Come and See

Introduction

This is a really profound story to come up in the lectionary today, and I’m excited to see what it has for us!

What Are You Looking For?

Jesus Takes the First Step for these awkward Disciples

We get this kind of odd interaction at the start of this story.

These disciples of John the Baptizer are following Jesus, kind of at a distance.

Are they afraid to approach him?

Are they afraid to leave behind John, and the ministry they were already a part of?

Are they just kind of overwhelmed fan boys?

Jesus takes the first step.

It is vitally important to recognize that in faith, Jesus always takes the first step.

None of us would be here in this Christian faith were it not for the action and initiative of Jesus Christ in our lives.

We take our eyes off the ball when we assume that our faith is a result of our action alone.

To be sure, we have a role to play.

But that role is to respond to what Jesus starts.

The first step Jesus takes in this story is to ask a very simple, and at the same time vital, question.

What are you looking for?

Wrong Answers Only

There are a lot of wrong answers to this question.

Worldly Wealth

There are some who only want to get as rich as possible.

Climb the ladder.

Get the cash.

Buy the car.

Keep up with the Joneses.

Even in the church, there is a movement where this is true.

There exists folks in a “Prosperity Gospel” movement that seem to think that faith exists only for our own material gain.

If you have just enough faith in Jesus, just the right amount of trust, then Jesus will give you anything and everything you’ve ever wanted.

Yet try for a second to imagine that as a response in this story.

Imagine when Jesus asks these two disciples what they are looking for, and they respond wealth.

I think Jesus would say they need to look someplace else.

Normalcy

One thing I know is that a whole bunch of us, the preacher included, are looking for a sense of normalcy in these days.

I never thought I would crave an afternoon in a coffee shop as much as I do right now.

I never thought I would spend this much time editing worship videos, or really any time editing worship videos.

I never thought that I would watch the Penguins play their opening game of a season in an empty arena.

Now, to be sure, these are extreme circumstances.

But I don’t think that Jesus ever promised normalcy.

These are disciples that left their families.

These are disciples that left their livelihoods.

These are disciples that left their sense of security.

These are disciple that in fact lost their lives because of their devotion to Jesus Christ.

Again, I imagine that had these two disciples said they wanted normalcy, Jesus would have said to go look someplace else.

The Violence on Wednesday

As we saw last week, there are some in our society who are looking only to violence, riots, and aggression as a means to get what they want.

I don’t much care if the violence is coming from Trump supporters, Black Lives Matter, or the local rotary club.

Violence in any form and for any reason is to be denounced in the strongest possible language, and done so without engaging in an endless back and forth “whataboutism” that so easily distracts us as a nation.

What we saw at the Capitol last week was a national embarrassment, full stop.

But I have got to say, the thing that upset me the most about the images from last week was a Jesus 2020 sign I saw among the rioters.

Firstly, as Sarah pointed out, the riot happened in 2021. If we’re going to be blasphemous, we ought to at least update the signage.

But more importantly, I can assure you that Jesus Christ wanted nothing to do with the events that conspired on January 6.

Jesus said to turn the other cheek when presented with violence.

Jesus said that those who live by the sword are going to die by the sword.

And Jesus, when apprehended and falsely accused by a tyrannical Roman government, did not take up arms to take somebody’s life, but rather laid down his life to save us all.

All of that taken together suggests to me that we don’t have to imagine what Jesus would say if these disciples would have said they were looking for a violent uprising.

When Peter proclaimed total and perhaps violent allegiance to Jesus, Jesus said

“Get behind me Satan.”

Saints, this is not about who you voted for in the last election, this is not about how you feel about one candidate or the other, this is not about our view points and it’s not about our media consumption.

Christians of every possible persuasion must stand up and oppose violence in all forms, and continue to be ambassadors of peace in our country while remembering that we are citizens of a higher kingdom.

Abiding in Jesus

There are countless other wrong answers to the question “What are you looking for?”

Apparently these disciples have the correct answer, which might sound odd to our ears this morning.

Where you staying?

This might come of as sounding a little stalker-like.

But it follows well what they call Jesus

In fact in this text there are seven titles given to Jesus, each of which could be it’s own sermon.

The first is right here, when these disciples call Jesus “Rabbi” and then ask where he’s staying.

What they are essentially saying is...

All In

We are not content with a quick encounter on the side of the road.

We are not content with a drive-by faith reserved only for our Sunday mornings.

We are not content with a passing glimpse of what you have to offer us.

