In the fourth gospel we see, repeatedly, people brought to Jesus by a disciple and coming to full faith in him on the basis of Jesus' own word to them. John the Baptist (1:35-39) testified to Jesus; two of his disciples followed Jesus and remained with him that day; and they came to believe in him on the basis of that interchange. One of them, Andrew (1:41-42) brought his brother Simon to Jesus. When Jesus recognized Simon and renamed him, Simon (now Peter) became a disciple. Philip (1:44-51) brought a reluctant Nathaniel to Jesus, and again Jesus' word converted his hearer into a follower. even after the resurrection it was the testimony of Mary Magdalen that prepared the disciples to recognize Jesus when he appeared in their midst on Eater night....
In each case the pattern is the same: someone is brought to Jesus through the word of another but comes to believe in him definitely because of Jesus' own word. In a sense, there are no "second-generation disciples" in John, because all are bound to Jesus by his own word...
Lectio Divina John 1:50
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