John Chapter 1: Verses 38-41 (NIV)
Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
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). And he brought him to Jesus.
John Chapter 1: Verses 45-46 (NIV)
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.”
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
After hearing what John the Baptist had to say about Jesus, two of his disciples, one of them Peter’s brother Andrew, were swayed enough to go and seek out Jesus for themselves. He invited them to “come and see” and they spent the day with Him. That allowed them to find out about Him for themselves. Andrew was convinced and brought his brother Peter to see for himself.
Philip too went and spoke to his friend Nathanael, who was sceptical about Jesus after hearing where He had come from. Nazareth did not have a good reputation. Philip invited him too, to “come and see”, and once he had spoken to Jesus, he also was convinced.
Sometimes when Christians to speak about their faith and find that people are unsure, or even sceptical about what we have said. The possibility of scepticism or even ridicule of what we say can make us, at times, reticent. But if they can see a change in our lives, and if we are living out what we believe, then that is often a more powerful witness that gives credence to what we say. It lets them see for themselves what we are talking about. We can also invite them to church and to other forms of outreach, like an Alpha course so that they too can “come and see”. When someone speaks to us, they may well be intrigued as Andrew and Philip were, but that makes no difference to their lives if they don’t follow it up. That’s why the invitation to “come and see” is so important. Once people met Jesus for themselves, they were convinced by their own experience and not anyone else’s. And that is still true today. We must always remember to ask people to “come and see” when the opportunity arises.
Dear Lord,
Help me to remember that my life is being observed by others, and that is just as important as what I say, but I am not so good at making the invitation to come and see, so help me to be bolder in that area as the opportunity arises. I know that meeting Jesus changed my life and He is able to do the same for others if they come to Him. I ask then in His Name and for Your glory. Amen.