Come and See

"The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, 'What do you seek?' And they said to him, 'Rabbi (which means Teacher), where are you staying?" He said to them, 'Come and see.' They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour." (John 1:35-39)

Who is Jesus? This is the question that drove Andrew and the other disciple--perhaps John the evangelist and apostle--to follow Jesus and spend the day with him. They had heard John the Baptist speak of him; they had seen Jesus be baptized, but they wanted to know more. That they were curious seems clear from Jesus' own question: "What do you seek?" What are we seeking as human beings? There are many questions that we can ask about the world, in our walk of faith, in the numerous issues we can struggle with, but more often than not, we will feel disappointed when our questions bring no answers, or they bring answers whose impact on our life is so small as to be disappointing. On the other hand, the question Who is Jesus? when asked by an honest heart, brings about life-changing results. Something about Jesus captivated Andrew and the other disciple. Christ is contagious. Andrew went to tell his brother Peter (John 1:40-42). When Jesus called Philip with the simple words "Follow me", Philip went and found Nathanael to tell him about Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:43-45). When Nathanael asked if anything good could come out of Nazareth, Philip repeated the Master's own words: "Come and see" (John 1:46).

And that is all Jesus is asking of you. He is asking you to come spend time with him, to come and see for yourself who he is, what he offers, and how he changes your life. Many people have come to me at various times with deep and painful questions, questions far too big for my limited experience, miniscule wisdom, and weak heart. Most of the time, the only advice that I can give them is to "Come and see" Jesus Christ--to spend time with Jesus. Most often, this advice is discarded as being too simplistic. Some Christians are surprised when their faith suffers, even though they are not spending time with Christ in prayer, searching his character in Scripture, and seeing his presence in other Christians. Why should they be surprised? It is ridiculous to suppose that one can know anything about a subject without spending time with it. My poor skills in mathematics are the result of years of neglect--starting very early in school. The less time you dedicate to knowing someone or something, the poorer your results will be. Many relationships end because friends cease to communicate, spend time with each other, or continue to explore one another's characters and virtues. Without curiosity, without a desire to dedicate time, it is very difficult to find intimacy and communion with the Lord, and it is impossible to gain any kind of knowledge, wisdom or faith without the desire for the presence of Christ.

Andrew and the other disciple wanted to see where Jesus lived. Where does Jesus live? First of all, if you are a baptized believer, Jesus lives in your heart, and you can speak to him anytime you want through praying: "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:6). Jesus said that there is a reward for praying to the Father as individuals in secret. This is the personal aspect of our relationship with Jesus, the rewarding life of communing every day with a loving Lord who gave his life for us, and wants to be with us at all times: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). When we pray to the Father, we are speaking to Jesus, because He is in the Father and the Father is in him (John 14:6-14). There is another aspect to our spirituality, and this is the corporate worship, or communal prayer, as we see in church. Jesus is present in our worship: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). More importantly, Jesus is present in the church, because the Holy Spirit is in each of us, and as we share in the Spirit, we are united into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). Moreover, by celebrating the Lord's Supper and proclaiming the death and resurrection of Jesus, we participate in Jesus' presence: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16). Though Jesus lives in heaven at the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:11, Acts 7:56), he also lives in those who have been saved, and in the communion of the saints. Come and see where Jesus lives, spend time with Jesus, and you will know more to the question Who is Jesus? More importantly, you will want to continue to know more and more. Through fellowship with Jesus and God the Father, we have fellowship with one another (1 John 1), and come to know that God is love (1 John 4:8). And what is more important, more beautiful and more sustaining than love?

Are you an unbeliever? Is your faith weak? Have you lost your faith? Remember that faith is not just belief. It is also curiosity and desire. It begins with something small, and grows into something wonderfully expansive: "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches" (Matthew 13:31-32). Come and see Jesus of Nazareth. Commune with Jesus both privately and publicly. Following him and sharing with him is like the planting of the mustard seed. For those of you who do not know him, you will discover a man without flaws, a man like none other. For those of you who once believed, remember how loving and kind Jesus is, remember his grace and his truth, and the words of life he shared with humanity. Moreover, remember that he came to this world and died for our sins, because of his great love for us (John 3).

The photograph above is of a carpenter's shop in Capernaum, the town where Jesus lived when his ministry began (Matthew 4:13).