Come and See

So, today is both a celebration and a challenge. We are 6 weeks into our study of the gospel of John, and this morning we’re finishing chapter 1. We made it! (We’ve still got 20 chapters to go, but we’ve made it through the first one.) And at the same time, we’re covering 17 verses today in order to do it, which is a bit more than normal for us. But we got this!

In these last verses in John 1, we get to see Jesus start meeting his disciples who would follow him. And whether it’s Jesus speaking to Andrew in verse 39, or Philip to Nathanael in verse 46, the call throughout this passage is the same: “Come and see.” Come and see who Jesus is. Come and see why he’s worth following.

It’s interesting that that’s the statement we get multiple times as Jesus calls his disciples. Not an argument, but an invitation. And that makes sense. You give an argument when you have something to defend, but you offer an invitation if you have something to experience. Really, the argument is in the experience, and the invitation is to discover and verify the argument for yourself.

There’s a lot of good food in New Orleans, but Macie and my favorite restaurant is Maïs Arepas. It’s a Columbian spot near St. Charles just outside of downtown before you get to the interstate. We went there on our first evening date. It’s where we ate the night I proposed.

And if you haven’t been there, you’re missing out. Arepas are these stuffed, cornmeal sandwiches (that’s literally the name of the restaurant), and you can have steak, shrimp, avocado, sweet plantains, all kinds of stuff in them. Their skirt steak entree over yucca—absolutely incredible. Last time, we had this pork belly appetizer… oh man.

There’s such a vast variety of flavors that are combined together in each dish that every meal there is like a new vacation for your taste buds. That would be my argument for Maïs. And I could go on. But really all you need from me is an invitation: you should go and see for yourself. Ask me after the service. I’ll give you the address.

Because I know once you try it, you’ll get to experience what we have and why we keep going back. I can’t prove to you with an argument why the food is so good. I might be able to intrigue you, but I can’t convince you. I can just tell you what it’s been like for us. At the end of the day, you’ve got to come and see.

That’s the invitation that’s given multiple times in our passage this morning. The whole book of John’s providing an argument for Jesus as fully God, fully man, and fully capable of being the Savior and Lord of your life. But before we get to the argument of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection that we’ll see in the rest of the gospel, chapter 1 ends with a simple invitation: come and see. Come and see why Jesus is worthy of your worship. Come and see why he’s sufficient to build your life upon. Come and see why he can forgive you of your sin.

As Jesus starts to interact with his disciples over these 17 verses, I want to draw out four things they experienced that you can also learn for yourself if you’re willing to doubt your doubts and get to know the person and work of Jesus.

• He’s worth following,

• He’s able to change your life,

• He’s the fulfillment of Scripture, and

• He’s drawing you to believe

First off, when the disciples met Jesus, their experience told them he was worth following. We see this in each interaction with Jesus throughout our passage, but I want us to focus on verses 35-39 to start.

John 1:35–39 ESV

³⁵ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ 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, for it was about the tenth hour.

We’ve seen this pattern through the back half of John where the last three sections have each described one day after another. First, John the Baptist is approached by the religious leaders and asked if he’s the Christ or a prophet, and he describes himself as “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’” He points to Jesus.

The next day, Jesus approaches them, and John the Baptist declares, “[This is] the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus is the Son of God, and he recalls the Holy Spirit resting on Jesus when he baptized him as evidence for him being the Messiah.

Now, in verse 35, we get another “next day”. John the Baptist once again sees Jesus and calls him “the Lamb of God.” But this time, John has two of his disciples, or two of his students (his followers) with him. And when they hear John describe Jesus as the Lamb of God, they leave John and start following Jesus!

Verse 40 tells us one of these people was Andrew, but the other one isn’t named. John—not John the Baptist but John the disciple and the author of this gospel—John often left his own name out of his writing, so it’s possible that’s who the other person was, but we don’t know.

Verse 38 describes a funny scene where Jesus turns around after who knows how long and sees these two people following him. It reminds me of walking through my house doing chores only to turn around and and run right into my 3 year old boy who apparently has been directly behind me for a while. It seems like these men didn’t say anything—they just left John and started walking behind Jesus.

He asks them what they’re seeking, and their response is important. They call him “Rabbi”, which wasn’t Jesus’ official title; it just meant “teacher”. They were disciples of John. Now, they see themselves as disciples of Jesus. And that’s why they don’t just call him Rabbi, they ask where he’s staying.

