John’s disciples had heard his teaching. When they finally saw Jesus, they knew they needed more from Him. It’s like that for us, especially new believers. When we start to realize we can know Jesus personally, as well as learn from Scripture, our lives start to have a new and fresh meaning. It’s like turning the light on in a room that had only been half-lit. We want more of the light.
For some, that light can be intimidating because it exposes the darkness of our sin. We can get comfortable and begin to overlook our sinful behaviors, telling ourselves we’re not “that bad.” Before we know it, our human tendencies have separated us from the love of Jesus. Having a daily dose of Scripture becomes the reminder we need to keep our focus on Jesus.
Those first disciples were so drawn in they even followed Jesus home. They acknowledged Jesus as teacher and were eager to learn. Jesus welcomed them, saying, “Come and see.” That same phrase rang out from the disciples’ own mouths to their friends and family. “Come and see.” What a theme for us to embrace!
When you invite someone to meet Jesus for the first time, what do you say? Do you show them examples from Scripture? Do you tell them how Jesus has changed your life? Do you speak of miracles you have witnessed, anything from physical healing to financial provision at just the right time? A relationship with Jesus will be different for each of us. But what remains the same is that we should invite others to “Come and see.”
Did you notice Andrew did not hesitate to tell his brother about Jesus? It was as if he had the best news of all to share, and he couldn’t contain himself. Have you ever felt that way about Jesus? Think of it – your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, loves you even when you stumble, forgives you even though you don’t deserve it, and died for you so that you could live with him forever. If that’s not the best news, I don’t know what is.
For some reason, we’re anxious to talk about the fantastic meals we had at a new restaurant that opened around the corner. Not a day goes by that I don’t see a gender reveal on social media being celebrated. Those are really great things to talk about, but God’s redeeming love seems to be an afterthought at times. Why is that? Can you do a better job of inviting people to meet Jesus?
Our reading shares some of Jesus’ first encounters with his new friends Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael. We can already see that Jesus knows more about them than they expected. That had to be surprising in and of itself. All these details fall early in John’s gospel in the “prologue” section. Jesus hadn’t officially started his earthly ministry, and he already had followers interested in knowing more.
This passage closes with verse 51, which may seem a bit confusing. Jesus was speaking when he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.” Real quick, Jesus’ audience would recognize his reference to the “Son of Man” as the Messiah from Daniel’s prophecy, and the stairway would remind them of the stories they had heard of their ancestor, Jacob in Genesis 28. Jesus was welcoming them all to be witnesses to many heavenly things if they remained in a relationship with him.
We, too, have that promise. Jesus reveals himself to us still today. Keep your eyes on him and be ready to come and see.
Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, my eyes are fixed on you. Draw me close to you so I can shut out the world and all of the messages that try to strip me away from you. Give me the courage to be bold in my faith and invite others to know you. Thank you for loving me despite my weaknesses. Give me eyes to see as you see so that I can love others like you love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
