John 5 Come And See

“35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. 43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1:35-51).

Loved ones, there are times when the characters in John’s gospel are speaking to one another, but it's obvious they are actually, in a profound way, addressing the reader.

For example, when Jesus says to Thomas, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed" (John 20:29).

Thomas believed because he had the privilege of seeing the resurrected Jesus. Those first reading the Gospel of John do not have this same privilege. They must all come to believe without seeing. When Jesus says, "Blessed are those who did not see, and yet believed," you should imagine His head turning to address the reader with these words.

The same thing can be seen with the call to "Follow Me" throughout the gospel. These calls are not only addressing the character but also the reader. This gospel ends with Jesus telling Peter, "You follow Me!" (John 21:22). The reader should be struck by this final call. It is not meant only for Peter but for all who have followed along to the end. For all who have read the signs and heard the testimonies. For all who now believe without having seen. All of us are addressed in this final call, "You follow Me!"

Come and See

With this in mind, we want to reflect upon a phrase that is used several times throughout this gospel: "Come and see" (John 1:39, 46; 4:29; 11:34). When John the Baptist told his disciples that Jesus was "the Lamb of God," they turned from John to begin following Jesus. When they asked Jesus, "Where are You staying?' He said to them, “Come, and you will see" (John 1:38-39).

Sight takes on symbolic meaning throughout the Gospel of John. This phrase serves as an invitation into the life of Jesus.

When Jesus saw Philip, He called him, saying, "Follow Me" (John 1:43). We're not told how, but Philip immediately understands something about the identity of Jesus. In fact, from there, he tells Nathanael, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (John 1:45).

This is an unprecedented claim, and Nathanael remains skeptical. The only thing he knows about Jesus is where He's from, Nazareth, a town of little importance that has never produced anything akin to greatness. Nathanael responds, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46).

The conversation could have ended right there. Nathanael could have remained unconvinced and comfortable in his unbelief, but Philip doesn't let him. Philip comes back with an invitation to investigate, saying, "Come and see" (John 1:46). Come and see if anything good can come from Nazareth. Perhaps at this point, as Jesus is introduced to the reader, it is not only Nathanael who needs to come and see but also us. We are invited to come and see the signs and testimonies. We are invited into the life of Jesus.

Nathanael does come, and when he meets Jesus, he sees. He is utterly blown away, proclaiming, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel" (John 1:49). This testimony comes from Jesus saying, "I saw you under the fig tree" (John 1:49).

When Jesus notes how easily Nathanael believed in Him, He asks, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these" (John 1:50; note the similarities and differences with John 20:29). If you come you will see amazing things!

Later in John 4:29, after Jesus converses with the woman at the well, she testifies to others about Him, saying, "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done." Many who heard her speak came to believe (John 4:39). Then they "came" to Jesus (John 4:40). After meeting Jesus for themselves, they understood that Jesus "is indeed the Savior of the world" (John 4:41-42).

Repeatedly, we find the words, "Come and see." Whenever anyone actually does, when they take the challenge, they come and see Jesus as King and Savior (John 1:49; 4:42).

Are you willing to come and see Jesus for yourself? John invites you to come and read with an open heart to see who Jesus is. Since you can't see Jesus in the flesh for yourself, take comfort in His words: "Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed" (John 20:29).

YOU FOLLOW ME

“35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour” (John 1:35-39).

Following the Leader

Those of us who have children feel blessed when our children humbly follow us in the profession we choose (insurance man, painter, gardener, etc.). However, the much more challenging way to lead is through our words, actions, and example. We are supposed to be guiding our sons and daughters through life. We must pray multiple times every day that they follow well and that we lead well.

More than anywhere else, we want our children to follow us to the One we are following – Jesus, the Christ. We hope we are leading well. We know Jesus leads well. As followers of Jesus, our life's call is to stay on His path and lead others to Him (1 Peter 2:21).

