Come and See

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!... I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."... Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus... He said to them, "Come and see."... One of the two... was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah"... and he brought him to Jesus... The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."... 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." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." (John 1:29-46)

Every believer is placed where they are for one purpose: to point seekers to Jesus and simply invite them to "come and see."

A Different Kind of Gospel

John's Gospel is a wonderful work of Scripture, nestled among the other three, yet a little different than Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Those three are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they give a brief synopsis of the life and ministry of Jesus, hitting the high points in a similar way. The Gospel of John, written after the other three, is different in structure, form, focus, and purpose, with a very specific reason for which it was written.

In this opening passage we're introduced to a man named John the Baptist. This is where it can get confusing: the writer John who wrote this Gospel is not John the Baptist. He simply writes about him. There were a lot of men named John. The author John also wrote First, Second, and Third John and the book of Revelation, but here at the opening of his Gospel he writes about John the Baptist.

A Voice in the Wilderness

John the Baptist was a crazy character who shows up in the Gospels just before Jesus does, announcing the coming of the kingdom of God. He preached out in the wilderness, and multitudes came out of the cities to find this fiery preacher out in the middle of nowhere. His message was simple: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Turn from your sin, because the kingdom of God is coming.

People were excited because they could tell he had a prophetic bent—he's referred to as one of the last Old Testament prophets. There had not been a prophet of God for 400 years. God had not spoken through prophets for four centuries, and now this crazy dude shows up wearing camel's hair, with a big beard, eating locusts and wild honey—full-on doing the vegan thing in every possible way.

People were so stirred by his message that they asked how to respond, and he called them to be baptized. This was not abnormal in Jewish culture. Outside the temple precincts in Jerusalem there were pools called mikvah where you would ceremonially wash yourself before going in to worship. Here John calls people to turn from their sins, to bear fruits worthy of repentance, and he baptizes them.

The Purpose of the Baptism

Why was John baptizing at all? He tells us. Look at verse 29:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!... that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."

So that this Messiah would be revealed to Israel—that's why John came baptizing. He continues in verse 32:

"I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

This is the purpose of John's entire Gospel—to prove that Jesus is the Son of God. He tells us at the end, in John 20:30-31, that Jesus did many other signs not written in this book, "but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." The seven miracles and seven "I am" statements recorded in John are all given to prove that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the one the prophets foretold.

"I Did Not Know Him"

God had spoken prophetically to John: go into the wilderness, preach repentance, baptize the people, and the one upon whom you see the Spirit descending like a dove and remaining—that's the Messiah. So I imagine John baptizing people, watching, waiting, until one day Jesus came.

Notice John says, "I did not know Him." That's interesting, because John did know Jesus. The Scriptures tell us their mothers, Elizabeth and Mary, were relatives—likely cousins. John was six months older than Jesus, so they were close in age and he knew the person, Jesus of Nazareth. But he did not know His true identity. Then one day Jesus came to be baptized, the Spirit descended like a dove and remained on Him, and God affirmed: this is the Son of God.

From that moment John's ministry changed. Now he begins to say, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." In fact, a couple chapters later, in John 3:30, John says, "He must increase, but I must decrease." When some of his disciples were bothered by this, he insisted that's exactly how it's supposed to be.

We Live to Point People to Jesus

Just like John the Baptist, point number one: we live to point people to Jesus. You might be a teacher, an engineer, in law enforcement, a doctor, a lawyer, a contractor, or a stay-at-home mom or dad. Wherever you are, whatever you do, your purpose is pointing people to Jesus.

If you grasp this and incorporate it into your life, I guarantee it will radically transform the way you view your work, that project that's bothering you, that office mate who upsets you. When you come into a situation recognizing that God placed you there to point people to Jesus, you'll begin to view it differently. You get paid by your employer to do the work God called you to do in that place. Whether you realize it or not, you have a missionary call from God to the very place He's placed you. We use tact, honoring our employer, but we recognize we're there to point people to Jesus.

Behold the Lamb of God

How exactly do we do that? Look at John 1:35. The next day John stood with two of his disciples, looked at Jesus walking, and said again, "Behold the Lamb of God!" He uses a metaphor the people of his day would have understood. In our day this metaphor is probably not understood, especially as our culture grows more biblically illiterate than at any time in American history.

