Feb 4 - Come and See

the next day again, John again was standing with two of his disciples. And then see why Jesus walked by and he exclaimed look here is the Lamb of God. The two disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following he said to them. What are you looking for? They said to him Rabbi which trains translated means teacher. Where are you staying? He said to them come and see. They came and saw where he was staying and they remained with him that day. It was about 4 in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him we have found the Messiah which is translated the anointed. And he brought Simon to Jesus who looked at him and said you are Simon son of John you are to be called cephas, which is translated Peter. The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him follow me. Now Philip was from beseda the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him we have found him whom Moses in the law and also the prophets for Jesus Son of Joseph from Nazareth. Nathaniel said to him can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him come and see. When Jesus saw on this annual coming toward him. He said of him here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. Nathaniel ask him. Where did you get to know me and Jesus answered? I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you. Nathaniel replied Rabbi you are the Son of God. You are the king of Israel. Jesus answered do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than these. And he said to him very truly. I tell you you will see Heaven open in angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of man. This is the Holy scripture of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

When we come to the text this morning, it's a continuation of that story from John and his disciples and and John is showing them that he is not the one who would have his disciples follow. He had proclaimed the coming of the Messiah The Chosen One the anointed one of God. Here he calls Jesus the Lamb of God. And told his followers and told his disciples to follow him. Play this John shoes. What is what it truly? a surgeon he said I must. And he must think and he told his own disciples those who were following him those who have spent at least some portion of their lives following him and John had been teaching and preaching for some time probably a couple of years at this point and then people had heard about him and it sent that ties by him. And so they were fully engaged in Sean being the way they wanted to extend their belief, right? These are people who came to baptism knowing and wanting to repent of their sins and live in a different way is God a taught them to live. So they were committing themselves here to John's teaching in in the his way of living. But these two two Disciples of John Bay heard what John said and specifically calling Jesus the Lamb of God and calling him the bridegroom, right? The one whom the bride is to be with and and live their lives after and so these two disciples decide they would turn to Jesus as John hadn't had an instructor to do. But Here In this passage if you look John's disciples they did turn to follow Jesus but what they didn't do is is actually engage with Jesus when he asked them, what do they want And said that they asked him where is he staying?

Maybe they didn't have an answer ready ready to leave for Jesus to say what they

engage with themself enough to understand what they needed. from Cheese's these disciples Learners are followers in the in the first century. They were quite literally people who followed after who walk after who walked alongside of or even behind us a teacher. Someone who not only walk the walk. They're not only talked to Todd but walked

they were literally into trying to follow after trying to turn learn from them to know about them to take hear what he's saying so that it can be repeated and they can walk in that way and literally walking along the same as going to the same towns eating the same food living in the same space. Has their teachers. Hey, that's what's expected of disciples in this time. Right? So it's not unusual for them to ask. Where is he staying? Cuz they're going to go stay there two are going to go to stay with the Jesus to eat with him to to hear from him and to live with him, you know, ultimately song in some place or to some people in that provides us with with some kind of sense of stability and security. We want to know that other people have our back there. We can trust in the things that they say and they do And then that is a repeated relationship that we can we can have some stability some security with. I remembered but though that Jesus said and when when they ask about where he was staying remember Jesus said, I think Matthew and Luke foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the son of man has no place to stay to rest his head. Did you didn't find a place on Earth where he could stay and not even in Nazareth where they had literally tried to throw him off the cliff. His own family the people that he would have spent most of his his life within it working with and and I'm friends with these these people wanted to throw him off a cliff. Because of the things that he taught and claimed that God was doing in the world. To hear Jesus greatly valued relationships between people and with God more than well place of of security. It was much less about Lisa. Where he was staying or where he was going then it was who

Who invented value who they can have relationships and have trust in. And Jesus responded come and see. come and see Steve needs these disciples. They didn't need to come into a house to see another house. See another dead. see the same kind of food that everybody else ain't I didn't need to see that they didn't need to see what Jesus does in the morning. It wasn't goes to sleep. But he's not talking about the place that he is staying he is literally talking about his life what he's doing what he's saying what it where he's going how he's in Ministry with other people right? Not the nitty-gritty details of in the morning.

But literally how is Jesus going out and fulfilling the ministry of God?

It seems like here though. The disciples just want to understand where Jesus is coming from. Fayetteville and they had been learning from John and John had this particular way of being out in the wilderness and they said that he dressed in camel hair clothing. Not not not, you know, like literally a camel hide but cam will hear closing is actually camel hair. Is that a reef together and and sewn into this this outfit and then that's when he was a man that has to be smelling an itchy John did this particular way this particular way of living and apparently eating insects and it's raw honey from from the from the Wilderness and not everybody wants to live that like And I'm sure these disciples they wanted to know something about price because John was planning to him calling him the Lamb of God. They wanted to know what what what's that about? And Jesus said yes, he had gone through the Wilderness for a. Of time and he came out of the Wilderness and then lived again and in Nazareth for a little while and lived in different places, and he went into homes and lives with different people that supported his ministry supported what he was doing a literal support. I mean literal cooking up food giving him a place to lay his head to wash his feet to anoint his head with oil. These all are things that hosts would do for people who would stay in their homes.

