“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.” John 1:38-39
There is no insecurity in the Son of God. He’s not like us. We subtly beg for compliments, we subversively seek affirmation, and we passive-aggressively look for allies.
Not Jesus.
Jesus knows what He’s about. And He knows what He offers is the only thing that can truly satisfy our insecure souls.
It’s against this backdrop in John 1 that we find a simple, yet profound invitation. John the Baptist knew that he was only a messenger; his entire life was meant to point to another. So when Jesus came walking toward him, the perfect thing for him to do was to deflect attention from himself and onto Jesus:
“Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
John had disciples of his own, but when they heard what John said, two of them stopped following John and started following Jesus. The Bible tells us that knowing these two men were following Him, Jesus turned to them and asked what they were looking for. But they didn’t really know.
At least not yet.
So they responded to Jesus’ question with another question:
“Rabbi (which means “Teacher”), where are you staying?” (John 1:38).
That’s when Jesus said four words that changed their lives. And these same four words can change your life, as well:
“Come and you’ll see.” John 1:39
This is a statement of profound confidence. There is no self-justification; there is no offer of proof; there is no cajoling or sweet talk to get them to follow Him. See, Jesus knows that He alone can offer true and everlasting life. He alone can show us the true nature of all things. Only in following Him will we discover the security we so long for.
And so without any other preamble or elaboration, He offers the simple invitation to come and see for yourself.
Jesus is still extending the very same invitation today – to all of us
When we have come to the end of our collective ropes and are truly looking for life, grace, security, and the fundamental truth of who we are and where we are going, we will not be disappointed in Jesus.
For those truly seeking – those open-hearted and humble enough to come and see – they will find Jesus.
And we will find Him – each and every time.
Written by Michael Kelley, Guest Contributor
To read more of Michael’s writing, check out his daily blog, Forward Progress. http://michaelkelley.co/
DIG DEEPER
Read “Finding the Answer to Life” by Bryant Wright
