Come and See

Come and See! Jesus spoke very few words in this passage from the Gospel of John, chapter 1. Yet, what He spoke had great significance for the disciples, and for us, as well, as we consider these words. Jesus, as yet, was relatively unknown. Whispers of Him were being heard around the region, but these disciples had not yet had the chance to meet Him.

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. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah.[i] You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).

John 1:35-42, NKJV

Come and See

However, though they may not have known Him, He knew them. This order is important to realize. Christ knows us long before we come to Him!

At first the disciples were just curious. They did not realize that this seemingly chance encounter with the Lord Jesus would change their lives forever—even for all eternity.

Andrew, in this passage, upon meeting Jesus, ran to get his brother, Simon, telling him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at Simon and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah] You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone). From that time on, we know this disciple as Peter or Simon Peter.

Here is a quote from Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible regarding this verse.

Christ not only calls Simon by his present name, at first sight of him, but tells him what his future name should be; and which imports, not only that he should be a lively stone in the spiritual building, the church, but should have a considerable hand in that work, and abide firm and steadfast to Christ, and his interest, notwithstanding his fall; and continue constant and immoveable until death, as he did.

It is not my purpose in this devotional to delve into all of the interpretations that have been given for this verse. I think we must be very careful, when handling the Word of God, that we do not add to or take away from the plain, simple meaning of the text. Gill does a wonderful job of maintaining the simple truths of Jesus’ words.

The obvious point in this verse is that Jesus is displaying His omniscience (His all-knowing ability). He already knew Peter—actually he knew Peter from before the foundation of the world.

How amazing is that? When we come to Christ, He may be new to us, but we are not new to Him. He knows the inner most secrets of our hearts. We can deceive our fellow friends and neighbors—even our families—but, we cannot deceive God.

Peter would come to the complete understanding of who Christ was and is as is evidenced by the books of the New Testament that were written by him: 1 Peter and 11 Peter.

The invitation by Christ: "Come and See" is still open to us today. Let us go to Christ, trust in Him, and be pleased to know that, as His children, He knows and cares for us intimately.

What an amazing God we serve!

God Bless You,

Linda

Come and See

Words of Christ

Christ in Matthew

Christ in Mark

Christ in Luke

Christ in John

Devotional Reflections from the Bible