Spend Time Learning Who Jesus Is
Welcome to Day 15 of our journey with Jesus. Today, we think about how we will respond to Jesus. The main truth for today is this: We can examine what others say about Jesus honestly and be willing to follow him. Let’s begin.
Current details of the journeyView the calendar, Episode and passage
Jesus in Action
John 1:35–51
Step 5 of 5
Decide how you will respond to Jesus.
Kinabukasan, naroon ulit si Juan kasama ang dalawa sa mga alagad niya. Nang makita niya si Hesus na dumaraan, sinabi niya, “Tingnan ninyo, narito ang Kordero ng Diyos!” Nang marinig iyon ng dalawang alagad niya, sinundan nila si Hesus. Lumingon si Hesus at nakita silang nakasunod. Kaya tinanong niya sila, “May kailangan ba kayo?” Sumagot sila, “Rabbi, saan po kayo tumutuloy?” (Ang ibig sabihin ng Rabbi ay “Guro”.) Sinabi sa kanila ni Hesus, “Halikayoʼt makikita ninyo.” Kaya sumáma ang dalawa at nakita nila ang tinutuluyan niya. Bandang alas kuwatro na noon ng hapon, at doon sila nanatili hanggang gabi. Ang isa sa dalawang nakarinig ng sinabi ni Juan at sumunod kay Hesus ay si Andres na kapatid ni Simon Pedro. Hinanap kaagad niya ang kapatid niyang si Simon at sinabi sa kanya, “Natagpuan na namin ang Mesias” (na kung isasalin ay Kristo). Dinala niya si Simon kay Hesus. Tinitigan ni Hesus si Simon at sinabi, “Ikaw si Simon na anak ni Juan. Mula ngayoʼy tatawagin ka nang Cefas” (na kung isasalin ay Pedro). Kinabukasan, nagpasya si Hesus na pumunta sa Galilea. Dooʼy nakita niya si Felipe at sinabi niya rito, “Sumunod ka sa akin.” Si Felipe ay taga-Betsaida, tulad nina Andres at Pedro. Hinanap ni Felipe si Natanael at sinabi niya rito, “Natagpuan na namin ang taong tinutukoy ni Moises sa Kautusan, na siya ring isinulat ng mga propeta. Siya si Hesus na taga-Nazaret na anak ni Jose.” Tinanong siya ni Natanael, “May mabuti bang nanggagaling sa Nazaret?” Sumagot si Felipe, “Halika, tingnan mo.” Nang makita ni Hesus na papalapit sa kanya si Natanael, sinabi niya, “Narito ang isang tunay na Israelita na hindi nandaraya.” Tinanong siya ni Natanael, “Paano ninyo ako nakilala?” Sumagot si Hesus, “Bago ka pa man tawagin ni Felipe, nakita na kita noong nasa ilalim ka ng puno ng igos.” Sinabi ni Natanael, “Rabbi, kayo nga ang Anak ng Diyos! Kayo ang hari ng Israel!” Sinabi sa kanya ni Hesus, “Sumampalataya ka ba sa akin dahil lang sinabi kong nakita kita sa ilalim ng puno ng igos? Higit pa rito ang masasaksihan mo.” Sinabi pa niya, “Sinasabi ko sa inyo ang totoo, makikita ninyo na bubukas ang langit, at akyat-baba ang mga anghel ng Diyos sa Anak ng Tao.”
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The first disciples did not begin with complete understanding. They heard testimony, followed Jesus, asked questions, stayed with Him, and brought others to meet Him.
John 1 describes movement. John points. Two disciples follow. Andrew brings Simon. Philip finds Nathanael. Nathanael moves from skepticism to confession. Encounter with Jesus does not leave the people in the passage where it found them.
Investigation Has a Purpose.
“Come and see” is not permission to postpone every conclusion forever. It is an invitation to examine Jesus rather than dismiss Him through prejudice or accept Him through social pressure.
Honest investigation remains open in both directions. It is willing to discover that Christian claims have been exaggerated or misunderstood. It is equally willing to discover that Jesus is greater, more authoritative, and more demanding than expected.
A process that refuses in advance to bow before any possible conclusion is not neutral. It has already decided that personal autonomy must remain supreme.
Remaining Long Enough to Know.
The disciples stayed with Jesus. The Gospel will not reveal His identity through one isolated quotation. His words, signs, relationships, conflicts, death, and resurrection interpret one another.
This protects us from constructing Jesus out of selected fragments. A person can quote His mercy while ignoring His warnings, or quote His judgment while ignoring His welcome. “Come and see” means receiving the whole witness.
Encounter Produces Witness.
Andrew does not keep his discovery private. He finds Simon and brings him to Jesus. Philip does the same for Nathanael. Their witness is not coercion. They invite others toward the person they believe they have found.
This pattern will shape the 365 journey and its daily videos. The purpose is not to make the website the destination. The content points beyond itself toward Jesus.
Your Response.
You may not yet share Andrew’s or Nathanael’s confession. Begin with the response the passage permits: come, see, remain, and keep listening. Bring your questions, but also bring your assumptions into examination.
The invitation is generous, but it is not trivial. If Jesus is the Lamb, Messiah, Son of God, King, and meeting place of heaven and earth, seeing Him truthfully will eventually require a decision about following Him.
Consider this.
What would it look like for you to move from observing Jesus at a distance to remaining with Him and following where the evidence leads?
Take your next step
Commit to continue this journey with intellectual honesty, spiritual humility, and readiness to obey what Jesus makes clear.
What This Means for Your Life.
John 1 shows that people often come to Jesus in stages: first hearing about Him, then looking closer, then deciding whether to trust Him. That matters if you are still unsure. Jesus is not asking for blind acceptance or instant certainty. He invites honest attention. But the passage also shows that attention is not meant to stop at curiosity forever. If the witness about Jesus is true, then eventually you have to decide what to do with Him.
One way to respond today is to read John 1:35–51 slowly and ask, “What is Jesus claiming about Himself here, and what would it mean for me if those claims are true?” Stay with the text long enough to let His words, actions, and the responses of others challenge your assumptions—whether they lean toward doubt or toward a shallow, comfortable version of faith.
You do not need to have every question answered before you begin. But you also should not keep Jesus at a safe distance forever. If He is who the passage says He is, then coming to see Him clearly will call for more than observation.
Reflection question: What assumption about Jesus would be hardest for you to let go of if the evidence led somewhere else?
