Come and See

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.

-John 1:35-39

One of my primary passions as a pastor has always been teaching. Studying Scripture, wrestling with difficult passages, discovering connections I had never noticed before, and then helping others discover those things for themselves. I love teaching because study isn't just something Christians should do. For me, study is the foundation of discipleship.

We believe that through Scripture, God has given the Church everything we need to encounter Christ and learn what it means to live as God's people. If that is true, then surely these words deserve more than a hearing during worship once a week. Scripture deserves our attention. Scripture deserves our questions. Scripture deserves our doubts. Scripture ought to become the waters in which we swim and the air that we breathe.

There is a kind of rhythm that develops between studying Scripture and actually trying to live the Christian life. We read Jesus telling us to love our enemies, forgive those who hurt us, care for the poor, welcome the stranger, and seek first the Kingdom of God. Then we go out and try to live those words. We fail more often than we get it right, but that's part of growth. 

Because then something really interesting happens: Life sends us back to Scripture with new questions.

A passage we have heard all our lives suddenly sounds different because of something we have experienced. A command that once seemed simple becomes much more difficult. Something that once seemed impossible now seems obvious. A promise we barely noticed becomes precious. We return to Scripture with different eyes, and Scripture sends us back into the world changed yet again.

Study shapes the way we live, and our attempts to live faithfully shape the way we return to Scripture. Over a lifetime of discipleship, that cycle continues. Again, we get it wrong more than we get it right, but I deeply believe that the attempt is often the point. Thomas Merton once wrote that the fact that we think we are doing God’s will doesn’t mean that we actually are, but the desire to please God does, in fact, please God. 

Because all of this begins and ends with God’s grace.

Notice what happens in the Scripture. These two disciples do not begin with a fully-formed understanding of Jesus. They simply become curious. They hear John say, “Look, here is the Lamb of God,” and they begin following.

Jesus turns around and asks them a penetrating question: “What are you looking for?”

They don't really know how to answer him. They are possessed by an ambiguous but consuming curiosity about this man. So instead they ask where he is staying.

And Jesus says, simply, “Come and see.”

That is so often how discipleship begins.

God makes the first move. Christ extends the invitation. Grace comes first.

Our response begins with curiosity:

Who is this Jesus?

What is God doing?

What does this ancient story have to do with my life?

What might I discover if I stayed with Christ a little longer?

There is always more to learn. More to discover. More to understand. More of ourselves to place under the transforming grace of God.

So perhaps the beginning of deeper discipleship is not having all the answers.

Perhaps it is simply being willing to hear the invitation again:

Come and see.


Rev. Ryan Young