Come and See
What would your answer be if Jesus were to ask you, “What do you seek?” I think such a question would overwhelm me. There are so many things I want to understand, I’m not sure I’d know where to begin.
For starters, I’d like to understand the book of Revelation. Frankly, most of it reads like sci-fi. I’d like a version with a key or legend that contains dates, times, places, and names. The beast = x, the dragon = y. I’d like know why there are tornados and hornworms. Do dogs go to heaven? There’s one, in particular, I’d like to be reunited with when I get there.
If i’m being honest, I’d like him to tell me why some prayers don’t get answered. Why do horrible things happen to little children? I’d like to know why some giants are so hard to slay like cancer and mental illness. And could he please explain why Daddy had to have that stroke.
When John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to two of his disciples saying, “Look, the Lamb of God,” they decided to change course and see what this “Lamb of God” was up to. Noticing he’d picked up a couple of tagalongs, Jesus turned to them and asked what it was they were looking for. They seem caught off guard by this sudden attention. Perhaps they only wanted to observe him from afar, unnoticed. I mean, I think I’d have wanted to know something more profound than, “Where are you staying?”. Wouldn’t you?
“Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?””
When we meet someone new, we often ask a series of questions in an attempt to know more about them. We might ask where they’re from or who their relatives are. We’ll also most likely inquire as to where the person works or what line of business they’re in. Our minds begin to form a picture of who the person is and their place in society. In the West, we place importance on a person’s education and occupation. Eastern cultures are much more communal, viewing the individual as part of a larger whole. Who your family is and where you’re from hold great significance to anyone seeking to know you. We get a glimpse of this when Nathaniel says, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” in John 1:46. And again in Matthew, Jesus is judged in his hometown according to the family he belongs to. Having heard him teach, the people became offended by the “carpenter’s son” teaching in the synagogue.
“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother Mary, aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Juda? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? And they took offense at him.”
On second thought, maybe the question the two disciples asked wasn’t the disappointing, unimaginative query it seemed at first glance. In their culture, what they were really seeking to know was, “Who are you?” Understanding this, I wonder if perhaps the question they asked the Son of God isn’t, in fact, more appropriate than the ones on my list. And maybe, just maybe, the answer to their one question also answers all of mine.
When asked where he was staying, what response did the the Lamb of God give? He didn’t point down the road and say, “Go past the Zippy Mart, and make a right.” No. He offers something more personal and intimate. “Come and see.”
““Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him.”
They followed Jesus home and stayed with him the whole day. Whatever they saw and heard in their time with him, convinced them Jesus was the one they’d been waiting for. After spending the day with him, the first thing Andrew did was go to his brother, Simon Peter, and say, “We have found the Messiah.”
Through the years, Jesus has invited me time and again to “come and see.” When I take him up on the offer, his presence quiets my anxious mind. I may not always get the answers to my questions, but I come away from encountering Jesus with a peace I didn’t have before and faith to trust his heart. The more I know him, the more convinced I am he is who he claimed to be. Messiah. Son of God. The Way, the Truth, and the Life.
As I go forward into the days and years ahead, I pray for wisdom to ask the right question instead of being distracted by those born of worry and fear. “Where are you staying?” And I pray for courage to respond when he answers, “Come and see.”