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We read in Jn 1:35-41 (NIV):

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. … Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).

We do not hear the Baptist introducing Jesus as Christ. He refers to Jesus as Lamb of God, a term denoting self-sacrifice and suffering. We would later see Peter attempting to forbid Jesus from entering into Passion. Clearly, the other disciples, too, desisted the thought of Jesus suffering for mankind's redemption from sin. In fact, they understood the term Messiah (meaning 'The Anointed One') from the perspective of mundane benefits like restoration of Israel's kingdom, even after Jesus' death and resurrection (Acts 1:6).

That said, how did Andrew know that Jesus is the Messiah ? Was he boasting of having found a Master of higher level vis-a-vis the Baptist (who had denied being the Messiah)? Or, was he simply unaware of the true implications of the term? How do scholars interpret Jn 1:41?

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One scholar explains that

"The Hebrew word, 'Messiah' is rendered in Geek as "Christ", and both words mean 'anointed'... In the ancient world, as today in our own country [Britain], kings were anointed with oil at their coronation. Messiah and Christos both mean God's Anointed King." The Daily Study Bible, The Gospel of John, vol. 1, William Barclay, p.88 The Saint Andrew Press, 1982

As to how Andrew knew Jesus to be this anointed one, he and another disciple of John the Baptist heard John denying being the Christ (John 1:25) when asked by some Pharisees. Andrew and that other disciple had been baptised by the Baptist, in preparation for the one to come - the Messiah. They were following the Baptist, learning from him, prior to this event.

The day after John denied being the Christ, he had gone on to identify Jesus as the Spirit-anointed Son of God (vs. 34). The day following that, Andrew and the other disciple saw John identify the man passing by as Jesus, The Lamb of God (vs. 35). That was enough for them to then follow after Jesus, (about 16:00 hours) and to spend the rest of the day with him. And that was enough for Andrew to then find his brother to tell him, "We have found the Messiah".

We are not told what Andrew and the other disciple learned from Jesus as they spent time with him. Whatever it was, that (combined with the Baptist's testimony) served to convince Andrew that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah. And the day after he said, "We have found the Messiah", confirmation of that truth was shown when Nathaniel's experience caused him to declare that Jesus was "the Son of God, the King of Israel" (vs.s. 43-49).

It took three years of being disciples of Jesus for all of them to finally come to grips with the significance of Jesus being the Messiah. Many misconceptions had to be abandoned, and it was the resurrection that really let the light of the Messiah flood in to them.

Andrew knew from the Hebrew scriptures why John the Baptist had denied being the Messiah, pointing instead to Jesus. John was the fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi 3:1. The previously quoted scholar goes on to explain about verses 35-39:

"Once again we see John the Baptist pointing beyond himself. He must have known very well that to speak to his disciples about Jesus like that was to invite them to leave him and transfer their loyalty to this new and greater teacher; and yet he did it. There was no jealousy in John. He had come to attach men not to himself but to Christ. There is no harder task than to take the second place when once the first place was enjoyed. But as soon as Jesus emerged on the scene John never had any other thought than to send men to him." (Ibid. p.85)

Being well prepared by John to receive the Messiah when he appeared, Andrew and the other disciple never hesitated. They believed Jesus to be the Messiah, God's anointed King.

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    It took three years of being disciples of Jesus for all of them to finally come to grips with the significance of Jesus being the Messiah. Brilliant! Commented Aug 28, 2025 at 15:44
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    Thanks, Anne, for the scholarly inputs. I would also solicit your comments on Acts 1:6: Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Commented Aug 29, 2025 at 2:05
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    @KadalikattJosephSibichan Acts 1, verses 3 to 6 show that, after the resurrection, Jesus spoke of matters about the Kingdom of God to the disciples and told them to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They then asked Jesus if he would "restore again the kingdom to Israel", showing how they still misunderstood much about this. But after the Pentecost outpouring, and the explosive preaching and signs following, they knew to look to Heaven from where Christ would return in glory. As should we. Commented Aug 29, 2025 at 7:13
  • Thanks; I stand enlightened. Commented Aug 29, 2025 at 11:38
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We have a hint in Luke 3:15:

Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.

Granted, this is in a different gospel than the one cited in the OP, but it indicates that at many people ("all" is certainly an exaggeration) believed John the Baptist could be the Messiah. Returning to the Fourth Gospel we find:

John 1:31

I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.

This and various other statements made by John would have led people such as Andrew, who probably hoped that John the Baptist was the chosen one, to conclude that Jesus was the Messiah that he sought.

Note: Regarding what the disciples expected the Messiah to be, that is hard to tell. As Peter's brother, Andrew probably shared Peter's attitude, which definitely did not include the idea that the Christ would be crucified: “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” (Mt. 16:22) But we should also consider the possibility that Andrew may have been influenced by Essene teachings, as the Qumran community, like John, emphasized ritual purification and was located quite close to where John conducted his ministry. The Essenes held that there would be a priestly messiah (son of Aaron) as well as a royal one (son of David). But in either case, there is no documentary evidence that Jews expected a messiah who would be crucified.

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Why did Andrew refer to Jesus as Messiah? Presumably, because he recognized Him as such.

But, your question is really, "How did Andrew (and not, at that time, the other disciples) recognize Him for who He was?" Well, that's part of the Divine Mystery – God reveals what He wants to whom He chooses and when He chooses.

There are other cases recounted in the Gospels, involving other people (not always of the Twelve) who 'immediately' recognized Jesus as the Messiah. For example, in Mark 10:47, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus (a blind beggar), does the same: And, when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me.” (By addressing Jesus as ‘Son of David’, the beggar was publicly identifying him as King of the Jews – i.e., the Messiah.)

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  • And, of course, there are several cases recounted in the Gospels of demons recognizing Jesus for whom He truly was ... but I'm not sure that's relevant to my main answer. Commented Aug 28, 2025 at 15:47
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In John 1, the context strongly suggests that John the Baptist should have explicitly informed his disciples that Jesus is the Messiah.

In John 1:19-28, when questioned by Jewish leaders, John denies being the Messiah. Instead, he points to someone greater who is yet to be revealed:

26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

This statement anticipates the arrival of the Messiah, though John does not name Jesus directly at this point. Then in John 1:29-34, John offers a more direct testimony about Jesus. While the text doesn't explicitly state the audience, it is reasonable to infer that his disciples were present:

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.”

The phrase in John 1:30 - "This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me" - directly references John 1:27, linking the earlier anticipation to the present identification of Jesus as the Messiah.

Then, in John 35-36, John the Baptist again points out Jesus to two of his disciples, including Andrew:

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!”

This declaration in John 1:36 - "Look, the Lamb of God!" - echoes his earlier statement in John 1:29, reinforcing the identification of Jesus.

Given these repeated affirmations, it is reasonable to conclude that Andrew should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah based on John the Baptist's testimony.

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