Come and See

John 4:42; 1 John 1:1-4

When I was a sophomore in college, the men’s basketball team from the high school I attended made a run at the state championship. I listened to the quarter final game in my dorm room and made the decision to meet my parents for the semi-final game on Friday if they won. They did, so I got in my car that Friday morning and headed for Ann Arbor, MI. 

Listening to the game was cool, but I had to be there; to sit in the arena, smell the popcorn, hear the whistle and squeaking shoes and 1500 fans yelling, watching my friends play for our first state title since 1936. I heard the band, the coaches, the fans, the sights, sounds, even smells of the game because I was there. Sometimes you just have to see for yourself.

John writes about this in the opening lines to his first letter:

“From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, touched it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you clearly and plainly, with confidence that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself taking shape before us.

We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. 

1 John 1:1-3

The emphasis is difficult to miss, isn’t it? Hearing, seeing, touching. It’s the same thing Peter says in his second letter:

“We didn’t follow clearly invented stories when we told you about the arrival of Jesus. We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes: We were there on the holy mountain with him. . . We heard the voice out of heaven with our very own ears.

2 Peter 1:16 

There’s a story in John 4 about a Samaritan woman who comes to faith because she met Jesus by a well. This story is layered and rich with meaning. The disciples couldn’t get over the fact that Jesus was talking to a woman, and a Samaritan at that. It’s a story included this week in our daily reading plan. 

After a long conversation, Jesus sends her home where something familiar happens, she invites others to come and see. Her invitation is the same that Jesus gave Andrew, and Phillip gave Nathanael, to come and see for yourself. John tells us that many believed in Jesus because of her story and then went to find Jesus, not because they didn’t believe, but they wanted to meet him, to see him for themselves. When they met Jesus, this was their response: “We no longer believe just because of whatyou said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Come and see. It moved them from hearing to believing. Hearing someone talk about Jesus is one thing, coming to him is quite another. How do you get to know someone? You spend time with them. How did you become so close with your best friend here, someone you most likely didn’t know before you arrived? You accepted an invitation to friendship, to dinner or a movie.  You talked with them, listened to them, spent time with them and over time, became besties.  You heard and saw for yourself. The same invitation to friendship that you accepted is the one Jesus gave Andrew, and Phillip gave Nathanael, and this un-named Samaritan woman gave to her neighbors. Come and see. And it changed their lives forever. 

Week of January 27-February 1

Monday               Psalm 25; John 4:43-54

Tuesday               Psalm 26; John 5:1-18

Wednesday         Psalm 38; John 5:19-29

Thursday              Psalm 37:1-18; John 5:30-47

Friday                   Psalm 31; John 6:1-15

Saturday              Psalm 30; John 6:16-27