READ:
PSALM 34:1-8; JOHN 1:35-51
John 1 is one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. Twice in this single passage, we hear the words, "Come and see."
First, the words are spoken by Jesus Himself. John the Baptist is with two of his disciples, and when Jesus passes by, John can't keep the excitement to himself. "Look!" he tells them. "There is the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36).
The two disciples immediately follow Jesus. He asks them what they want, and when they ask him where He's staying, Jesus replies, "Come and see" (verse 39). And so, they do. They stay with Him the rest of the day. One of these disciples is Andrew, and he goes to get his brother Simon (also known as Peter). Andrew says, "We have found the Messiah" (verse 41). They can't keep this news to themselves.
The next day, Jesus calls another disciple, Philip, saying "Come, follow me" (verse 43). Then, Philip goes to Nathanael and shares the news with him: "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth" (verse 45). Nathanael is skeptical and says, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" (verse 46).
Philip responds with the same words Jesus said earlier: "Come and see."
This short statement contains two verbs:
come and
see. A movement toward Jesus, and then a reminder to open our eyes. It's simple and yet so profound. An invitation to join Jesus's family and see how much He loves us.
Like Andrew and Philip, we have the power to share the love of Jesus and the good news of His kingdom. We can invite those around us to come and see. We might get questions along the way, but Jesus will help provide the answers.
Why should we want to follow Jesus? Come and see.
Is He really as good as the Bible makes Him sound? Come and see.
Come and see, friends. Experience the joy and goodness of His presence, then welcome others to experience it as well. " • Becca Wierwille.
• What might it look like in your life to come and see Jesus today?
• What is one way you could invite a friend to come and see the love of Jesus?
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 (NLT)
