Come and See: John 1:35-51

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.

John the Baptist, still pointing, still witnessing. Two of his disciples stood with him—one was Andrew, the other unnamed (traditionally assumed to be John the evangelist himself).

When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, Look, the Lamb of God!

Lamb of God. The second time John used this title. The first was public announcement; this was intimate direction. Look—pay attention—the one I've been describing is walking by.

When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

They followed. John's disciples left John for Jesus. This was John's purpose—to point people past himself.

Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, What do you want?

Jesus turned. He noticed. He asked: What do you want? The question was deeper than it seemed. What are you looking for? What are you seeking?

They said, Rabbi (which means Teacher), where are you staying?

Their answer was a question. Where are you staying? They wanted more than a roadside conversation. They wanted time, connection, understanding.

Come, he said, and you will see.

Come and see. The invitation that would echo through the Gospel. Not an argument to accept but an experience to enter. Come with me. See for yourself.

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

They went. They saw. They stayed. John remembered the exact time—four in the afternoon, the tenth hour. Some moments are unforgettable.

What happened that afternoon? The Gospel does not say. But whatever they experienced, it transformed Andrew.

Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, We have found the Messiah (that is, the Christ).

The first thing. Andrew's immediate response was to find Simon. We have found the Messiah. The seeking had ended in discovery.

And he brought him to Jesus.

Brought him. The pattern of evangelism: encounter Jesus, find someone you love, bring them to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas (which, when translated, is Peter).

Jesus looked at Simon—saw into him, read him, knew him. You are Simon. You will be called Cephas—Rock. Jesus renamed him, prophesied his identity, declared what he would become.

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, Follow me.

Finding Philip. Jesus sought him out. The calling was initiative—Jesus found Philip before Philip found Jesus.

Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Philip found Nathanael. The chain continued: Andrew found Peter, Philip found Nathanael. Each discovery demanded sharing.

The one Moses wrote about. The prophets' subject. Now walking Galilean roads—Jesus of Nazareth.

Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? Nathanael asked.

Nathanael's skepticism was regional snobbery. Nazareth was insignificant, unimpressive. The Messiah should come from somewhere that mattered.

Come and see, said Philip.

Come and see. Philip borrowed Jesus' method. Don't argue with skepticism; invite investigation. Come see for yourself.

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.

Jesus assessed Nathanael before Nathanael spoke. No deceit—genuine, straightforward, honest. The skepticism was not cynicism; it was candor.

How do you know me? Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.

Under the fig tree. Perhaps Nathanael had been praying there, meditating, seeking God. Whatever he had done, Jesus had seen—before Philip arrived, before they had met.

Then Nathanael declared, Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.

The skeptic became confessor. The one who doubted Nazareth now declared divinity. Rabbi, Son of God, King of Israel—three titles cascading from Nathanael's lips.

Jesus said, You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.

Greater things. The fig tree vision was just the beginning. What Nathanael had seen was preview; what was coming would overwhelm.

He then added, Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

Jacob's ladder. Genesis 28—Jacob saw angels ascending and descending, heaven connected to earth. Now Jesus claimed to be that ladder, that connection. The Son of Man as stairway between heaven and earth.

The first disciples gathered: Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathanael. Each one came differently—some sought, some were found, some were skeptical, some were eager. But all of them heard the same invitation:

Come and see.