The First Disciples (Part Two)

Thursday, December 12, 2013   The First Disciples (Part Two)

John  1: 43-51

In my meditation on The Testimony of John the Baptist (John 1:19-28), I noted that John the Baptist modeled for all of us the importance of living our lives within the role God has designated for us, and that while I should not think more highly of myself than I ought to, neither shall I think I am insignificant in God’s grand plan of redemption. Nathanael exemplifies this. He is only mentioned in John’s Gospel and only in this brief passage, other than an incidental reference to his home town of Cana in Chapter 21. Yet it is his conversation with Jesus that completes the foundation of John’s Gospel.

When Jesus engaged Nathanael in conversation, he made a reference to Jacob’s ladder in Genesis 28. Jacob had a dream in which he saw a ladder extending to heaven with angels coming and going on the ladder. He named the place where he had the dream, Bethel, which means House of God. Later, Bethel would become the site of a great sanctuary for God’s people. This belief that God comes to meet his people in worship, to interact with them, finds its fulfillment in the Jews’ understanding of the Temple where God’s presence dwelled. Jesus is telling Nathanael that the miracles he will witness are evidence that Jesus is the new Temple and God’s presence is within Jesus.

Jesus is saying when you are with him you are in God’s house. God’s presence is with you. Can you envision a sanctuary where all of the disciples of Jesus bring an awareness of God’s presence within them for their corporate worship time together? John, in the Book of Revelation, describes such a time as the saints of God gather around God’s throne. However, as we continue in our journey through John’s Gospel, we will see that John doesn’t think we have to wait until we get to heaven to have this experience of God’s presence as we worship. We may have it every Sunday because the scriptures do say that God inhabits the praises of His people! (Psalm 22:3)

In this first chapter, we have learned that God is in Jesus. As the fully devoted followers of Jesus, we know that Christ is in us. Therefore, today the disciples of Jesus don’t have to wait for a corporate worship service to experience the truth of God’s presence with them. Your prayer closet is Bethel, the House of God, as you sit quietly in the presence of God.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.