They’ve decided to follow Jesus, so now they want to know Jesus better and learn from his life, and that’s what Jesus is offering when he tells them to “Come and you will see.” That’s essentially what discipleship from a Rabbi was—not a course to complete, but learning in the context of life on life.

I find it interesting that verse 36 is the last time we hear from John the Baptist until he offers a final confession about Jesus at the end of chapter 3. He tells his disciples that Jesus is the Lamb of God here, and then they leave him, and then he’s gone from the story. The other gospel books give us more on the life of John the Baptist, but the gospel of John is more concerned with sharing the history of Jesus theologically than it is sharing it exhaustively.

And John is so brief with John the Baptist’s story here because his purpose is complete. He had just told the religious leaders two days ago that God sent him to prepare people and point to the coming Messiah. And in verse 36, he does exactly that. The one he was preparing the people for has now arrived, which is why it’s not a sad thing or a jealous thing that his followers leave him for Jesus. That was always the goal of his work.

His followers found their fulfillment in Christ, and whatever you’re following in life ultimately can find it’s fulfillment in him as well. You love doing meaningful work in your job? Jesus provides with you a sense of purpose that the work you do matters for eternity and not just for your company. You get joy from raising and spending time with your family? Jesus welcomes you into his family, which gives you a steady foundation so that your family can rest in him even when life gets challenging with each other.

Every good thing in your life can find it’s greatest meaning when it’s experienced in light of the one who created all things. Jesus didn’t invite these two men to come and get his blessings. He invited them to come and see who he is. And that’s why Jesus’ question to them in verse 38 is so important for us as well. Before you can really follow Jesus, you’ve also gotta be able to answer the question, “What are you seeking?”

If you’re mainly looking to Jesus just to escape judgment, then the context of your relationship with him will be whatever it is you think makes you a “good enough” person. You’ll either base God’s acceptance of you on your own moral performance or you’ll apathetically live however you want and think you’re good with God just because “Jesus loves you.”

Or maybe you’re coming to Jesus mainly because you’re seeking a better life for yourself now. You want his blessings. But if that’s your primary motivation, then without even realizing it you’ll start to think of Jesus like Santa Claus—believing in him till he doesn’t get you that thing you really wanted and thought you deserved.

But none of this was the motivation of these two men. They don’t follow Jesus to escape judgment, and they don’t follow Jesus to get his stuff. No, they ask to see where he’s staying. They want to know more about him. They follow Jesus for Jesus.

TV shows and movies make fun of the person who marries someone much older but wealthy all the time. We’ll look at those characters and so quickly pass judgment on them. We call them gold diggers. We assume they don’t really care about the other person. We think we’d never use somebody like that just to benefit ourselves.

And yet it’s really easy for us to approach Jesus the same way: “I’ll go with you because I think it’s good for me.” And don’t get me wrong: it is good for you. But the offer of the gospel is ultimately about our union with Christ. That’s why the New Testament refers so often to the relationship between Jesus and the church like a groom and his bride. Yes, when the bride marries the groom, she gets everything that comes with him. But if that marriage is going to work, then the best part about that marriage for the bride needs to be the groom himself, and not what he’s brings to the table.

You see, I think we shortchange what it means to be a Christian when the primary focus of our message is that Jesus can forgive you of your sins. Yes, it’s true, and yes, it’s needed. But if that’s the only foundation of your faith, then you risk Jesus being nothing more than a tool that helps you solve a problem in your life. It makes the epicenter of our Christianity us.

But what if the good news of the gospel is not first that salvation has come to us, but that the Son of God has come to us? That even though we were living in rebellion from him, he drew near for us to know him, and removed the barrier that kept us against him, all so we can enjoy a relationship with him, while we reorient our life around him? That’s a marriage built on our desire for a person and not just what he produces. That’s a marriage that perseveres for better or for worse, in sickness and in health.

The two men who left John the Baptist to follow Jesus knew nothing about what it meant to have their sins forgiven. But they wanted more of Jesus. And just like them, Jesus invites us to know and trust and enjoy him. When you’re sharing with your coworkers or your family or your friends about your faith, yes, you have to talk about sin (otherwise you can’t understand why we’re separated from God and why the Son of God had to draw near to us). You have to talk about repentance (you can’t continue to trust in yourself and live your life apart from God). And, you have to talk about what it means to believe in what Jesus accomplished through his death and resurrection to pay the penalty for our sin and to provide victory over sin and death.

