Message: Come And See 

Passage: John 1:35-51

Series: The Book of John: Bearing Witness

Date: 9/9/2018

Welcome back to the Fall, parents! I’ve heard it several times over, that we, parents especially, have been eager for the Fall to begin. There’s something about that routine that we need, that we yearn for. For some, it’s purely the fact that the kids are in school. For others, the routine helps center the person, the soul. Isn’t it interesting that we long for Summer in the Winter and Spring, but we are also eager for the Fall when the end of Summer closes in. Summer, I believe, represents everything glorious about Oregon. The sun is out, we vacation, we enjoy the 80 degree days, we go to the coast, and yet at some point the allure and glory of the summer fades in our heart, and we realize we long for something else, a different glory.

Thus, we set our hearts on the season of Fall. Scarfs and hot chocolate. Kids in school. Leaves falling. And then, somewhere about late October, early November, after routine (and rain) has set in, our hearts once again sink. We feel the mundane set in. It wears down our soul. So we look ahead to Thanksgiving, and then Christmas break. We enjoy turkey, and peppermint mochas for a few months, and then January hits our face like a cold blast of nothingness. These are the hardest months to wade through. It’s cold, the days are short as the sun hides it’s face behind the clouds. Once again we look for the change of the season, to the Spring, when the sun returns and leaves and blossoms bloom on the trees, and we can breath fresh air. But even Spring becomes burdensome. With Spring is pollen. And, still too much rain! And once again we long for the Summer.

Do you see the cycle we are stuck in? Always longing for what’s next, but never satisfied to have it. When we have it, its glory fades, and our hearts migrate to whatever the next thing is we feel would fill us. However, it’s never fulfilling, and yet we return to the same things. It’s like the old color TV, where the picture is black and white, and we merely put the colored screen in front of it. And this is an analogy for all of life. We can apply this principle to our work, to our recreation, and, unfortunately, to our earthly relationships.

I hear it all the time, inscribed in the inflection and tone of voice is the question: “Isn’t there more?” We are seekers by nature. We seek that which would fill our senses, but truthfully, what we need is to fill our soul.

Today, as we look at the gospel of John, we are going to see people who were seeking. Some more, some less than others. There is both the enthusiast and the skeptic in the passage, and there may be both enthusiast and skeptics here with us this morning.

We are going to look at the passage under these headings:

What Are You Seeking?

Come and See

Follow Me

& Heaven Will Be Opened…

John 1:35–51

[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. [40] One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. [41] He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). [42] He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

[43] The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” [44] Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. [45] Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” [46] Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” [47] Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” [48] Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” [49] Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” [50] Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” [51] And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (ESV)

 [pray]

What Are You Seeking? v35-38a

John and Andrew were seekers of the truest kind. You have to respect their authenticity, as they had committed themselves to being a disciple of John. In fact, you must see them as people with thirsty souls, spiritual of the truest order. They followed a prophet, dressed in camel hair, who ate locust and wild honey. They weren’t looking for earthly pleasure, they were looking for God. They had found in John the Baptist the promise of a fulfilled Kingdom, a fulfilled life, as he was proclaiming, “repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Thus, when John exclaimed, as we read in v 36, that Jesus was, “The Lamb of God,” they knew what John was pointing to: The messiah, a fulfilled Kingdom, through this man, Jesus. This was what their hearts longed for.

What John meant by “The Lamb of God” and what they understood the Messiah would do were two totally different things. God never lowers the standard of his aim to meet our expectation. He often comes in ways we wouldn’t expect, to do things we wouldn’t have done, with an agenda that is far above our own. He sees our earthly expectations, and exceeds and supersedes them with something far better: his own. 

The expectation of John and Andrew was a political King of Israel, a Messiah, a deliverer to Israel who would lead them to overcome Rome. The Lamb represented an atonement for sin, but the people of Israel had no concept that the Messiah would die for the sins of the people. They understood in part, that this was the Messiah, but their expectations were superseded, and exceeded, by God’s  plan.

When Jesus turned to John and Andrew and asked, “What are you seeking?” He asked a discerning question. In Jesus’ ministry, he would be sought after for food, for healing, for miracles, for wisdom, and ultimately, for political freedom. All of these are gifts that was promised the people of Israel through the Messiah. They are, to stay with the metaphor, the next season, the greener grass, a temporary fix to a permanent problem. Jesus wasn’t content to merely give them a bandaid for their wound, or just medicate the symptom without treating the disease. 