But the people hearing this 2,000 years ago understood it, because they went to the temple multiple times a year to offer lambs as a sacrifice for their sins. On Yom Kippur the high priest would offer a lamb for the sins of the nation. So John says, "Behold the Lamb of God"—God is offering a sacrifice, not for His own sins, for He is sinless, but for you and me. In our day the metaphors may need to change; when we talk about Jesus with people in Southern California, we may need new metaphors to describe who He is and what He did.

John now knows the true identity of Jesus. Before, he knew Jesus of Nazareth, his relative; now he sees who Jesus truly is. That's true for many of you. Maybe you grew up around the whole Christian thing, going to church, even quoting verses about Jesus, but there came a day when it hit you and you saw His true identity. When you come to that realization, it changes the nature of who you are and how you live.

I imagine it changed John in a number of ways. I don't think he baptized anymore—this might be controversial, but God said baptize for the purpose of revealing the Messiah, and when that was done, I don't think he needed to. And he instantly started pointing people to Jesus: "Behold the Lamb of God. Follow Him, not me." If they didn't listen the first time, he kept telling them—the second day he said it again, and he would have said it a third and fourth time until they responded.

We Point So Others Will Follow

What was the outcome? Verse 37: "The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus." Point number two: we point to Jesus so that others will follow Him. We don't stop, we don't give up until we see a response—positive or negative—because we live to point people to Jesus.

Then Jesus turned, saw them following, and said, "What do you seek?" They said, "Rabbi, where are You staying?" He said, "Come and see." I have a feeling they didn't quite know how to answer, because a lot of times people don't know exactly what they're looking for. Every single person you know is searching for something—searching for more from life. Sometimes we hear people ask, "Is this all there is?"

The Universal Search for Happiness

As Blaise Pascal, the great French philosopher, said, all men seek happiness. It's even in the founding documents of our nation—the pursuit of happiness. People look for fulfillment in possessions, promotions, power, prestige, pleasure. And we know from experience and our culture that this pursuit doesn't satisfy. We sing about it: "I Can't Get No Satisfaction," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." These lyrics connect with us at a deep soul level.

We've seen the interviews: a person who reached a great height, succeeded, then confessed it didn't satisfy. They reached a high peak only to find a low valley on the other side, asking, "Is this all there is?" C.S. Lewis, in his great book Mere Christianity, says: "Nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy."

But Jesus said 2,000 years ago, in John 10, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." So these disciples, following Jesus at a distance, get caught—"What do you seek?"—and in His response is a simple invitation.

Jesus Invites Seekers to Come and See

Point number three: Jesus invites seekers to come, see, and remain with Him. Verse 40 tells us one of these two was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. That name may not connect with you, but you know Peter—everybody knows Peter. I can relate with Peter; he had that terrible foot-in-mouth syndrome that I and some of the guys in here suffer from. Andrew, I perceive, was probably Peter's younger brother, since Peter has all the marks of a firstborn.

Andrew first found his own brother Simon and said, "We have found the Messiah," and brought him to Jesus. Every one of us has people like Simon in our lives—coworkers, family members, friends—who don't yet know Jesus, and like Andrew we're in the place of inviting them to come and see.

The Odds Are in Your Favor

A lot of people are fearful to do this—one of the top five reasons people don't is fear of rejection. So what are the odds? This last week some of you bought a Powerball ticket because the jackpot was three-quarters of a billion dollars. The odds of winning were one in 292 million. Amazingly, a woman on the East Coast won and got to call her employer to say she's not coming in again, ever.

Some of you think that if you invited someone to church, the odds of a yes are one in 292 million. But a research study ten years ago asked people who don't go to church, "If a friend invited you, would you say yes?" Eighty-two percent said yes. Eight out of ten is slightly better than one in 292 million. The odds are in your favor. This is not like asking someone to prom.