That’s the content of the gospel. It’s what we’ve done and what Jesus has done for us. But the invitation of the gospel is much more like setting up your friend on a blind date with someone you know they’d hit it off with: “Come and see who Jesus is.” He’s worth knowing. He’s worth following. And he’s also able to change your life. Let’s keep reading, now in verses 40-42.

John 1:40–42 ESV

⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). ⁴² He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

So, one of these two men who followed Jesus was Andrew. And after verse 39 says he stayed with Jesus for the day, what’s the next thing we see him do? He goes to tell his brother, Simon. And here we find one of the most succinct summaries of what it looks like to engage someone with the gospel. Andrew does two things: he tells his brother who Jesus is, and he takes him to meet him. Whatever happened on that walk back to where Jesus was staying and the day they spent together, Andrew is now convinced: “We have found the Messiah.”

There’s no qualification in his words. It’s not a suggestion; it’s a declaration. Now, we hear that today with our modern ears, and maybe it gives us pause. “Sure, I understand Andrew believes he’s found the Messiah. But that doesn’t mean he’s my Messiah. It’s okay for you to believe, but don’t try to impose your beliefs on me.”

But look at the way Andrew’s sharing with his brother. Verse 39 says he stayed with Jesus the whole day, and then verse 41 tells us that afterwards he “first found his own brother.” That’s a sense of excitement and urgency, not self-righteousness or heavy-handedness. Andrew shared with his brother because he just discovered something incredible and wanted his brother to experience it too. It wasn’t him trying to be right; he was trying to be loving.

And as much as the content of our faith should be clear when we share the gospel with others, the heart behind it should be clear as well. Meeting Jesus changed Andrew, and it shapes his interaction here. I love the simplicity of the first sentence in verse 42. “He brought him to Jesus.” Jesus told Andrew, “Come and see,” and now Andrew is doing the same with Simon.

But what does that look like for us today? How do we “bring [people] to Jesus”? If you’re a Christian this morning, how did you meet Jesus? Was it through conversation with another believer? Was it seeing the church serve and demonstrate the love of Jesus? Was it getting into Scripture for yourself and studying who he is and what he’s done? Whether it be Andrew with Simon back then or you with a friend this week, I think the Apostle Paul summarizes our role well in 2 Corinthians 2:15: “we are the aroma of Christ.” People should get a whiff of how Jesus changes a person by experiencing how he’s changing you. One of the ways you can help bring people to Jesus is when you help them see how Jesus has been brought to bear on your own life.

Andrew brings his brother to meet Jesus, and in verse 42, we see Jesus give him a new name: “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas (which means Peter).” Cephas is the name in Aramaic; Peter is the name in Greek. And the meaning of the name is “rock”. We see God do this throughout the Old Testament, giving new names to people when he does a new work in them. And so it fits that the Son of God also changes Simon’s name as a declaration of who Jesus will make him to be within his church as a rock and pillar among the Apostles.

Don’t miss that. There’s nothing in this passage to suggest that Jesus just knew Peter would become a solid rock in the church and so that’s why he gave him a new name. No, the gospel of John just opened up describing Jesus as the Word of God who spoke all of creation into being, and he does the same here. Jesus didn’t just align Simon’s name with who he knew he’d become. Jesus created that which he called out and gave Peter the name of what he would make him to be.

That’s why we can have confidence that Jesus can change us, and why knowing him can change the way we think about ourselves. Because whether it’s Peter’s name here in John 1 or raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11, or calling you a child of God as he draws you to himself, you can rest in the reality that Jesus creates that which he calls. And so when he calls you his as you repent of your sin and follow him, you don’t have to wonder if he’ll leave you. You don’t have to wonder if he’ll fail you. You can think of your identity as secure and your hope in life as assured, because our confidence is in our unchanging Savior and not in ourselves. No matter where you’re from or what you’ve done, when you follow Jesus you can have a new name as a child of God and a co-heir with Christ.

All we’ve learned about Peter so far is the name that Jesus has given him, but it sets us up to understand the rest of Peter’s story throughout the gospel. As we continue on in our passage, we meet a couple more of the disciples: Philip and Nathanael, which most likely was another name for Bartholomew, which is what he’s called in the other gospel accounts. Let’s keep reading with verses 43-45.

