Behold the Lamb: The Call That Changes Everything

August 2nd, 2026
by RHC - The Life of a Disciple Series

Two words have altered the course of history more than almost any others: follow me. They toppled empires, rescued sinners, strengthened martyrs, and built the church - and they are still Jesus's invitation to every generation, including ours.

This week begins a short three-part series on the life of a disciple, and it starts at the beginning: how does someone actually become a follower of Jesus in the first place? The answer is found in John 1:35-51, a passage that reads simply on the surface but carries some of the deepest theology in the New Testament. In just sixteen verses, four different people meet Jesus in four different ways - one through a friend's testimony, one through his own brother, one through Jesus's direct pursuit, and one through honest skepticism. There is nothing formulaic about it. What ties every story together is not the method, but the mover: Jesus is the one doing the calling.

Following Jesus Begins with God's Revelation

When John the Baptist saw Jesus walk by, he didn't say "follow me." He said, "Behold, the Lamb of God" (John 1:36). That distinction matters enormously. John had spent his ministry pointing people toward the coming Messiah, and when the Messiah finally arrived, John didn't gather a following for himself - he redirected every eye toward Christ. He understood, as he'd later say plainly, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

That's the pattern for every genuine call to follow Jesus: it begins by looking away from ourselves and fixing our eyes on Christ. And that seeing isn't something people stumble into through cleverness or philosophy. Paul writes that "faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). No one reasons their way into the kingdom. God reveals himself through his word, and the Spirit opens eyes to see it. That truth strips away any room for pride - salvation was never a transaction we initiated. It was, and is, entirely a gift.

Following Jesus Results in Gospel Witness

The moment Andrew met Jesus, he couldn't stay quiet. He found his brother Simon and said, "We have found the Messiah" (John 1:41). Nobody commanded Andrew to evangelize. He simply couldn't help himself - treasuring Christ naturally produces speech about Christ.

That's the pattern that has carried the gospel across two thousand years: not primarily through platforms or crowds, but through ordinary believers introducing one person at a time to Jesus. Andrew never preached to thousands or wrote Scripture, yet he brought his brother - who became the rock the church was built on. Philip did the same for Nathanael, saying simply, "We have found him… Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (John 1:45). His theology was still developing. His words weren't perfect. But faithfulness, not eloquence, is what God uses to draw people to himself.

Following Jesus Depends on Sovereign Grace

Look closely at how Jesus finds Philip: "Jesus found Philip and said to him, 'Follow me'" (John 1:43). Jesus does the finding. This is the comfort underneath the whole passage - Christ seeks and finds his sheep, because left to themselves, sheep don't find their own way home. As Paul put it, quoting the Psalms, "None is righteous, no, not one… no one seeks for God" (Romans 3:10-11).

"Dead people don't choose."

That blunt line captures the heart of it. Scripture is consistent that the initiative belongs to God: "You did not choose me, but I chose you" (John 15:16); "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44). None of this erases human responsibility - Philip still had to obey - but behind his willing steps stood Christ's effective call. Even Peter, unstable and impulsive, was chosen not because of anything commendable in him, but because grace transforms ordinary, unworthy people into disciples. That should free every believer from both pride and despair. It was never about being deserving. It was always about being called.

Following Jesus Results in Being Conformed Into His Image

Jesus doesn't just love people as they are - he loves them too much to leave them there. When Nathanael approached, skeptical that anything good could come from Nazareth, Jesus told him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you" (John 1:48). Nathanael was stunned. Jesus already knew him completely - his doubts, his history, his future - and called him anyway.

"Come and you will see."

That was Jesus's answer to two curious disciples who asked where he was staying, and it remains his invitation today. Following him isn't first about activity; it's about communion, staying with him, being known by him, and slowly being remade into his likeness. Notice the progression across these sixteen verses: Jesus is called the Lamb, then the Messiah, then the one Moses and the prophets foretold, then the Son of God and King of Israel. Understanding deepens the longer someone walks with him - and it never stops, not for Andrew, not for Peter, not for anyone still following him today.

Jesus closes the passage by pointing back to Jacob's ladder in Genesis 28: "You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" (John 1:51). Jesus is declaring himself the bridge between heaven and earth - the one through whom every prayer ascends and every grace descends.

The call to follow Jesus has never changed. It isn't a call to religion, morality, or church activity. It's a call to a person - the Lamb of God, the Messiah, the Son of Man, the only mediator between God and humanity. He is still calling. He still finds people in the most unexpected places, still gives them new names and new identities, and still says to anyone willing to listen: come and see.

Watch the full message here: The Call to Follow Jesus

Scripture References (ESV)