12 Ordinary Men

John 1:35-42

Twelve Ordinary Men

Every year in April or so Time hosts it’s Time 100 Summit. It’s where they celebrate the 100 most influential people of the previous year. The 2019 list includes Nancy Pelosi, Ariana Grande, Ninja (professional video gamer), Lady Gaga, Mark Zuckerberg, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

If you were going to choose 12 people to change the world with a life altering message, a lot of us would pick people from this list. These people have influence on a level all of us combined can only dream of. My sphere of influence on it’s best day probably reaches into the thousands. Mark Zuckerberg, inventor of Facebook, can send out a message to a billion people in a matter of seconds.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has headlined WrestleMania, He’s stared in over 30 movies as diverse as The Scorpion King, Jumanji, Get Smart and Moana. Total Worldwide Box Office of roughly $10 Billion dollars. He’s even rumored to be a presidential nominee for 2024 or 2028. Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?

Yet, when Jesus picked his 12 disciples, it almost seems random. He picks 12 ordinary men. 

 

³⁵ Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. ³⁶ And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

³⁷ The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”

Last time we talked about Jesus as the Lamb of God. This idea of the Lamb of God is a strand that runs throughout the history of redemption. It can be traced all the way back to Genesis 22, when God called Abraham to go to Mount Moriah and offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham, in obedience to God, was prepared to do just that, but at the last possible moment, God provided a lamb as a sacrifice.  it was a substitutionary sacrifice, and that is the idea that underlies the atonement of Christ. Jesus acts as our substitute, and God pours out His wrath on account of our sin onto Him instead of us. God, then, provides a Lamb of His own and accepts the life of that substitute. John referred to Jesus as the Lamb of God the one who takes away the sin of the world. The perfect sacrifice. He does this again this time around some of his disciples/followers. They hear him and follow Jesus.

Who are these two disciples? We know one is Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. It’s a high likely hood the other is John, the gospel writer. Who the other disciple was, is not certain: but considering (1) that the Evangelist never names himself in his Gospel, and (2) that this account is so minutely accurate as to specify even the hours of the day, and in all respects bears marks of an eye-witness, and again (3) that this other disciple, from this last circumstance, certainly would have been named, had not the name been suppressed for some special reasons,

Equally, it’s not like they left John to go get an autograph or something. They were completely done as John’s disciples and now they are following Jesus. I’ve had the honor of speaking at various churches in the community. ON occasion I’ll run into people that used to attend Antioch and now attend the church I am speaking at. Everyone immediately launches into a reason why they aren’t at Antioch anymore and why they are at this church now. I always say the same thing. I’m happy for you! You are at a Godly church where the Word is preached faithfully and the people love Jesus! Praise the Lord! Antioch’s not for everyone. We simply don’t have the room for it. However, God’s church is for everyone! I’d much rather someone be involved in a Godly church somewhere else than just warming a pew here.

John the Baptist did not care about gathering disciples after himself. He was perfectly satisfied to have these disciples leave his circle and follow Jesus. It fulfilled his ministry; it did not take away from it.

Do you view your life as cake or candles? With cake the bigger a slice someone else gets the smaller slice there is for everyone else. However, with Candles, as we see every CHRISTmas season, one candle can be used to light others, which in turn can light even more.  Is your life cake where you are trying to get the biggest slice or a candle that is used to spread the light?

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

³⁹ He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

Jesus did not refer them back to John the Baptist, even though he knew a lot about Jesus. To be Jesus’ disciple, they must deal with Jesus directly. So Jesus invited John and Andrew to be a part of His life. Jesus didn’t live a cloistered, ultra-private life. Jesus taught and trained His twelve disciples by allowing them to live with Him.

⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the ^[l]Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of ^[m]Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, ^[n]A Stone)

Here we meet Simon “The Rock” Peter. He’s became one of the most electrifying preachers in the whole of human history. He preached the sermon on the day of Pentecost. He saw Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. He was the leader of the disciples. He wrote 1 and 2 Peter. He was one of the main leaders of the early church. He was executed for his faith and when he found out he was to be crucified he requested to have it done upside down not counting himself worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. Yet, all that has to start somewhere, and it starts here. It starts with Andrew.

Andrew has to make a choice cake or candle? He’s found the messiah. He’s been welcomed into his life. Now does he share that or keep it to himself? Edward Kimball, Dwight Moody, Mordecai Ham, - Billy Graham. How much was changed because one ordinary man decided to try and light the candle of one other ordinary man.