am the gateway into glory. I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. And no one comes to the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6) And friends, don’t you realize what this means is that Jesus is offering us eternity in Himself. Jesus is offering us eternity in Himself. Not only does Jesus know life, and know us, He knows heaven. He knows the Father. He knows glory and majesty and eternal life. And He’s offering to us not just an apprenticeship in living, not just a transformation and identity, but eternity in Himself now and forever.

John 17:3 says, “And this is eternal life, that they know you… and Jesus Christ whom you have sent,” so won’t you come and see, friends? Won’t you come and see? No one knows life like Jesus does, no one knows you and me like Jesus does, and no one knows heaven and glory like Jesus does.

And maybe you’re searching like Andrew was. Come and see.

Maybe you’re a mess like Simon was. Unreliable! Unpredictable! Undependable! Come and see.

Maybe you’re a skeptic like Nathanael. Won’t you come and see?

Friends, Jesus will have us as we are, all of our mess, all of our brokenness. He will welcome us home to Himself. Come and see. And friends, this is what separates Jesus from all the marketing and all the people that you might look to. Everyone’s got an agenda for your life, but Jesus is a servant. He comes to lay down His life so that you and I might become the people we were always meant to be, to step into life, abundant life, an identity that is rich and beautiful, the way we were meant to be, and an eternity that only Jesus can provide. Come and see! Won’t you follow Jesus? I mean, if not Jesus, who else? Who did you have in mind but Him?

Would you pray with me?

Father, we are amazed that you didn’t leave us on our own, that you sent Christ to rescue us and redeem us and pull us out of our mess, and give us a hope and a future and a life in Himself that we would never otherwise have had. Help us fix our eyes upon Him. Help us come and see Him as He really is. Help us change because of Christ. We thank you for the cost you were willing to bear, to open wide heaven to us, that you would give up your Son, that He would be willing to lay down His life, His body broken for us, His blood poured out for us so that when we believe on His name, trust in His finished work for us on the cross that He died in our place and for our sake, that you give us the rights to become children of God. You give us eternal life in your Son by faith through grace in Christ. No one else can do this. No one else is the way, the truth, and the life. No one but Jesus! And we worship Him now. In His beautiful name we pray, Amen.