Come And See

I was led to the Gospel of John to find out more about who Jesus really is. Rather than a biography of the life of Jesus, John shows us a picture of who he is. He shows us that Jesus is so much more than just a man. John 1:1-16 tells us that Jesus was with God from the very beginning. He created everything and gave everything life. He was, and is, the Word of God. And He came and made his home on earth with us, miserable human sinners. Why would he do such a thing? Do you see how much He must love us in order to give up his throne in heaven and come to live as one of us? It was the only way He could reach us and save us from ourselves.

In John 1:35-39 two disciples of John the Baptist saw Jesus (John had pointed him out) and turned to follow him. Jesus saw them following and said, “What do you want?” What would I say if Jesus suddenly looked right at me and asked, “What do you want?” Looking back through my life many answers come to mind. “I was just curious about you.” “I need help.” “I find you intriguing, I have questions.” “I feel joy when I’m with you.” “I don’t know where else to go.” “You have saved me, I would follow you anywhere.” “I believe you are the Son of God, my life is yours.” What would you say if Jesus asked you?

The disciples’ answer was, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” I picture them fidgeting and stammering, “Ummm, I don’t know, nothing really. So…where are you staying?” Like it was the only thing they could come up with to try to be cool and nonchalant about it. Jesus responds with, “Come and see.” I think this means so much more than just to come and see where he was staying. No matter what our answer is to “what do you want”, His response is always “let me show you”.

There is never any judgement for the wrong answer, for our shallow faith or unbelief. So be honest with Him. What do you want from Him? His response will always be “Come and see”. It’s just an invitation to get to know Him, no matter where we are in life, no matter what we’ve come from, no matter if we are sure he is the Son of God or if we’re just curious about the rumors. He says, “Come and sit with me for awhile, let’s get to know each other and see where it goes.” There’s no pressure, no coercion, no condemnation…just a simple invitation.