Bible Study – Second Sunday after Epiphany “Following the Light”
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
Accept the light we have received and shine it forth! It is not about shining the light in other’s faces, blinding them, but holding the light in open hands.
The transfer of power: “Behold the Lamb of God!” exclaims John the Baptist. He now knows for sure that this man that he has baptized (his cousin) is the long expected Messiah. John is no longer the lone voice crying in the wilderness. This Jesus is the light to the nations.
Opening Prayer: Thank you, God, for John the Baptist who understood his job and who willingly passed it on to Jesus. Amen.
Please open your Bibles to John 1:29-42 and read or read the scriptures below.
John 1:29-42
John Testifies About Jesus
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”[a]
John’s Disciples Follow Jesus
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
Reflection Questions: (Answers at the bottom of the page)
- Why do you think John the Baptist referred to Jesus as The Lamb of God?
- How do you think John might have explained what happened at the Baptism of Jesus to a reporter who was trying to understand?
- Who are the two disciples of John who show up just as Jesus walked by?
- What do they decide to do when they meet Jesus?
- Why do you think Jesus gave Simon the name Cephas?
Bible Memory Verse: John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Click here for the young learner’s lesson.
Videos (Click on url)
John the Baptist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-MDVv6Yaf0&list=PL_RIOjhDVpU320tnLTNxZvwtH38WnwvDw or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5q5LbPp3P4
Book of John Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-2e9mMf7E8
Song: Stop and Let Me Tell You - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZZIFpGPqwU&list=RD0ZZIFpGPqwU&start_radio=1 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b87-w1-VXy8&list=RDb87-w1-VXy8&start_radio=1
Activities:
Witness Banner: You need long white paper, markers, glitter etc. Write in bold colored letters “JESUS WITNESS”. Decorate it with drawings of the birth of Jesus, his baptism, etc. Add glitter on the outside and tape it to your door. .
What Would Jesus Do and Say? On a piece of paper, write what you think Jesus would do and say in the follow scenarios:
- Someone is being bullied
- A girl has lost her dog
- A woman is giving a muffin to a homeless person
- A boy fell from his bike
- Someone is giving a Bible to an older man
- A child is in the hospital
- A person from church needs yard work done
- Looking for volunteers at the food pantry
Eye Witness - Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/eye-witness
Eye Witness - Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/eye-witness-4
Eye Witness – Jumble: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/eye-witness-3
Eye Witness – Multiple Choice: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/eye-witness-2
Eye Witness – Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/eye-witness-1
Getting Closure: We cannot follow Jesus exactly the way Andrew and Peter did — we cannot walk along beside them. What do you think is involved in “following” Jesus for us here now? What do you think Jesus is calling us to do? (Staying close to Jesus through prayer, noticing things I can do that Jesus would probably want me to do, etc.)
When we know who Jesus is and how special He is, we should be so excited that we can’t wait to tell other people about Him. We can do this with our words, but also with how we live and with being a kind friend to others and showing what it means to serve Christ. He is the one we have waited for, the Lamb of God!
Prayer: Thank you, God, that you sent Jesus to work with ordinary people just like us to show us how to follow Jesus. Amen.
Answers to the Reflection Questions:
- Why do you think John the Baptist referred to Jesus as The Lamb of God? (The Hebrew people understood the significance of a lamb as a sacrifice. John knew that Jesus was not going to go roaring around like a lion, that he was approachable, and they he would eventually be killed.)
- How do you think John might have explained what happened at the Baptism of Jesus to a reporter who was trying to understand? (It was clearly an “Ah HA!” moment for John and not one everyone would understand.)
- Who are the two disciples of John who show up just as Jesus walked by? (Verse 35-36, Simon and Andrew.)
- What do they decide to do when they meet Jesus? (They follow him.)
- Why do you think Jesus gave Simon the name Cephas? (Cephas means rock. Jesus saw his strength.)
