This chapter recounts Simon Peter’s first encounter with Jesus, highlighting the moment of his conversion as described in John 1:19–42. It traces how John the Baptist’s powerful preaching of repentance prepared hearts for Christ’s coming and how his declaration — “Behold the Lamb of God” — led Andrew and another disciple to follow Jesus. Their quiet testimony brought Simon to the Lord, marking the beginning of his transformation from a fisherman to a “living stone,” symbolizing new life in Christ. The narrative emphasizes that conversion is a personal encounter with the living Saviour, not mere religious knowledge. When Jesus renamed Simon as Cephas (Peter), it signified his belonging to Christ and his new spiritual identity. The chapter closes by urging readers to personally come to Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life, just as Peter did — passing from death to life through faith in the Son of God.
This scripture in the fourth Gospel without doubt gives us the moment when Simon Peter, the fisherman of Bethsaida, first met, and got to know the Lord Jesus, whom to know is life eternal. No more important epoch in a man's history could possibly be than this — the moment when he is brought into personal contact with the living Saviour. Hence there is a most important question which each one of our hearts should ask, and answer before God — viz., Have I been brought to have to do with this living Saviour?
If you have not yet been brought to Jesus, my reader, give me the joy that Andrew had in his day, as he led his brother to Jesus — give me the joy of bringing you to meet that Saviour in this day. This is the evangelist's work in the Gospel.
Let us see now what led to this warm-hearted man — Simon the son of Jonas — being brought to the Lord, for the links in the chain that lead to conversion, whether his, or yours, or mine, are ever very interesting.
The Lord had sent to Israel at this moment a servant who roused the people from end to end of the land. No smooth-spoken prophet was John the Baptist. He spoke to people of their sins, and of their need, and multitudes were aroused and gathered round him (see Matt. 3:1–12), until he, as it were, shook them off at the feet of the Saviour.
John preached repentance. "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," was the clarion note that reached the conscience of the multitudes that heard him. Thoroughly awakened by his preaching of coming judgment, John plainly told them, in answer to their query, "What shall we do then?" (see Luke 3:1–14), all that they should do, or should not do.
To the publicans the Baptist preached, "Exact no more than that which is appointed you;" to the soldiers he said, "Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with your wages." He said, moreover, "Now also the axe is laid to the root of the tree;" and if an axe be laid to the root of a tree, down it must go.
In a way, therefore, John foretold the ruin of the nation. If the axe were laid to the root of the tree, moreover, it would show what was inside the tree, and it might be rotten to the core. If the axe of God's Word lay open — as it does — the heart of man, it shows it to be rotten to the very core (see Mark 7:20, 23).
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It was strong language John used as the multitudes came out to him. "O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" fell not only on the ears of the common people, but also on "many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism."
How they were going to escape the damnation of hell was urgently sought of them, as I would ask it of you, too, my reader. It is a query that must be faced, alike in John's day, and in ours.
John could not give his hearers pardon, nor preach forgiveness, but he told them that if truly repentant they would go down under the waters of Jordan, and be baptized, confessing their sins; and they did so.
As he was thus baptizing, there came to him a Man whom John knew to be the sinless One. He had no sins to confess. He was the only sinless man there ever was in this world, but He asked to be baptized of John — took His place, though sinless, with the remnant that was turning round to God, and, as He came up out of the water, the Spirit of God came down upon Him, like a dove, and a voice from heaven proclaimed,
"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17).
After this John sees Jesus one day coming to him, and he gives this lovely testimony of Him:
"Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. … And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God" (John 1:29–34).
John got the sense in his soul, Here is the One who can really bless man.
You get the atoning work of the Lamb of God first, and then that He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Ghost. We must learn these two things:
The Lord puts away sin in two ways — He puts away the sins of His own people by dying for their sins upon the cross, and then for those who, alas! refuse Him, He baptizes them with fire — that is, judgment sweeps the whole scene.
Oh, come to Him, my unsaved reader, while you can get the forgiveness of your sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and escape the certainly coming baptism of fire, the judgment which is rapidly nearing.
John's first testimony to Jesus seems to have had little effect — no one followed the Lord — hence we hear his voice again raised as he says, the day following, "Behold the Lamb of God."
He loved his Master, and saw His moral beauty, and as he stands and says this, he becomes the channel of introducing to the Bridegroom the nucleus of the Bride, as two of his own disciples were detached from himself, and followed Jesus.
