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. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “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. (John 1:35-39)

Counting the days
This “next day” in the passage above is the third day. The author is recounting the first few days, one-by-one, when he first met the man who would change the world, and his life.

As the book starts with its first scene – the first day – John the Baptist is interrogated by the delegation sent by the Sanhedrin. The second day – signaled by the first “next day” phrase in John 1:29 – John the Baptist introduces Jesus to the crowd and says he saw the Spirit descend on him as a dove. On the third day, the scene is a more intimate conversation between John the Baptist and two of his disciples. At some point during their conversation, John the Baptist again sights Jesus and yet again exclaims “Look, the Lamb of God!”

Then, the real story begins.

It begins with two disciples thinking enough of John’s testimony to make a decision that will change their lives. They decide to follow Jesus – literally! Their fateful decision will make them witnesses to – and actors with – the central character, on the main stage, for the most crucial events in human history.

We discover in the next verse that one of the two who follow is Andrew. The other remains unnamed, but is likely the author of the book, the Gospel of John. The passage above lives and breathes the vivid characteristics of eyewitness testimony. “The next day” and the “next day” and so on are retold. And then he ends the passage above with the following sentence:

It was about four in the afternoon.

It’s an odd and extraneous line for an author who is nothing if he is not succinct. But there it is. “It was about four in the afternoon” and he probably could still see, smell, and taste the details of the scenes permanently etched in his memory that he is now recounting – the day he first met Jesus.