“Come, And You, Too, Will See!”

Scripture: John 1:29-42

After 2 weeks of looking at how God has revealed Himself to humanity, we consider one more means that the Lord uses to help us to know Him more completely – one last Epiphany. First, we saw the glory of God revealed to the Gentiles through the birth of the Christ Child. Then last week, we saw the glory in Christ’s baptism and the heavenly word that was given to the world. Today, the epiphany becomes more personal for us – it is now given to us through family and friends.

Think about it for a moment – how many here today were lead to Christ solely through the working of the Holy Spirit, and how many came to know Christ through the faith, words, invitation, or the witness of a friend or relative?

Isn’t it interesting? If I were a betting man, I would put it all on the line that every single one of us received God’s blessing through the involvement of other people!

Read John 1:29-31

John offers a word of hope to his followers – “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” He then explains previous statements that he made by telling them that this Man is the reason, as well as the proof, of those claims.
This tells us that John, too, was the recipient of an Epiphany – a revelation that came to him from the Lord. And the men who were with him become the beneficiaries of his experiences. And what do you suppose caused John to declare such wonderful knowledge to others? It was because of the complete and absolute excitement that suddenly flooded over him and through him! He just couldn’t keep it inside.
But he doesn’t stop with this general insight – he gives the specifics of why he knows this.

Read John 1:32-34

He had been given a sign to watch for, and when he saw it, he knew! He makes it very clear, though, that it wasn’t through his own wisdom, or his own expectation, or his great holiness, but through God. It’s interesting to note, though, that before John was ever born, and before Jesus was ever born, the Baptist knew for certain who Messiah was when the pregnant virgin walked into Elizabeth’s home, and he leapt for joy (Luke 1:39-45). Even in the womb, there is excitement!
Do we know the Lord with that degree of certainty? Do we have no doubt whatsoever that Jesus is King of kings, Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, Hope for the world. If we do, then why aren’t we loudly proclaiming Him to everyone we meet?
Why aren’t we sharing this powerful witness that we have with our family and friends?
Why aren’t we being as intentional as John was?

Read John 1:35-39

John’s witness is so powerful that it causes 2 of his followers to desert him in order to follow Jesus! And John never utters a single word of dismay. He simply allows the men to leave, knowing full well that they have made the correct choice.
And the conversation between these men and Jesus bears some thought. Jesus utters the first words – “What do you want?” Now if you think about this question, it becomes rather typical of Jesus in His discourse with others – He was always asking “What do you want?” The question gives these men an opportunity to express their needs of the Messiah, as if Christ needed to hear the words – He already knew! So why does He ask it – now and many other times in His life?
A parallel question might also be asked “Why do we need to pray?” Doesn’t God already know our needs? Of course He does, just as He knew what these men wanted from Him. But the Lord gives us the opportunity to express our needs, and thereby making us active participants in our relationship with Him. It also lets us speak our needs with our own lips and to hear those needs with our own ears, making our petitions to God clearer and more intentional – not for the Lord, but for us!
The men reply that they want to know where Jesus is staying. Now with a little research, I discovered that the Greek word that John uses for “stay” refers to a permanent location, a permanent reference, not a temporary one. And Jesus tells them to come and see. The implication here is that the Lord is inviting them to experience a permanent relationship with Him, not a temporary, not a sporadic one, but one that is forever.

And who were these men who had been invited into a glorious relationship with Jesus?

Read John 1:40-42

The Baptist had proclaimed to Andrew that this was the long awaited Messiah, and then Andrew tells his brother, and soon they would be telling the world – witness after witness to the glory of God, that keeps spreading and growing and touching every time that the message is shared.
And that message has spread all the way down to you and me – an unbroken chain of witnesses to the presence of God in the world, a continuous epiphany that has lasted 2,000 years! And such a simply message- “Come, and you will see.” Jesus didn’t start this – John did! Jesus didn’t offer a commandment to share this message – they did it themselves, simply because they had seen and couldn’t keep it to themselves!

What have you seen? And have you shared it? John the Baptist saw the Dove coming down from heaven and settling on Jesus, and he shared that experience with Andrew. Andrew spent a day with Jesus, and had received such a powerful awareness of Divine Presence that he had to share it with his brother. Peter would share his experience with Christ with the masses, and on Pentecost, 3,000 people would begin to follow and they, too, would begin to share the things that they had come to know personally about Jesus.
It’s one thing to be able to quote scripture, or to relate what others have told you, or to proclaim the expectations of God, but it is an entirely different thing to share your personal story, the things that you have seen and felt, with those who God has brought into your life. You may never have an experience like the one that the Baptist had. But you may have the sensation that Andrew had when you give one complete day to the Lord. And you can rest assured that when Andrew called Simon to come and see, he told him, as well as he could, what he had personally felt during his short time with Jesus, and why he knew without hesitation that this was the One they had waited so long for.

It’s good to know scripture - not to be used as a witness, but rather as the basis for your witness. I believe that Jeremiah 29:11 was given in prophesy for many of us, and I look to it as mine.
Why did my friend Bonnie invite me to attend that Emmaus weekend 18 years ago? It was God’s plan to get me to a place where I could listen to Him, and know His will for my life.
Why was I lead to be active in nursing home ministry? To prepare me for prison ministry.
Why prison ministry? So that I would listen and know that He was calling me to the next step of pastoral ministry.
Why… why … why …? The Lord has a reason for everything that He does!
The truth is that the Plan has lead me here today, and it will continue to lead me throughout all of my tomorrows, and I will continue to experience God in new and wonderful ways as the plan continues to unfold. But the things I experience in these days and weeks and many tomorrows (if that is His plan!) aren’t mine to keep to myself - the Lord wants me to share these “revealings” with others who come into my life.

But it isn’t easy! It isn’t convenient! It isn’t always glorious, at least in an earthy sense.

The story is told about Charlie Trimble, inventor of one of the first hand-held GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) devices. He was traveling in Africa on the road coming north out of Nairobi and came to a big setup there --souvenir stands, food, with a big sign saying you've reached the equator. Charlie's friends were taking a picture of him with the new GPS when he looked down and discovered they're not at the equator! The GPS showed that it's up the road.
So they find the mayor of this little hamlet, and they explain about these satellites going around the earth and how the GPS works, and they tell him that the real equator is a mile up the road. The mayor says, ”Oh, we knew that. But the parking up there is terrible.”
-- As quoted in Wired, July 1997, 136.

Convenience kept the people from being at the actual equator, and convenience and comfort keep us from going where Jesus actually wants us to go, and they keep us from seeing what He wants us to see, and they keep us from knowing what He wants us to know, and they keep us from sharing His Plan for the world with those who have yet to hear it.

Who will say to them “Come and see – it’s the glory that we’ve been looking for!” Our faith is shallow and hollow and incomplete at best, until we utter those words, until we are willing to bring one other lost soul into Christ’s family. “Come and see.” 3 simple words that will mean eternity to someone.