John: Come and See

John 1:29-51

Often, believers hesitate to share the message about Jesus because they feel they don't have all the answers to questions that may arise. Today’s passage dispels that idea. While it’s essential to understand the gospel, our role isn't to have all the answers, but to point others to the One who does. Today, we learn that sharing Jesus begins with a simple invitation: “Come and see.”    

The day after the religious leaders bombarded John the Baptist with questions, he introduced Jesus to the crowd. John saw Jesus walking toward him and exclaimed (don’t miss the exclamation mark): 

John 1:29
Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Although we cannot be entirely certain, it seems that John is referencing the Passover lamb from the Old Testament (Ex. 12). When the blood of the sacrificial lamb was applied to the Israelites' doorposts, the angel of death passed over their homes during Egypt's final plague. John shows that Jesus is the spotless Lamb whose blood allows death to pass over us and grants us eternal life. Jesus is God’s perfect, one-time-for-all-time sacrifice who took the punishment for our sins (1 Pet. 1:18-19).

John the Baptist proclaimed his mission to prepare the way for Jesus; now, he introduces Jesus to the world. John had been baptizing with water, which was usually reserved for proselytes to demonstrate their commitment to the Jewish faith. However, John’s baptism was for people to get ready for the Lamb. The Lamb would have a more powerful way of baptizing. John explained it this way:

John 1:30-34
“This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

John doesn’t share the baptism story here, but he mentions what happened when Jesus was baptized. The heavens opened, and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and rested on Jesus. Then John the Baptist heard a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:16-17). The divine interaction that John the Baptist saw confirmed to him that Jesus was God’s Son, meaning God in the flesh. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was a significant event. 

Fifty days after Jesus died and rose from the dead, the baptism of the Holy Spirit marked the beginning of a new era, the Church Age, also referred to as the “Age of the Spirit” (Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; 1 Cor. 12:13).

The next day, after Jesus’ baptism, John the Baptist was with two of his disciples when he saw Jesus coming down the road again. It’s interesting to me that Jesus and John didn’t seem to spend much time together. At least, it’s not recorded. Maybe you have some thoughts on that. The gospel writer says that as Jesus walked by, John called out again (don’t miss the exclamation mark): “Behold, the Lamb of God!” At that moment, around four o’clock in the afternoon, two of John’s disciples decided to follow Jesus.  

John 1:38-39
Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day….

Can you imagine what that conversation would have been like? An evening talking with Jesus? Andrew was one of the two disciples who spent time with Jesus, along with John. When Jesus asked, “What are you seeking?” he was not simply asking, “What do you want?” Some note that Jesus was inquiring, “What are you seeking in life?” That’s a question about meaning and purpose. Throughout the afternoon and evening, Jesus answered the disciples’ questions.  

Andrew was both convinced and excited. He found his brother and exclaimed, “We have found the Messiah.” Then he took his brother to meet Jesus. The gospel writer said, “Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas’ (which means Peter).” 

The next day, Jesus traveled to Galilee and called Philip to follow him. Philip was from the same town (Bethsaida) as Andrew and Peter. He found Nathanael and said, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45) To which Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” 

That was a fair question. Nazareth was in Galilee, the northern part of Israel. The Talmud mentions sixty-three Galilean towns. Nazareth was so small and obscure that it didn’t make the list. Galilee was an unlikely place for the Messiah to come from. Writer Philip Yancey writes: 

Rabbinic literature of the time portrays Galileans as bumpkins, fodder for ethnic jokes. Galileans who learned Hebrew pronounced it so crudely that they were not allowed to read the Torah in other synagogues.[1]

In response to Nathanael’s question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip simply said, “Come and see.” 

Don’t you love that response?

When Jesus saw Nathanael, he said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael was confused about how Jesus could know him. Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you” (John 1:48). That was all Nathanael needed to hear. He exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49).

Jesus, in essence, replied, “That’s all it took?” 

John 1:51
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

Two things to wrap up: 

• What’s the significance of the titles “Son of God” and “Son of Man”? We’ll discuss this more in our study, but for now, “Son of God” highlights Jesus’ deity. He is God in the flesh (John 1:1-3, 14). “Son of Man” is a prophetic title for Jesus found in Daniel 7:13-14. It emphasizes Jesus’ humanity, authority, and eternal power.
  
  
• I love Philip’s invitation to Nathanael—“Come and see.” We don’t need to know Hebrew and Greek words and meanings. We don’t need a degree in apologetics. Telling others about Jesus is relational. We invite people to “come and see” how Jesus has changed our lives. We share how God is writing our story. 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD 
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on John’s powerful introduction: John 1:29-52.

Talking to God: Ask God for the opportunity to invite a friend or family member to “come and see” how Jesus has transformed your life.   

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