New followers are often the best new finders. Andrew found his brother and said, "We have found the Messiah." What have you found in Jesus? A Savior, the Lord, love, acceptance, forgiveness, grace, purpose, meaning, identity, significance, joy, peace? Don't you think some of your coworkers, family members, and friends are seeking those very things you found in Christ? I'd venture to guess they are.

Jesus Has a Plan for Everyone

When Jesus saw Simon, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas"—which is translated a stone, Peter. Jesus knows everything about you when you come to Him. That might be scary, but here's the awesome part: not only does He know everything about you, He knows exactly what He wants to make you. Point number four: Jesus has a plan for everyone who comes to Him.

The following day, verse 43, Jesus wanted to go to Galilee. He was in Judea, near Jerusalem, and Galilee was to the north, where He lived in Nazareth. He found Philip and said, "Follow Me." Where does Jesus want to go with you, and who does He want to reach through you? It's my assumption that Philip was the other of the two disciples of John. Jesus sought this seeker out. Point number five: Jesus seeks seekers to make them His followers.

"Can Anything Good Come Out of Nazareth?"

Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of 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." He spoke in terms this Jewish man would understand. But Nathanael said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" That's like my wife, who grew up in Poway, saying, "Can anything good come from Escondido?"—and I'd say, "You married him!"

And Philip's answer? "Come and see." Where have we heard that before? Jesus said it to the first disciples. One of the top reasons people won't share their faith or invite someone to church is fear that the person will ask a question they can't answer. Nathanael asks a really important question, and Philip doesn't have a good answer—so he simply says, "Come and see." That's a valid response. You will get hard questions; I get hard questions I can't always answer. Come investigate it for yourself. You've searched everywhere else—have you searched here yet?

Every person you know who doesn't go to church has a view of what happens here, and 99% of it isn't true. So we just say, "Come and see." It's okay for skeptics to come to church. The church should be filled with skeptics. We're banking our eternity on this; we should look into it and investigate it.

God Is Already at Work

Verse 47: Jesus saw Nathanael coming and said, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"—a man of a pure heart. Nathanael said, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Instantly Nathanael answered, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

This is amazing. Nathanael comes as a skeptic with a valid question, and Jesus says one thing and he becomes a believer. Something happened under that fig tree—some private, important moment we don't know about; he can tell us in heaven. But it was apparently private, with no one else there, and Jesus says, "I was there, because I am all-knowing and all-present." Nathanael realizes: if You know that, You must be God.

Point number six: God is already working in the people He wants to reach through you—in ways you can't begin to imagine. Notice Nathanael drops his question entirely; Jesus never even has to answer it, because something else triggered in his mind: "You are the Son of God!"

Who Will You Invite to Come and See?

You connect with people everywhere—on school campuses, office buildings, construction sites, at the mailbox, the gas station, the grocery store. You're in connection with people like Nathanael and Simon all the time: people seeking, searching for more fulfillment, thinking maybe they'll find it in the next promotion or the next purchase, yet always unsatisfied. So many in our culture have adopted a nihilistic view that there's no meaning or purpose, that we're just here to exist. Who does God want to connect with through you?

Take the connection card. On the back are three blanks. Take a moment and think: who do you connect with on a weekly basis whom you'd love to see connect with Jesus? Maybe you've invited them before and they said no—John had to say "Behold the Lamb of God" more than once. Maybe you're afraid they'll ask a question you can't answer—that's okay. Maybe you think the odds are stacked against you—but eight out of ten said they'd come if invited.

Write down three names—a family member, a neighbor, a coworker, your kids' teacher, a coach. Then fold it in half and pass it to the center aisle, and we'll collect them and pray. In a couple of weeks, after Labor Day, we start a new series on September 10th. It's a new time of year, a new school year. Let's pray that God gives us an opportunity to invite some friends to come and see.

Closing Prayer

Father, we come before You. We know that by Your Spirit You are working in the lives of these people at this moment, because You are the one who draws people, and You sovereignly work through us to invite. So God, we pray right now—do a work, because You are worthy of worship and praise, and You deserve the praise of all peoples in all places. In this county, only nine percent of the 3.2 million people who call San Diego County home are connected to a gospel-preaching church. God, do a work, we ask this in Jesus' name. And all those who agreed said, Amen.