The question, “What are you seeking?” Is both perceptive and penetrating. When you seek after someone, or something, you do so for a reason. He is asking, “Are you seeking to use me? Or to follow me?” Their answer unknowingly revealed their heart. “Rabbi, where are you staying?” They weren’t homeless. Even if they were, they’d been John the Baptist’s disciple, and would have been perfectly comfortable camping in the Bethany outback.

“Where are you staying?” meant “Can we be with you?” What they found in the wilderness with John was exceeded by the person of Jesus, the Lamb of God. They may not have known all the reasons Jesus would fulfill the yearnings of their soul, but they knew one thing: if John pointed to Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s plan, than thats where they wanted to be. These men were seekers of the true God. The question behind the question- 'where are you staying?’ was: are you the Messiah?

Jesus’ response, a phrase that John repeats in this passage, and the title of this message was… 

“Come and See.” V38-39 

This is consistent with Jesus’ response to all true seekers. He’s not afraid to be questioned - he is the answer! He’s not afraid he’ll be found to be false - he’s the authentic, true, one and only Son of God. There is no insufficiency in His being, only shortcoming in our understanding. You can fire any question at Jesus and he’s able to answer. The deficiency does not lie in Him, my friends, it lies in us.

His response, “Come, and you will see…” was a response to every question they would have regarding his deity, if he really could fill the thirst of their soul.

And they, in the span of a few hours, believed he could and he would quench their thirst. The response of any thirsty person when they find water is to drink, and then gather the others who are also thirsty. It’s the same response when we find our favorite dish at a restaurant, and we share it with others. It brings us joy to tell others about something that brings us joy - in fact, our joy isn’t complete until we share it. 

This is verse V39b-41. [read]

After a few hours, Andrew is able to verbalize this to Peter: “We have found the Messiah!” When you find that which delights your soul, you don’t keep it to yourself.

Friends, visitors, if you’ve ever wondered why Christians care to share with you the gospel, to tell you about Jesus, this is why! Because we’ve found that which delights our soul, not just for now but for eternity. There is nothing that gives my soul more delight than knowing and being known by God, and we want your soul to have the same glorious experience. This is the heart of evangelism, because we love you and want you also to have a satisfied soul.

You may also be wondering why we gather together and sing on Sunday morning. Doesn’t it seem strange, visitors, that people would gather together and sing songs - people who aren’t in a choir, or performing for anyone? The answer is this: praising God through singing is the outpouring of our soul’s joy in God. It is like you telling your spouse all the reasons you love them. The deeper your relationship, the deeper the praise. When you first date, it’s “I love you because your good-looking!” When you are married 12 years, it’s “I love you because of your amazing character… I love you because of your faithfulness to me… I love you because of how you love our children… I love you because of your integrity… those reasons become deeper and deeper, richer with each passing year, and the same is true for those of us who walk with Jesus.

How is our soul satisfied?

v42-

This verse is pregnant with questions… and I mean, 9 months pregnant!

Was there a conversation that happened before? Did Andrew tell Jesus he was going to get Simon? Did Andrew tell Jesus he was his brother, son of John? Did Andrew give a character sketch on Peter, tell him about his character, his personhood, who he was and who he wanted to be. We don’t get any of that information, but what we do get suggests the opposite. It suggests that Jesus has insight into the personhood of Peter. That he knows him already, knows where he came from, and that he has the power to name him and reform his identity.

To be known… It is the soul’s deepest desire. And no one can know you from a brief survey, a demographic study, a short history of your travels. To know someone means to have time with them. To experience them. To know where they came from and know where they’re going. 

Jesus knows Simon. He knows where he came from. He’s the son of John. In this statement, Jesus expresses that he knows Simon’s roots. He knows his father. He knows his home. He knows how he was raised. His genetic make up. His environment growing up. And this appears to be a divine knowledge. There were no pleasantries exchanged. There was no introduction. Peter walked in and Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John.” 

Simon was known.

There is both joy and fear in being known. Joy because the best of you can be shared with someone you love. They see all of your best qualities and love you.

