DAILY DEVOTIONAL – November 17, 2020
“Come and See”
Prayer: Jesus, You left heaven to come to us, to live for us, to die for us, and rise again for us so that we would see the Truth, know the Truth, and be saved by the Truth. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us Lord, for calling us to Yourself. Have mercy on us Lord, keeping us firmly in step with You each and every day. Amen.
Scripture: John 1:35-39
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
Devotion – “Come and See.”
John the Baptist was a prophet sent by God to reveal Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Savior; the omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God of the universe who came to walk amongst us in human flesh. As he prepared people to receive the coming Lord by calling them to repentance, many people became disciples of John the Baptist. When the day came that John first sees Jesus he exclaims, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” Verse 37 tells us that when two of John’s disciples heard this, they immediately became disciples of Jesus instead and started following Him.
When the text says they followed Jesus, it doesn’t mean that they kind of just lingered behind Him curiously to check Him out a little bit. The tense of the verb follow there means they followed Him for good; once-and-for-all. Jesus sees what’s in their heart and gives them the invitation of a lifetime. Verse 38 says, “Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” You almost get the sense that the disciples didn’t really know what to say and that Jesus caught them a bit off-guard with His question, “what are you seeking?” Who asks to know where someone lives the first time they are introduced?!
You may just find yourself equally caught off guard if you were asked, “what are you seeking?” Well, what are you seeking? In other words, what are you living for? When you get up each morning, what’s the first thing you think about? Who or what are you following after? Who or what consumes your thoughts, concerns, and desires? What or who are you seeking with your time, with your talent, with your treasure, with the precious new day you were blessed to wake up to this morning?
In the awkwardness of that moment and in the vulnerability of that moment, I think the disciples blurted out the unvarnished truth of what they were seeking. They weren’t following Jesus just to gather facts or information. They weren’t following Jesus because He was the new fad or trending popular personality. They were following Jesus because they wanted to know Him, they wanted to know the One they believed was their Savior, the Sacrificial Lamb God had sent to die for them, pay for their sins and save them. What they wanted from Jesus wasn’t something that could just be passed off and put in their hands. What they wanted wasn’t something that could be settled in a brief, momentary walk together. They wanted Jesus. They wanted Him, so they asked “where do you live Rabbi?” Jesus replies and says, “Come and see.”
What an incredible invitation Jesus gave to these disciples. What an incredible invitation He gives to you and I today as we read these very same words of Christ that they heard. “Come and see.” Friends, God has come near. We are able to draw near to the very throne of God, because God has brought His Kingdom to us in Christ and has even put His very Spirit in our hearts through faith given to us in baptism.
God could not come any closer, and still we find those times when He feels so distant. I assure you friends, it is not the omnipresent God of the universe who holds all things together that has moved away from us. It is we who have moved away from Him in our thoughts, desires and intentions. When we feel lost or alone it is because our hearts and minds have wandered away from the God who is always with us.
Even if we find ourselves in a place that feels like a thousand miles away from God, the words of Jesus’ invitation remain, “Come and see.” Come and see His faithfulness, His forgiveness, His mercy, and how He alone, in and of Himself, holds all that we seek and desire. May we, as His disciples, always be coming to Him, leaving all things behind, following Him and receiving His invitation to “Come and see.”
Thanks for joining me for another daily devotional, and remember, that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today, and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
