COME AND SEE
John 1:29-42
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.
35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 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?” 39 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. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
John’s Gospel stands apart from the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke—commonly known as the Synoptics—which share a similar narrative structure and chronological approach to Jesus’s ministry. John is less interested in reporting a narrative of Jesus’ life than he is in trying to communicate the wonder of ‘the Word made Flesh’ and how it is we are able to begin to internalize that wonder.
John first reminds us that he is not the light but is speaking to testify to the light. Then, he tells us “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained (‘meno’) on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.” There is no mention of John actually baptizing Jesus; rather he is to notice upon whom the Spirit rests—nor is there any indication John knew Jesus or that they were cousins (as is reported in Luke). The important clue was upon whom the Spirit abided.
There is a bit of Greek here that is important to know. The Greek ‘meno’ used to describe the Holy Spirit resting or abiding on Jesus is the same verb used in the disciples question addressed to Jesus a few verses later “where are you staying (abiding)?” There is at least the suggestion (It is always a bit of a leap to draw definitive conclusions from word studies) that it was important to John to note that the presence of the Spirit is a key to Jesus’ identity as well as our ability to connect with him.
John testifies he has seen the Spirit abide with Jesus. This recognition is the genesis of his announcement: “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The presence of the Spirit is what allows John to recognize Jesus and is the same Spirit that allowed the disciples the ability to recognize him. As poetic and beautiful the prologue to John is—”In the beginning was the Word….”, these are words. The prologue is a creedal statement. To see the Lamb of God requires the Spirit. Words are not enough. (More on that in a minute).
Two disciples hear John’s testimony and are curious. They follow Jesus. Jesus notices them and asks: “What are you looking for?” or “What do you want?” As we are to learn as the Gospels unfold, this is a very important question. Further reading in Gospels reveal the people around Jesus could be divided roughly into four categories—people who wanted to know what Jesus could do for them (feeding and/or healing), people who were hostile to Jesus, people who were indifferent and a much smaller group of people who yearned for something they could not necessarily name. These early disciples were among the curious. They asked “Where are you staying?” or “Where are you abiding (again we see the verb ‘meno’)?” Jesus answers: “Come and see.”
This sequence is the heart of testimony (and by extension, evangelism). There is no requirement to believe. There is a simple statement—in the first person—of what has been experienced. If someone is curious, they can come and see. They can decide for themselves. In the narrative, the two disciples follow Jesus and stay with him for several hours. We have no idea what was said but we see the results of the exchange. Andrew finds his brother and tells him: “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). A new connection was formed and that experience became a new testimony. Andrew invites his brother, who is renamed and gains a new identity because he met Jesus. Simon becomes Cephus (Peter). FYI, only John is renaming Simon so early in the narrative. The Synoptics place this event during Holy Week. They were using the story to make a very different point.)
In Faith and Real Life, someone commented: “Have you ever had a friend that you simply felt better around? —that must have been what it was like to be with Jesus.” We briefly explored the characteristics of such relationships. Being with such people is like coming home. It is a safe place to be who we are. Such relationships are remarkable gifts. Sigmund Freud once wrote: “How bold one gets when one is sure of being loved.” I am convinced that this is the relationship Jesus offers. It is how he saves.
Such a salvation however did not match expectations. The Messiah was supposed to provide special dispensation for the faithful. Jesus did not. This reality was vividly exposed when I was working with a couple who had raised the husband’s daughter since infancy. Her biological mother had given her up because of the mother’s severe addiction. Then over sixteen years later the biological mother sought to reclaim her daughter AND sought substantial child support. My clients loved this child and now there was the threat that she would be taken from them. Worse, they would have to pay financially for the loss. The stepmother was livid. She was being threatened. She was grieving and she protested that the biological mother had done nothing. She did not deserve what was happening. Fortunately, however, this woman was a Christian and I could ask her if she thought Jesus was a good man. She was confused but answered: “Of course.” I responded: “It did not protect him from being crucified.” Doing the right thing well does not protect us either.
This is a deep dilemma when we meet the man Jesus. Jesus is not what we expect. But if you go to where he abides, you will meet the man who knows us from the inside out—the man who turned the words of love into a life of love. You will meet the man who loves us, who creates a place in which we can be who we truly are. The Holy Spirit, however, is necessary for such an experience, The words “I love you” are never enough. The Gospel promises are not enough. The Word must become flesh. The words must become an experience.
We must come and see where the Spirit abides in order for the words of love to become the experience of love. I must warn you, however, seeking the Spirit is a bit like willing a butterfly to land on your shoulder. Butterflies are notoriously untrainable. We can go to places where they are more prevalent—a butterfly house increases the odds immensely—but, even there, we must wait. In ordinary relationships—no matter how much we need love or how much we seek to offer love—we cannot control what we get nor whether our love will be received.
Typically Presbyterians are uncomfortable with giving testimony. The word has often been misused. But it is important to note how the Spirit has touched you. But when it happens, we are transformed. Sharing that experience is how Good News continues to touch people. Let it be so.