But fear exists too. When you are known, down to the core, known, all your faults are also known. It’s like being married and the honeymoon is over. You’ve had a long day, your tired, and all your shortcomings come screaming out at your spouse. That’s known. Both good and bad, known. 

But Jesus doesn’t leave Simon as the Son of John; he renames him. He reshapes his identity. When Jesus knows you, it isn’t the same as him reading the story book of your life - he speaks into your story and changes the ending. Whatever Simon’s story was, wherever he was heading as a fisherman, Son of John, he is now Cephas, or Peter! His name means “Rock.” His name has been changed, his identity reformed and destiny diverted to something far greater than his expectations could ever have imagined. The God who knows all of where he’s been is now shaping where he shall go. Now that’s exciting. Now that is soul-stirring. That is a glory far beyond the seasons of life. 

Jesus isn’t done yet. He has two more to seek after in this passage. If you’re sitting with your arms crossed, we have your guy coming up!

First, to Phillip.

V43-44

Luke 19:10, Jesus says, “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” What we see is Jesus going to find Philip. Jesus states, and the rest of scripture testifies that we are lost, and Jesus is on a rescue mission. This is what makes Christianity so different from religion, let alone every other method or religion out there. First, notice that Jesus seeks out individuals. As we saw with Peter, and will see with Nathaniel, he knows us. He calls us into a new identity, a relationship with him that changes our destiny. Jesus does the seeking, and Jesus does the saving. In every other religion, man has to perform to a standard. In Christianity, Jesus performed to the standard because we can’t. He did so to draw us into our intended purpose: to see Him, and know Him, to be in fellowship with Him.

Again, all we see is Jesus finding Phillip. John implies there is something magnanimous about Jesus. We see this throughout the gospel. Friends, there is a reason the name of Jesus is so well known throughout the world. You can’t ignore him. All of History is divided by Him. Phillip was found by Him, and Jesus’ message was this:

Follow Me

There is a clear leader in the Kingdom of Heaven. The response to being known by God, being loved by God, can be none other than following Jesus. This implies so much. It means death to the things that would distract us, get in our way, that would hinder my relationship with him. This is what we, as Christians, call sin. Sin is the barrier that keeps us from soul-satisfaction. It is what happens when we decide to follow the seasons of the sun rather than follow the Son of God. 

Jesus is introducing the Kingdom, and He says, Follow Me.

Who else can say that? Who else is that interesting? That powerful? That glorious? You must see how incredulous this would be for anyone short of the Son of God himself to say. If you or I were to rename someone, or show up to a town looking for some guy, find him and say, “Follow me,” we would be admitted to the psych ward.

And yet that is both a command and invitation. Whenever you encounter Jesus, through whomever you encounter him, the invitation is always to be known, and to know Him. This only happens when we put things in proper order: He is God, and as such, we follow Him.

If what we read so far wasn’t enough, and you’re still doubting that Jesus is the Son of God, you are in good company. Sometimes it takes greater proof, proof thats equal to the claim one is making. If God really does exist, if He really sent His Son to the earth, there must be something of equal weight revealing his glory, right? We’ve all been ‘taken for a ride’ before. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me! I’m not buying anything, hook-line, and sinker until I know what’s on the other end of the pole!

No one likes to be duped. God, my friends, God doesn’t want you to be duped. He wants a truthful people. Truthful people can sometimes become skeptics when they’ve been hurt too many times, disappointed by the outcome of a  “promised messiah” where the turn out did not meet their expectations. 

Let’s look at what Jesus had to say to Nathaniel.

v45-49

Philip Found Nathaniel, and doing what every thirsty person does, when he found water, he offered it to Nathaniel.

Philip reveals he too is a student of the Scriptures, and so is Nathaniel. He states that “we have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, 

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”

Deuteronomy 18:18

The prophets, all of them, speak of an anointed one, a messiah, the arm of the Lord, a Deliverer. Nathaniel knew this well. He knew that the messiah was to come from Bethlehem, not some backwater town - Nazareth!