I grant you the Bride, the Church, was not formed till afterwards, but I have no doubt you get here the nucleus of that which becomes the Bride. One of the two who heard John speak was Andrew, and I am inclined to regard the other as the man who wrote the Gospel — John, the son of Zebedee.
Jesus turning saw these two disciples following, and said to them, "What seek ye?"
Searching question! Is it fame you are seeking, my reader, knowledge, power, or riches? The Lord asks you this from the glory today. Can you answer Him as these two did?
"Master, where dwellest thou?" — i.e., We only want you; we want to know where we can be always sure of finding you.
"They came and saw where he dwelt."
Capernaum is the place called "his own city" (Matt. 9:1), the place in which His most mighty works were done, and concerning which He said,
"And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be brought down to hell..." (Matt. 11:23–24).
The higher the privilege, the more terrible the judgment when it falls on those who have not answered to that privilege.
"They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour."
Oh, those two hours with Jesus! Have you ever spent two hours with Jesus?
If you have, you have come out and tried to take somebody else back to enjoy what you enjoyed. These disciples did. There comes out at once individual testimony, and let me tell you that quiet personal testimony is often worth far more than public preaching.
That quiet man, Andrew, of whom we hear no more, save that he companied with the Lord till the end, became the means of the conversion of the most prominent man of the twelve — Peter.
It is beautiful to see how Andrew goes at once to testify of the One he had found, and he begins at home. "He first finds his own brother Simon."
He begins from the centre, and works out to the circumference. Andrew not only finds Simon, but "he brought him to Jesus." Happy service!
Have you, my reader, been brought to Jesus yet? If not, let me lead you to Him now. Come to Him now!
"We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ; come to Him, Simon," and he came.
"And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone."
This was a wonderful moment in Simon's history. He gets into the presence of the Lord, and what does he learn? He learns that the One whom he had never seen before, and, as far as he knew, had never before seen him, knew all about him.
Jesus knew what Simon was, and He knows what you are, my reader. He knew that Simon was a sinner needing a Saviour, and He knows that you are a sinner needing a Saviour too.
The Lord, addressing the new-comer, says, "Thou art Simon, the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone."
In Old Testament times, the changing of a name was very frequent. God changed Abram’s name, and Sarai’s; He changed Jacob’s too; Pharaoh changed Joseph’s name; Nebuchadnezzar Daniel’s; and the King of Egypt changed the name of the last King of Judah.
The changing of the name implied that the one whose name was changed was the vassal, the subject, the property of the one who so changed it.
The Lord said, as it were, Simon, you are Mine, spirit, soul, and body, and I shall do what I like with you.
"The hour is coming, and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live," was being fulfilled in the Galilean fisherman’s history.
Simon heard the voice of the Son of God then, and though, perhaps at the time, he did not know the meaning of what He said, yet when he wrote his first epistle afterwards he had found it out, for he says,
"To whom coming, as to a living stone... ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house."
What is a stone? A little bit of a rock. And what is a Christian? A little bit of Christ, for he is a member of Christ.
Believers now in the Lord Jesus Christ are linked with, yea, united to Him. Peter was learning this truth — slowly, I admit — but the necessity and blessedness of it are apparent as, by-and-by, we hear him saying,
"To whom coming — as to a living stone... ye also, as living stones, are built up."
That is, Christ communicates that life which is His to us, and we become an integral part of that house which God is building.
And is not being a living stone a very different thing from being a dead sinner?
Do you ask, How am I to get this life? You must get into personal contact with Jesus. Andrew brought Peter to Jesus, and Jesus said to him,
"Thou art Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone;"
you are a living stone, Peter, and you belong to Me from this moment.
And will not you, my reader, belong to Him today? Will not you trust Him now?
The whole question of sin is settled by the death of Christ. He went into death, and annulled it. He destroyed him who had the power of death. He took sin upon Him, and put it away; and now at the right hand of God, He says,
"Look to me, come to me."
If you come, He will give you eternal life on the spot, and make you a living stone.
Peter then, that day, had life communicated to him from the Son of God. He "passed from death to life" as he stood before the Son of God that day; his soul was forever linked with the Lord from that day.
I do not say that he followed the Lord then, but here you get the moment of Peter's conversion — he is quickened with the very life of Jesus, and becomes "a living stone."
This then is the account of HIS CONVERSION.