John 1:43–45 ESV

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Once again, we read that what takes place happens “the next day.” And if we compare these stories to the other accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it seems like John is giving us the moments when these men first met Jesus but not necessarily when they officially became his disciples (which you can read about in the other gospels). And that makes Jesus’ words to Philip in verse 43 all the more interesting. He “finds” Philip, or more literally, he comes upon him, and he says, “Follow me.”

Now, we don’t know what other context Philip already had or if there was any more to that interaction. The next thing we do know is that Philip comes upon Nathanael and  tells him in verse 45, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” That’s a lot more detail than just saying “Follow Jesus”, which tells us that Philip has looked into it. Like Andrew and Peter, he took Jesus up on his offer to follow him. To “come and see.” And what he saw was evidence for believing in Jesus. More specifically, that Jesus is the fulfillment of all of Scripture.

For starters, Jesus fulfilled over 300 specific prophecies from the Old Testament: things like being born of a virgin, being preceded by a messenger in John the Baptist, triumphantly entering Jerusalem on a donkey, being betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver, having his hands and feet pierced—all things that were prophesied ahead of time.

But Jesus also fulfilled the narrative of Scripture. The New Testament book of Hebrews helps us understand some of this, like how Jesus was the true and better Moses who leads God’s people out of slavery (for Moses, it was Egypt; for Christ, it was slavery to sin). Jesus is the true and better Sabbath, which was given in the Old Testament so people could find rest for a day, but when we look to Christ as our Sabbath, we find rest for eternity. And we could go on and on.

Just like the last five years have shown us that the New Orleans Saints don’t work without Drew Brees, the story of the Bible doesn’t make sense without Jesus.

The Old Testament presents us with a God whose people continue to rebel against him and leave us wondering if he’s able to fully redeem and change them. Jesus tells us he can, he does, and he will. He’s not just the climax of Scripture; he’s the fulfillment of every story in Scripture, and you cannot fully understand and apply a passage in the Bible without seeing how it’s completed in Christ.

But if that feels daunting, I want to close this morning by encouraging you: the invitation of the gospel is not “Come and find Jesus”; it’s “Come and see Jesus.” He’s not waiting for you to figure things out on your own. He’s actually drawing you to himself to believe. Let’s read one more time in verses 46-51.

John 1:46–51 ESV

⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Up to this point, every person invited to come and see Jesus has just gone and started following Jesus. But maybe that’s not what your experience has been like. Maybe you’re more like Nathanael. When he hears that Philip’s met the guy who Moses and the prophets all wrote about, Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael’s first reply is skeptical: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Once again, if you’re a Christian here this morning, be encouraged by Philip’s response. He doesn’t try to have a perfect answer; he’s proclaimed the truth about Jesus, he’s connected Jesus to Scripture, and now he invites Nathanael to come check him out for himself. That’s our role in evangelism.

But if you’re more like Nathanael this morning, I want to encourage you as well: neither Jesus nor Philip, his follower, are turned away by Nathanael’s skepticism. Actually, him bringing it out in the open allows him to process it. Can anything good come out of a place like Nazareth? Well, Nathanael meets Jesus, and Jesus tells him something about himself. First, about who he is, and then about what he’s been doing. And that freaks Nathanael out a little. So much so that he replies in verse 49, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!”

You see, the invitation of the gospel isn’t to fully figure out your life or to fully figure out Jesus and then come to him. No, God is drawing you to himself this morning with Psalm 34:8: “taste and see that the LORD is good!” Jesus met Nathanael’s doubts and gave him what he needed (including the spiritual new birth that actually gives us eyes to see Jesus for who he is that John talked about back in verse 13).

But then after Nathanael believed, Jesus continued to draw him to himself throughout the rest of his life. In verses 50 and 51, Jesus essentially tells Nathanael, “You believe in me just because of those things I told you about yourself? You haven’t seen anything yet.” Because Christ is the fulfillment of Scripture, he uses the imagery of Jacob’s dream of a ladder between heaven and earth way back from Genesis 28 to say that there is now a connection point between us and God, and it is Christ, the Son of man.

Whether you’re struggling to believe in Jesus, or currently following Jesus, he wants to continue to draw you to himself, teach you more about who you are in light of who he is, and how what he’s done can give new meaning, joy, and direction to all that we do. He just invites us to come and see.

Let’s pray.