Nathaniel had reason to be skeptical. In his skepticism, he still had hope. I want to speak to you skeptics. If your skepticism is a result of self-righteousness, if you feel you are the only one worthy to sit in the judgement seat, if you won’t listen to others because of who they are, or where they came from, or if the jury of your fears is already out, and you close yourself off to what may be true because of a bad experience, you will live a closed off life. You will close off relationships, close off knowing others and being known, and you will ultimately close off the glory of God, for which your soul was created. So, be skeptical of believing the only way to see is to be skeptical. At some point, you have to submit to the idea that there maybe something, a greater power, a greater knowledge, beyond you.

But if your skeptical, I don’t mean to beat you down, but to invite you to hear the testimony of one skeptic to another.

What does Nathaniel do? He begrudgingly comes. He rolls his eyes, but he still looks. What good can come from Nazareth? You may be thinking - what good can come from Christianity? I’ve seen it before. They say one thing, do another. They profess one things, practice another. 

May I respond to that? Everyone I know has violated their own moral code. Christians or not. This includes you. We who follow Christ aren’t Christ. We aren’t perfect - that’s exactly what we are professing. So, look at Him, not us. Come look at Him with us.

Nathaniel, in the passage, while coming to Jesus, had an encounter that shattered every barrier he put between Him and the world. You see, the ultimate fear of a skeptic is being vulnerable. It’s being exposed. It’s having your greatest secret or desire revealed and being laughed at, being taken for a fool. That’s why a skeptic hides that which is most important to them.

When Jesus sees him, He states, “Behold, an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.” 

Nathaniel is not only a skeptic, he’s a truth teller. You may know a few of these people. At their best, they speak the truth in love. At their worst, they can lash out words that destroy.

Nathaniel, feeling exposed, says, “How do you known me?”

Jesus took the feeling of being exposed and magnified it, exponentially. “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

I have no idea what Philip was thinking or doing under the fig tree. Maybe he was praying. Maybe he was thinking about his greatest fears. Maybe he was lamenting over being alone, and lonely. Maybe he was wondering how and when God would send a Redeemer. Either way, his response is telling. He was exposed- but only to Jesus. He was laid bare, but only by one who has cosmic power to see the heart and mind of ever person in the universe. Nathaniel was known, but not ridiculed. He was seen, but not laughed at. The skeptic finally had a safe place to bare his soul, which he couldn’t hide anyhow. The Messiah saw directly into Him.

His response was this: v49

From Skeptic to follower, in an instant. 

It’s interesting to see Jesus’ response. Jesus gives both a gentle rebuke, and a promise of something even greater. The rebuke, “Because I said to you, I saw you under a fig tree, do you believe?” 

It’s funny how “scientific” and “unbiased” man believes they are. We boil things down to what we can see and prove, but when the soul encounters something it doesn’t understand, and properly sees it’s of God, it must rely on a different grid to determine the truth. It must see with the soul.

But Jesus doesn’t leave Nathaniel to base his trust on one shimmer of His glory. Instead, he promised that he would see, “greater things than these…”

V51 “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven open and angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Not only will I know you, Nathaniel, I’ll prove you’re no fool! You didn’t buy a ‘phony fun card,’ the latest sham-wow in Israel. I’m the real deal, and you will see and be gloriously satisfied in me. Come and see.  

Jesus’ response to skeptics is the same to seekers: Come and see. Ask me questions. Look at my life. Look at my death. With Thomas, look at my side, my hands, my feet. With the disciples, look at my resurrection. Look at the apostles and disciples who all died gruesome deaths because they couldn’t deny that I live. 

That was the ultimate proof for Nathaniel, for Thomas, and for us. If you continue to be with us through the book of John, you will see Jesus do miracles, like turn water into wine. You’ll learn what he was telling us in that miracle, by the way. You’ll see him cleanse the temple and scorn the religious. You’ll see his character as he has mercy on the foreigner, the shamed adulteress from Samaria. You’ll see him heal the sick, raise the dead, teach his people who God is, what he’s like. Ultimately, you’ll see him crucified, and his disciples will scatter in fear for their life. Then, you’ll see him raised. You’ll see doubting disciples, skeptics, come to faith. You’ll see 11 men, who were once fearful for their lives, give proof of the resurrection of Jesus, the God who knows them, loves them, in that they gave their life to bring you and I to water. They tell us, “Come and See… This is the water that satisfies your soul. You wont be disappointed.”