Come and See

John 1:33-40

33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” 35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

Why did John come baptizing with water? John reveals the answer to that question to us in verse 33. God sent Him to baptize with water, and John did what God sent Him to do. He also says that God told Him what sign He would send to reveal His Son. The Spirit in the form of a dove descended and remained on Jesus revealing Him as the Son of God at His baptism. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, and was for the purpose of preparing the people’s hearts for the coming of Christ. It was to get the people to become self-aware of their sin and turn from it, and begin to look for the Messiah who would be the ultimate sin-remover, and bring with Him the grace needed for salvation. 

Why are we baptized in water today? We are baptized for the remission or washing away of sins. (Acts 2:38) Along with confession and repentance, we are baptized to save our souls. (Mark 16:16) Baptism is how we “call upon the name of the Lord”. (Acts 22:16) Baptism is how we die to sin. (Romans 6:3-4) Baptism is the reenactment of Christ’s death, burial , and resurrection. We are buried with Christ in baptism. (Romans 6:3-4) Baptism is how we become “in Christ”, and how we put on Christ. (Galatians 3:27) And finally, we are baptized because it is a commandment of Jesus. (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16) After baptism, God adds us to His church, which is the one body of Christ. We are baptized into that one body. (Acts 2:47, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14)

Then, in verse 34, John actually makes that great confession and testifies that Jesus is the Son of God. In verses 35 and 36, it is the next day, and we see John the baptizer standing with two of his disciples. John sees Jesus walking by, and says to his two followers, paraphrasing, “Look, there He is! He is the Lamb of God! He is who you need to follow from now on!” John is not worrying about keeping His followers, because that is not his mission. 

Verse 37 completely reveals John’s mission in life…..to gain followers and then transfer those followers over to Jesus. This is what he did when he pointed out the Messiah to the two men with him, and told them that Jesus was the Lamb of God. John said later in John 3:30 that he needed to decrease in order for Christ to increase. This is the humility of John the baptizer.

It’s interesting that Jesus says in verse 38, “what” are you seeking instead of “who” are you seeking. Jesus wants to know their purpose for following Him. What do they want from Jesus? What do we seek? Everyone doesn’t have the right motives for following Him. Just because we attend church doesn’t automatically mean we are following Jesus. There are many reasons why people attend church such as, the music, the preacher, the youth program, the nice people or the potluck meals. Some people go because they feel guilty about how they are living their lives, and they think showing up at church will cancel out the sin in their lives. I’m ashamed that this was me in my younger years. My thoughts were, “I’m going to church so I’m good.” The men answered Jesus by addressing Him as “Rabbi”, which means teacher, asking where Jesus was staying. They weren’t interested in the location of Jesus’ home or what type of house He had. This was an expression of their desire to spend time with Jesus, no matter where He was staying. This told Jesus that they wanted to know Him personally. They wanted to visit with Him and learn more about Him. They wanted a relationship with Jesus. They had pure motives. When Jesus saw that they had good and honest hearts, He said “Come and see” in verse 39. The men accepted Jesus’ invitation, and remained with Jesus for the rest of the day. Verse 40 tells us the identity of one of the two men who left John the baptizer, and followed Jesus that day. It was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. Andrew would soon begin the spreading of the word about Jesus. We will be able to clearly see that Andrew’s motives are pure in the coming verses. 

What were my motives for following Jesus in the past? What are my motives now? I have already said that I followed Jesus out of guilt for how I was living my life. But I was also following Jesus out of habit, because I was brought up to follow Jesus. I mean…..I didn’t want to disappoint mom and dad, right? But, I had to realize that I was disappointing my Creator and my Savior most of all. When that finally sank in, it devastated me. I had to figure out my own purpose for following Him separate from my family. It had to become my purpose, not my parents’ purpose for me, and not just a habit of “going to church when the doors were open”. I had to desire to “diligently seek” Jesus. (Hebrews 11:6) I had to realize that I was (and still am) a sinner, and Jesus is my One and only Savior. I had to truly feel the love that He has for me, and has always had for me, even at my worst, when I wasn’t giving Him a second thought. Here is the beautiful truth, my friends, found in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This verse devastates me, and at the same time, makes me so very grateful. This is the epitome of love. It is hard to fathom the kind of love that Jesus has for each one of us. Have you realized it yet? Do you understand that you owe Him your life? Jesus invites each of us to “come and see” with an honest heart. Are you willing to “come and see” the love of Jesus? 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)