That's what it's talking about. When go and see where I am staying. This is the life that I'm living in two and Jesus encourages the his disciples to take very little or nothing with him. Maybe take a bag with a few things in it, right? I don't taste like a camper. It's bring along your entire family as we travel through Galilee. Jesus says come and see.

Come and see what's going on. If you think that this thing is a great thing if you think this is an announcement is a great thing and that the world might be changing a line look like they are changing it and we don't understand where that's coming from Jesus as come and see.

He is opening self himself up to questions and inquiring.

He's asking them to ask questions of him. To open their eyes and recognize what's literally going on right in front of them. How lies are being changed how people are being set free? how the world might be different in the world the words come and see it include. Here and no.

To hear and know it's important for disciples those who would walk after Jesus and then his way to know what he says to remember them so that they can face only walk in his way. This rules out like speculation of what Jesus might be about maybe he's doing this thing over here. Maybe it's doing that thing over there, right he invites them to witness to the work then Ministry that he is doing. Is it just like Alyssa a day in counter Jesus in in different ways when they come and follow him for Andrew Andrew was one of the two Disciples of John who went to go in here and he heard John's Declaration of Jesus as the Lamb of God, and maybe he recognized that that sacrificial lamb that was given instead of Abraham's son Isaac in Genesis, or maybe he remembered the imagery is leading in the Passover sacrifice is of the Spotless lamb that is given to atone for sin in bondage to a life of freedom. Or maybe you remember the prophecy of Isaiah speaking of a humble and innocent man who have brought like a lamb to the slaughter and Isaiah 53. Andrew was so excited about the possibility of Jesus being the Messiah. He invited his own brother Simon Peter. To join in among them and we know what happens inside a light, right? The song even encountered Jesus in this way right now. He comes along with his brother and his brother Andrew is so excited. He goes along with it. I I've got to see what's going on. Consignment went to see Jesus because of his brother and when he saw Jesus Game Jesus gave him the nickname The Rock Yeah, not that rock the rock. So Peter being the rock right thing about me. I must know something different. Maybe maybe that means something later in my future to the yes. It is kind of like expectation that something might happen. Then Jesus found Philip in in Galilee, and he said follow me. Since Philip found Nathanael and if Philip had studied the scriptures and and summarized his understanding of the law and the prophets for claiming out of the coming Messiah and he found Jesus to be the Messiah and he was excited and then then invited Nathaniel right to come and see as Jesus invited him. Been missing you also knew the scriptures because he uses it here in his response. He interpreted them in the same way except. He didn't know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't have referred to anything, but he didn't know about that.

Then this annual heard Jesus say that he had seen him studying under the fig tree before they even met.

And it's kind of a tentative thing someone dies when they're studying scripture and they find a nice place to sit good place maybe in the shade. So this one's not beating down on you so that you can take time to be alone with God to allow God to flood you with his holy word right to reflect on it. Isn't Jesus promised that he would see something like the ladder that Jacob had seen of angels ascending and descending but remember? had to wrestle Who is God? Before he even saw that vision. Just something that might say something about how Nathaniel approach Cod player. And this experience Nathaniel Found Jesus 2D and he proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of God and the king of Israel to Proclaim process II king of Israel does the son of David?

Name this way the good news of Jesus was spread naturally organically. through pre-existing relationships of trust does a family of Brothers? Who come together one getting excited so much the other button had to go and see. A friends like it Nathaniel with Philip. And he's just again excited about the possibility of what God might be doing in their midst and through what Jesus has for them. She's not here invites them to be present and open their heart to what he might be doing in the world in their time. And it's no less than one time does for us.

Jesus invites

come and see to be present

To be present with each other. To be present here to be present in your life to to be aware enough to open up your eyes and recognize the goodness of God in each other's life. Cute to speak of it. And to walk in the way.

It's not always an easy thing to do for us. We can get discouraged and get distracted.

Jesus continually says again and again when we get discouraged when we get distracted. ,

just come and see. It doesn't say change your mind first and then come along with me. He says come and see. And by the experience that we have in our lives together in our lives with God. We are changed. We are renewed as God works within us. This is the way God works. through our relationships not just despite her relationships. to be here Fellowship together learn from the word together asked questions together. Maybe you might find some different answers that you need to hear. Amen.