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.
Yine ertesi gün Yuhanna iki öğrencisiyle birlikte ayakta duruyordu. Yeşua yürürken Yuhanna O'na bakıp, “İşte, Tanrı Kuzusu!” dedi. Onun söylediğini duyan iki öğrenci Yeşua’nın ardından gittiler. Yeşua dönüp onların ardından geldiklerini görünce, “Ne arıyorsunuz?” dedi. O’na, “Rabbuni, nerede kalıyorsun?” dediler. ‘Rabbuni’ öğretmenim diye tercüme edilir. Onlara, “Gelin ve görün” dedi. Gelip O’nun nerede kaldığını gördüler ve o gün O’nunla kaldılar. Yaklaşık onuncu vakitti. Yuhanna’yı duyup Yeşua’nın ardından giden iki kişiden biri Simon Petrus’un kardeşi Andreas’tı. Andreas ilkin kendi kardeşi Simon’u buldu ve ona, “Mesih’i bulduk!” dedi. Mesih, meshedilmiş diye tercüme edilir. Onu Yeşua’ya götürdü. Yeşua ona baktı, “Sen Yuhanna oğlu Simon’sun. Adın Kefas olacak” dedi. Kefas kaya diye tercüme edilir. Yeşua, ertesi gün Galile’ye gitmeye karar verdi. Filipus’u bulup ona, “Ardımdan gel” dedi. Filipus, Andreas ve Petrus’un kenti olan Beytsayda’dandı. Filipus, Natanel’i buldu ve ona, “Moşe’nin Yasa’da bildirdiği ve peygamberlerin de hakkında yazdığı kişiyi, Yosef oğlu Nazaretli Yeşua’yı bulduk” dedi. Natanel ona, “Nazaret’den iyi bir şey çıkabilir mi?” dedi. Filipus ona, “Gel de gör” dedi. Yeşua, Natanel’in kendisine doğru geldiğini gördü ve onun hakkında, “İşte, kendisinde hile olmayan gerçek bir İsraelli!” dedi. Natanel O’na, “Beni nereden tanıyorsun?” dedi. Yeşua ona, “Filipus seni çağırmadan önce incir ağacının altındayken seni gördüm” dedi. Natanael O’na, “Rabbuni, sen Tanrı’nın Oğlu’sun! Sen İsrael’in Kralı’sın!” dedi. Yeşua ona, “Sana, ‘Seni incir ağacının altında gördüm’ dediğim için mi inanıyorsun? Bunlardan daha büyük şeyler göreceksin!” dedi. Ona, “Size doğrusunu söyleyeyim, bundan sonra göğün açıldığını ve Tanrı’nın meleklerinin İnsanoğlu’nun üzerine yükselip indiklerini göreceksiniz” dedi.
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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?