We want to be all in with who you are, Rabbi.

We want to live life with you.

We want to eat with you.

We want to hang out with you.

We want to be a part of the big moments of your life, and we want you to be a big part of the big moments of ours.

We’re in. Full stop.

In one of the places where I think my reading of the text allows me to see the smile on Jesus’ face, he says...

Come and See

Invitation

Jesus responds to their request with an invitation.

There is a story which tells how, towards the end of the nineteenth century, Thomas Huxley, the great agnostic, was a member of a house party at a country house. Sunday came round, and most of the members prepared to go to church; but, very naturally, Huxley did not propose to go. Huxley approached a man known to have a simple and radiant Christian faith. He said to him: ‘Suppose you don’t go to church today. Suppose you stay at home and you tell me quite simply what your Christian faith means to you and why you are a Christian.’ ‘But’, said the man, ‘you could demolish my arguments in an instant. I’m not clever enough to argue with you.’ Huxley said gently: ‘I don’t want to argue with you; I just want you to tell me simply what this Christ means to you.’ The man stayed at home and told Huxley most simply of his faith. When he had finished there were tears in the great agnostic’s eyes. ‘I would give my right hand,’ he said, ‘if only I could believe that.’

Jesus isn’t interested in engaging in a debate with these guys.

Jesus isn’t interested in checking all the right theological boxes.

Jesus isn’t interested in checking all the right requirements.

Jesus just invites them to come experience what he’s up to in the world.

And he’s making the same invitation to us.

Responses to the Invitation

Go and Find

Andrew, upon being invited by Jesus, goes and finds his brother and makes his own invitation.

His brother Simon gets a new name, a marker in the biblical witness of someone’s life being changed by God.

Andrew made a quick and simple invitation, and Peter’s life is never the same again.

Much the same way, Philip has to go and find his friend Nathanael and invite him in to the fold.

Being invited by Jesus can and should lead us to wanting to invite someone else in to the fold with us.

This is a never ending prospect!

Right now, even in the midst of a pandemic, who do you feel needs an invitation not so much to church, but to the life-giving grace of Jesus Christ?

Who needs to hear an encouraging word this week?

Who needs to come and see what Jesus is up to in this crazy world?

Who needs to be reminded that they matter enough for the Rabbi to be inviting them in to the kingdom right here, and right now?

Particularly when inviting someone to church is as easy as sharing a Facebook post, we owe it to ourselves to continue to expand the kingdom to any and all who need a refreshing word from Christ.

Healthy Skepticism

When Nathanael hears about this Jesus guy, he’s got a healthy bit of skepticism going on.

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

And this should be informative for our age, because we live in an age of skepticism don’t we?

Can anything good come out of Washington DC?

Can anything good come out of The COVID age?

Can anything good come out of Virtual Worship?

Philip wisely gives Nathanael the best way to fight Skepticism: Come and see.

Come and see what we can do as a nation when we work together, rather than try to rip each other apart.

Come and see what we can do when our first priority is the safety of our neighbor, not our own inconveniences.

Come and see what can happen when creative people get together and pool their resources, their talents, their passions into cultivating healthy community.

Come and see what can happen when we are attentive to the powerful action of Jesus Christ in the world around us. Come and see!

Be warned though:

Do not invite someone to come and see something beautiful if you are not personally invested in making it beautiful.

Do not invite someone to come and see the beauty of a nation that you have lost your faith in.

Do not invite someone to come and see what a beloved community looks like if you are still only interested in your own individual needs.

Do not invite someone to come and see a church where they can encounter Jesus Christ if you are unwilling to be changed by that encounter yourself.

Join in

The last response to the invitation is the most important: We have to join in.

Jesus’ invitation to follow him is just that, an invitation, unless we tie our sandals and follow him no matter where he’s staying.

And Jesus tells us it’s going to be quite a ride!

Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.

I wonder, what great things have you seen in your walk with Jesus?

Have you seen someone who has hit rock bottom in their life come to realize that Jesus offers a better way? It’s beautiful.

Have you seen people come together regardless of partisan political bickering because their love for Jesus is bigger than their distain for their perceived enemies? It’s glorious.

Have you see what happens when a small, dedicated band of citizens of the Kingdom get together and decide to change the world? It’s life-giving.

I have seen all of that and so much more, and I hope you have too!

And I hope you will respond to Jesus invitation to come and see what he’s up to in the world, and then help Jesus establish his vision for the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Come and see. Because Jesus is up to something beautiful here!