Come and See

Scriptures for Today

John 1:35–51
Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. 43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

INTRODUCTION

There is a great difference between knowing about Jesus and truly seeing who He is. A person may know His name and hear sermons about Him, yet never consider who He really is.

John knew he was not the center of the story. He pointed beyond himself to Jesus Christ.

Our greatest need is to see Jesus clearly and believe what God says about Him.

In John 1:35–51, one man hears a witness, another brings his brother, and another invites a skeptic. Nathanael comes with doubt, but he leaves confessing that Jesus is the Son of God.

What will happen when we truly look at Jesus? Will we stay at a distance, or will we believe what God has revealed and bring others to Him?

Before Andrew could bring Simon and Philip could invite Nathanael, someone had to point and say, “Behold.”

So the first truth is simple: look to Jesus.

I. LOOK TO JESUS — JOHN 1:35–39

John 1:35
Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

John was standing with two men who had learned from him. Yet he did not act as though they belonged to him. His work was to prepare people for Christ.

John 1:36
And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

John did not point to himself. He pointed to Jesus and called Him the Lamb of God.

John had already explained why that title mattered.

John 1:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

A lamb in Scripture was connected with sacrifice. Jesus did not come only to teach us how to live. He came to give Himself for sinners and pay for our sins.

John 1:37
And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

They heard the truth about Christ, and they responded. Faith is not created by pressure, tricks, or clever talk. Faith comes through hearing God’s Word and believing it.

Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

That explains what happened here. John spoke the truth about Christ, the men heard it, and they followed Jesus. The message was not about John; it was about the Lamb of God.

John 1:38
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

Jesus asked, “What seek ye?” That question reached deeper than where their feet were going. What did they truly want from Him?

Some people only want Jesus to fix one problem. But the main question is whether we believe who He is.

John 1:39
He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

Jesus did not push them away. He welcomed them to come near and learn.

John 6:37
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Jesus receives the one who comes to Him. Eternal life is not received through another person’s faith, a family name, church attendance, or good works. Each person must believe on Christ for himself.

Here is the point: a faithful witness points people to Jesus.

A road sign points travelers beyond itself. John did the same when he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

Parents, teachers, preachers, and believers must do the same. Are people around you learning to trust Jesus or merely admire you?

Do not become so attached to a preacher, ministry, or church that you stop looking beyond them to Christ. Every faithful servant must still say, “Behold.”

Once these men saw Jesus for themselves, they could not keep what they had found to themselves.

II. BRING SOMEONE TO JESUS — JOHN 1:40–46

John 1:40
One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

Andrew heard John, followed Jesus, and learned who Jesus was. Then he thought about his brother.

John 1:41
He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

Andrew did not begin with a crowd. He first found his own brother. “Messias” means the Christ, the One God had promised to send.

John 1:42
And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

Andrew did more than talk about Jesus. He brought Simon to Jesus. He could not change Simon, but he could bring him to the One who could.

Imagine knowing someone you love can receive help, but saying nothing because you think another person will tell him. Andrew did not leave his brother for someone else to reach.

Who is close to you right now? Who in your family, at work, at school, or near your home needs to hear clearly who Jesus is?

John 1:43
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

The men said they had found Christ, but this verse says Jesus found Philip. Our witness matters, but Christ is always greater than the witness.

John 1:44
Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Philip came from the same city as Andrew and Peter. God was working through ordinary people and ordinary relationships.

John 1:45
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Philip did not base his claim on a feeling. He said Moses and the prophets wrote about Jesus. His confidence rested in the Scriptures.

John 5:46
For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

The Bible points to Jesus. Our job is to show people what God has said about His Son.

John 1:46
And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

Nathanael raised an objection. Philip did not pretend to know everything, and he did not become angry. He simply said, “Come and see.”

Do not let one hard question silence your witness. When you do not know an answer, be honest, then bring the person back to Christ and the Bible.

Some judge Jesus by a bad church experience or a religious person’s failure. Help them look at Christ Himself.

Simply put, Andrew brought his brother, and Philip brought a skeptic. We cannot change a heart, but we can speak the truth and bring people to Jesus.

Philip could bring Nathanael to Jesus, but only Jesus could reveal who He truly was.

III. SEE WHO JESUS REALLY IS — JOHN 1:47–51

John 1:47
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

Jesus knew Nathanael before Nathanael spoke. “No guile” does not mean he had never sinned. It means he was honest and not trying to fool anyone.

John 1:48
Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

The Bible does not tell us what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree. We should not make up details. The clear truth is that Jesus saw him when no ordinary man could have known.

Jesus knows what no one else knows. He sees what no one else sees.

John 1:49
Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Nathanael came with doubt, but he left with a confession. Jesus was not only a man from Nazareth. He was the Son of God and the promised King.

John 20:31
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Life is received by believing on Christ. It is not earned by service, baptism, prayer, turning from sins, or trying to stay faithful enough. The moment a person believes on Jesus Christ, he has everlasting life.

John 10:28
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Jesus gives eternal life, and He says His sheep shall never perish. The same Christ who saves is the Christ who keeps. Our safety rests in His hand, not in our strength.

John 1:50
Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

Nathanael had seen enough to believe, but he had not seen all there was to see. Jesus was greater than his first understanding.

John 1:51
And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

These words point back to Jacob’s dream.

Genesis 28:12
And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

In John 1, Jesus places Himself where the ladder stood. He is the true way between heaven and earth. He is not one path among many.

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Do not miss this. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Eternal life is found in Him alone.

A person may judge a house while driving past it, but that quick look says little about the people inside. Nathanael judged Jesus by Nazareth, but when he came to Christ, his false idea fell apart.

What wrong ideas have kept you from seeing Jesus clearly? Have you judged Christ through pain, false religion, culture, or the failures of people?

Believer, do not become casual about Christ. Read His Word and keep learning who He is. You will never reach the end of His greatness.

CONCLUSION

Nathanael came to Jesus with a question, but he left with a confession. He began by asking whether any good thing could come out of Nazareth, yet he ended by calling Jesus the Son of God and the King of Israel.

That is what happens when people truly see Jesus. John pointed to Him, Andrew brought his brother, and Philip invited a skeptic.

Believer, keep your eyes fixed on Christ. Do not become so impressed with a preacher, ministry, or church that you stop looking to the Lamb of God.

Think about the people close to you. Who in your family, among your friends, or around your daily life needs to hear clearly who Jesus is?

You may not be able to answer every objection. You can still open the Bible and invite them to come and see.

For the person who has never believed on Christ, eternal life is not earned through religion or good works. Jesus paid for sin, and everlasting life is received the moment you believe on Him alone.

Nathanael thought he had seen enough, but Jesus promised greater things. We will never reach the end of Christ’s greatness.

Keep looking to Jesus—and keep bringing others to see Him.