Jesus' First Disciples ~
Jesus' first two disciples were former disciples of John. Was it wrong of them to "jump ship" and abandon John? Absolutely not. John's entire purpose was to point people to the Messiah. It was perfectly natural for him to point his disciples toward Jesus.
What is a disciple? The word in Greek is "mathetes" meaning one who accepts instruction and makes it his rule of conduct. Everyone who followed Jesus and implemented His Words and teachings into their lives was considered a disciple. You are a disciple of Christ if you follow His teachings by the way you live your life.
After spending some time with Jesus, Andrew went and found his brother, Simon, and basically told him, "The Messiah is here, drop what you are doing and let's go." Simon listened. Upon meeting him, Jesus renamed him "Cephas" or Peter, which means "stone." Names in the Jewish culture had meaning & Jesus has a special purpose in renaming Simon. (Which will be revealed as we continue to read through the Gospels.)
Now, Jesus is preparing to leave and He calls Philip to follow Him. Philip calls Nathanael, but Nathanael is a little doubtful. Would the Messiah really come from some backwater town like Nazareth? But Jesus displays His knowledge of the hearts of men, and Nathanael is convinced to follow.
What will it take for you to follow?
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