Come and See.
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John 1:45-46
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.” Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
For our encouragement today to live to love with Jesus, I would like to note two things. First, let’s be encouraged by the Spirit-led excitement in Philip to share the good news of finding Jesus. How much more should we be ready to share what we have found in Christ. We know the good news of sins forgiven and access to His throne of grace. We have Him living in our hearts and empowering our lives. May we be ready to share with those God puts in our paths what we have found in Christ.
Second, let’s notice Philip’s wise reply to Nathanael’s hesitancy to believe. Not everyone God puts in our paths will be satisfied with our testimony. They need to see for themselves. I don’t know if Philip expected Nathaniel’s resistance, but what a great response, “Come and see.” We should not be afraid to put the spotlight on Jesus. We may expect the Holy Spirit to make Him known. That’s why we invite people to come to our churches or Bible studies. That’s why we pray with and for them. We want them to be in His presence—to see for themselves that Jesus lives.
I hope this encourages us to be confident to invite unbelievers into a relationship with us. When we live to love with Jesus, we know that if they spend time with us, Jesus will love them through us. If He puts them in our lives, then we, like Philip, may be confident that if they hang out with us, they will see for themselves that Jesus lives. All we have to do is invite them onto our turf, where they can see Jesus’ love flowing between the members of His body. That’s where Jesus stays.
The apostle Paul taught this truth in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17. “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Philip could take Nathanael to Jesus in the flesh. We no longer can do that, but Jesus now dwells in a new body. Paul called the body of Christ with many members a new creature. That’s how we know Jesus now. So we can also tell the person with objections and hesitancy to “come and see.” Then we lead them into the fellowship of believers so they may see Jesus for themselves.
Imagine with me the confidence we would have to tell people to come and see if we knew most of the people in our fellowship were living to love with Jesus. Jesus said that it was His love through us that would convince people that Jesus was sent by God (which is what Messiah or Christ means) and that He lives. John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” And in His prayer in John 17:20-21. “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” So let today’s verse encourage us to be bold and to invite the doubting and skeptical to “Come and see.”