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he testified to two of his disciples, "Behold, the Lamb of God" (John 1:36). The result was "two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus" (John 1:37). As preachers, this is a summation of our goal every week. We pray people will hear what we say and follow Jesus. As a man or woman, a parent or a spouse, that should be our goal in everything we do.

Following in a Spiritual Gospel

In this passage, when it says they followed Him, they literally started walking behind Jesus. Jesus "turned and saw them following" (John 1:37). The word "follow" in the Gospel of John is loaded with meaning. It is a keyword and major theme you need to recognize. We suggest marking or highlighting it every time it appears in your Bible. You have to see it and pay attention to it as you read.

The Gospel of John is bursting at the seams with symbolism, more so even than the other gospels. In early church history, John acquired the reputation of being a spiritual gospel, while the others were more physical. The word "follow" is a good example of why.

So much of what is pictured physically and literally has deep spiritual underpinnings we must be aware of. It's not just the literal type of following. It is following the actions and example of the Lord throughout his life type of following. We are walking behind Jesus, but the meaning is much richer (cf. Matthew 10:38).

Then, the next day, Jesus "found Philip. And Jesus said to him, 'Follow Me'" (John 1:43). Again, this is so much more than walking behind Jesus. This is a call to leave everything and dedicate your life to someone. To be a follower is a dramatic display of discipleship and service. That's how Jesus explains the concept in these three passages:

Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). “4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers… 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me...” (John 10:4-5, 27). “If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26).

Following Is Hard

Not everyone comprehends this challenging call of following Jesus (cf. Mark 10:28-32). When Jesus feeds the 5,000, "a large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick" (John 6:2). They were following because of the signs, and as the story continues, it becomes apparent that by "following" they were merely walking with Him (John 6:26). They were not devoted. They were not giving themselves over to dramatic discipleship.

After actually listening to Him, "many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore" (John 6:66). They were followers in the literal sense, but not the deeper spiritual sense.

Peter turns out to be one of the saddest examples of this: "Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, where are You going?' Jesus answered, 'Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.' Peter said to Him, 'Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for you'" (John 13:36-37).

Peter thought he was ready to follow Jesus to death. If he were called to bravely die fighting for the kingdom, he would have; nevertheless, Jesus established a kingdom of nonviolence. To see Jesus willfully taken to be crucified was something Peter couldn't handle. When an army showed up to arrest Jesus, Peter took out his sword, ready to die in the fight (John 18:10-11). Yet after Jesus was arrested, Peter denied him three times (John 18:17, 25-27). Peter would follow Jesus, provided Jesus was walking on the path Peter chose.

One of the interesting features of Peter's denials is where they took place. When Jesus was arrested, "Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple..." (John 18:15). The other disciple enters the courtyard, but Peter "was standing at the door outside" (John 18:16). Peter couldn’t follow closer. He can only enter the courtyard after the other disciple brings him and that's as far as Peter got. The other disciple follows all the way to the cross (John 19:26, 35), but Peter stops at the courtyard. In that dreadful courtyard on that terrible night, he stopped following and started denying.

A Challenge to All

Following the resurrection, no doubt remembering his denials, Jesus makes Peter declare his love three times (John 21:15-17). Then Jesus challenges Peter to truly become a follower, to live out the call, and to give his all. He describes the manner in which Peter will lose his youthful freedom. The time will come when Peter is forced to go where he does not want, spreading his arms in a God-glorifying death (John 21:18). Peter will be a faithful martyr.

Jesus concludes this discussion by challenging, "Follow Me" (John 21:19). Following Jesus means going where you do not want to go. It may mean stretching your arms to be nailed in agony to a cross. After all, that's where Jesus went.

To follow Jesus is to give up yourself. Get rid of your map. Don't plan your own path. Throw away your GPS. You are following the car in front wherever it goes. Mountains, valleys, and dangerous roads will not stop you. You are following Jesus. You can only do this by trust. Trust Jesus more than you trust yourself. Trust where He leads, and whether you agree or not, whether you see the end or not, follow. Jesus said, "You follow Me."