John's Story by Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins Page A

the Son of God.”
    Polycarp nodded.
    “The next day, I was standing with my friend Andrew—another of John’s disciples—as Jesus approached again. John said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’”
    “This is Peter’s brother, Andrew?”
    John nodded. “Polycarp, I was so drawn to Jesus that I could barely tear my eyes away. I looked to the baptizer—for permission, I suppose. We were his disciples, after all. And I noticed that Andrew was doing the same, merely looking to John for the freedom to follow Jesus. The baptizer smiled knowingly and nodded, and we moved quickly to fall in step with the Lord.
    “Jesus turned, and seeing us following, said, ‘What do you seek?’”
    John laughed and shook his head. “Polycarp, I didn’t know what to say. And Andrew was clearly at a loss. I said, ‘Rabbi, where are You staying?’”
    Polycarp dropped his quill and roared. “You asked Him that?”
    “I didn’t know what else to say.”
    “And how did He answer?”
    John nodded to Polycarp to signal him to keep writing.
    “He said, ‘Come and see.’ We went and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day.
    “Then Andrew ran to find his brother and said, ‘Peter, we have found the Messiah.’ And he brought Peter to Jesus.
    “As soon as Jesus saw Peter, He said, ‘You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas,’ which, as you know, means ‘stone.’”
    “Jesus knew who he was?”
    John nodded. “He was God, son. He knew everything.”
    “And how were the others called?”
    “The next day we followed Jesus to Galilee, and He found Philip and said, ‘Follow Me.’ Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’
    “Nathanael was skeptical. He said, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’”
    “He actually said that?” Polycarp said.
    John smiled. “This would be the wrong place to be making up stories, would it not? Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’
    “When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, He said, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!’”
    “He knew Nathanael too?”
    “I told you, Polycarp. He knew all. Nathanael was as astounded as you are. He said, ‘How do You know me?’
    “And Jesus said, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’”
    “You never told me this before, master,” Polycarp said. “If Jesus had said something like that to me, I would have known without question that—”
    “You’re getting ahead of me.”
    “Sorry.”
    “Nathanael immediately said, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’
    “Jesus said, ‘Because I said to you, “I saw you under the fig tree,” do you believe? You will see greater things than these. Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’”

EIGHT
    F ollowing a brief rest, John and Polycarp decided to get some air and exercise and venture out onto the stone streets of Ephesus. John was growing concerned about pressure in his chest and a dull ache behind his breastbone, but he chose not to mention this to his young friend.
    “John the Baptizer must have been a fascinating man,” Polycarp said. “What drew you to him?”
    “Well, he was a man of nature, not unlike my brother and me. But he was not a fisherman—he spent his time in the wilderness, eating off the land.”
    “Locusts and honey.”
    John smiled. “Matthew writes of the baptizer as I remember him, wandering the hills of Judea wearing a covering made from the skin of a camel, hair and all. He also wore a thick leather belt. Not a city man.”
    “Yet he became known. How did people find him out there?”
    “Frankly, Polycarp, the man was a curiosity. He would venture close to the highways and byways, and whenever a