“Come and See”: John 1: 29-42

Pastor Deb Troester, STHPC, January 28, 2024

So, did you figure out the three places in our scripture where someone says, “Hey, come and see this?” The first time is when John the Baptist says to two of his followers, “Hey, come see this guy. He’s the Lamb of God, the Messiah.”  The second time is when Jesus says to those two followers, “Come and see – I want you to come with me and see where I live.” The third one is when Andrew goes to his brother Simon Peter and says, “Hey, you’ve gotta come see this! We’ve found the Messiah!” Let’s look at each of these “come and see this” moments a little more closely.
         First are the two disciples of John the Baptist. I remember how surprised I was when I found out that John the Baptist had disciples. I thought only Jesus had disciples, but it turns out that any great rabbi or teacher back in those days had them. There must have been several of his disciples and a whole crowd of people who heard John say, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” Yet only two of them seem to have taken him seriously. Often this happens.

A lot of people hear the word of God but then just go on about their lives. Not too many take it seriously, but these two, one of whom was Andrew, listened to John, because when he pointed to Jesus and announced, “There goes the Lamb of God!” they wanted to find out more, so they went after Jesus, probably hoping to talk to him. 

         When Jesus saw that the two were following him, he turned around and asked them, “What are you looking for?” Now, one thing you notice about Jesus, he’s always asking questions. Jesus is God, so He must have known why they were following him, so why did he ask them, “What are you looking for?” Jesus often asked questions to make people think.  Perhaps he wanted John’s disciples to ask themselves, “What am I really looking for?” Why am I following this guy Jesus anyway?” “Am I following him just because John told me to, or do I really want to find out for myself if he’s the Son of God?”

         These are good questions for us to ask ourselves as well. What am I looking for in life? Why am I here? Am I looking for something, or someone, or am I just kind of hanging out? Am I really following Jesus, or just pretending to?

         Many of us raised in a Christian home are following Jesus because someone else told us to. They said, “Hey, he’s the lamb of God. Follow Him!” So we did. But sometimes we need to stop and ask ourselves, “Why am I following Jesus?”  Am I just following Him because someone told me to, or do I really want to find out more about him for myself? Am I just curious, or doing what I’m supposed to  do or do I really want to follow him, and become his disciple? Jesus also asks us, “What are you looking for?”

         So Jesus asks Andrew and the other disciples, “What are you looking for?” They answer with another question, “Where do you live, Rabbi?” This is a strange answer. They don’t say, “We’re looking for the Messiah.” Or “We are looking for eternal life,” or even, “well, we were hoping to have a little chat with you about this Lamb of God bit.” Maybe they weren’t quite ready to say, “We want to become your disciples.” Maybe they just wanted to find out more about who this Jesus was.

         Maybe you are like that. You’re not really sure what this God stuff is all about. Lots of people talk about Jesus as if he’s their best friend, but you’re not sure you can be friends with someone who lived 2,000 years ago. You’re not really ready to follow Jesus as your Savior, but maybe you’d like to know more about Him. You’re kind of like these two people – curious, but not ready to make a commitment. Well, I have good news for you – Jesus says, “Come and see!” Come and find out more about me and see if you like what you find. Even for those of us who think we know who Jesus is, there is always more to find out. Jesus says, “Come and see.” 

         I like this invitation – it’s like saying, “Come on, have a look. Check it out.” Jesus doesn’t make any demands on them. He doesn’t ask if they’ve been baptized, or if they’re ready to leave their families and fish nets and follow him, or if they fast or pray, or tithe their money. No, he just says, “Come and see!” He invites them to see where he lives, and they spent the rest of the day with him.

         So, where did Jesus live? I don’t think he had purchased a mansion on a hilltop overlooking the Jordan, so where was he staying?  Probably with friends, and probably not any place fancy, though Jesus did sometimes visit rich Pharisees or tax collectors, like Zacchaeus.

Jesus was at home anywhere, with anyone – no matter how wealthy or how humble.

         So if you wanted to go where Jesus lives, where would you go? Where would you find Him? Remember, this is a guy who said, “When I was hungry, you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me… whenever you did this for one of the least important of my brothers or sisters, you did it for me!” So whenever you visit someone who is hungry or thirsty, a stranger, poor, sick, or in prison, you can be sure you are visiting Jesus’ house. Of course, God is present everywhere, but God is most especially present with those people the world considers “the least of these.”     

         But Andrew and his friend didn’t just come to Jesus’ house, stay fifteen minutes and then leave. They spent the rest of that day with him. Friends spend time together, and these two wanted to get to know Jesus – and I think Jesus wanted to get to know them.

In fact, “spending time with Jesus” could be one of the best definitions of discipleship I’ve ever heard. I wonder what questions they asked and what Jesus said to them? What questions would you ask Jesus if you had a whole day to spend with Him?  

         It was already four in the afternoon when they went there, so I imagine they stayed up half the night, maybe sitting around a fire, or in the lamplight, talking, just like friends do. This year, I want to challenge you to spend more time with Jesus. How do you do this? Prayer, Bible reading, meditating on scripture or Christian music or artwork, maybe journaling; all these are all good ways. Maybe try what some people call “practicing the presence of God.” Remember that Jesus is always with you, walking along beside you, all the time, every day, everywhere you go, and see if it makes a difference in your life. Remember that he’s there to help you, not to judge or condemn you. Think of Jesus as you would your best friend – remember the old song, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!” Christ wants to help you grow in your faith and become the person God created you to be. Make this year, 2024, a year to spend more time with Jesus.

Find out where he lives. Go there, talk to him, listen to him. Find out what questions he is asking you, what things he wants to teach you.

         This story doesn’t end with the two disciples visiting Jesus. One of these guys was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. As soon as he leaves Jesus, he runs to his brother and says, “Hey, come and see!” We’ve found the Messiah!  I imagine him grabbing Peter by the hand and saying, “Put down that fishing net and come with me. You have got to meet this guy Jesus!” 

This final, “Hey, come see this!” teaches us that if we have found peace, and joy, and faith in our relationship with Jesus Christ, we must tell others about Him. Like Andrew, we must bring them to the Savior. Imagine if Andrew had kept this good news to himself! Simon Peter, the leader of Jesus’ disciples, might never have come to meet Jesus and to follow him. We may not be a great speaker like Peter or Paul, but we can all invite our family, friends, and neighbors to church to worship him. We can invite them to a Bible Study or a choir practice. Most of all, we can tell them how encountering Jesus has made a difference in our lives.

         I grew up in a church where I learned a lot about the Bible, but people didn’t talk about having a personal relationship with Christ. When I was 13, a friend of mine named Joy asked me to come to church with her. That’s where I heard for the first time that you could ask Jesus into your life, and he would forgive your sins, and stay with you forever.….so that night I prayed to accept Christ into my heart, and I promised I would follow Him wherever he led me for the rest of my life. I had no idea where He would lead me, but I have never regretted that decision. I’m really glad that I had an Andrew in my life – well, in this case her name was Joy – who said, “Hey, come see this!  I want you to hear about someone who could change your life!”

So, come and see! Come and see Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Come and see where he lives, and spend some time with him, getting to know him better. And invite everyone you know to come along. Come and see! Amen.

©Deborah Troester 2024