Come and See: Jesus' Invitation to Follow

Devotional

Day 1: Lamb in the Rain

John stood shin-deep in muddy water, two disciples at his side. His leather shoes soaked through as he pointed through the downpour: “Look – the Lamb of God!” The disciples left their teacher’s side to trail the dripping rabbi from Nazareth. Jesus turned. Raindrops clung to His beard as He asked, “What do you want?” [00:37]

John’s act reveals every leader’s true work – to decrease so Christ increases. He didn’t defend his following or demand loyalty. He directed hungry hearts to the eternal meal.

When you share spiritual discoveries, does your language center your experience or spotlight Christ? What relationships or platforms might God be asking you to use as a John-the-Baptist pointing finger this week?

“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.”
(John 1:35-37, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one person you’re tempted to keep dependent on you rather than leading them to Christ.
Challenge: Text someone today with a specific Christ-centered encouragement unrelated to church activities.

Day 2: First Fetch After Four

Andrew’s sandals slapped the dirt road as he ran. The tenth hour light faded when he burst into Simon’s house, breathless: “We found the Messiah!” He dragged his brother back through twilight streets. Jesus studied Simon’s calloused fisherman hands. “You’ll be called Rock.” [10:45]

New faith often burns hottest. Andrew didn’t wait for training – he fetched family. Jesus receives our awkward zeal, transforming bumbling introductions into eternal name changes.

Who have you stopped inviting because you assume they’re “too settled” in their ways? What simple phrase could you use today, like Andrew’s “We found Him,” to bridge someone to Christ?

“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ).”
(John 1:40-41, NIV)

Prayer: Confess times you’ve prioritized spiritual sophistication over childlike urgency in sharing Christ.
Challenge: Write three names of relatives in your phone’s notes app – pray for one daily this week.

Day 3: Fig Tree Revelations

Nathanael scoffed, “Nazareth? Please.” Philip gripped his arm: “Just come.” Jesus laughed when they approached – “Here’s a true Israelite!” Nathanael froze. “How…?” “I saw you under the fig tree.” The skeptic’s knees buckled. “Rabbi – You’re God’s Son!” [19:44]

Jesus meets doubters through specific knowledge of their secret moments. He honored Nathanael’s private spiritual struggles beneath that fig tree, converting cynicism to worship.

What fig-tree moments – hidden spiritual longings or doubts – might Jesus be using to prepare someone in your life for Himself? How could you create space for Him to surprise them?

“When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, ‘Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.’”
(John 1:47-48, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for how He’s working in loved ones’ hidden moments you know nothing about.
Challenge: Invite someone skeptical of faith to share coffee – ask three questions about their spiritual journey.

Day 4: Bethsaida to Lunch Hour

Philip’s fishing nets lay abandoned when Jesus said, “Follow Me.” By noon, he’d sprinted to Nathanael’s workshop. That afternoon, twelve men shared bread where Jesus stayed. Years later, Philip would feed 5,000 with a boy’s lunch near these same Bethsaida shores. [14:01]

Discipleship begins with proximity. Jesus didn’t lecture – He lodged. The “follow Me” that upended Philip’s day prepared him to handle multiplied loaves and hungry crowds.

What practical step – a shared meal, errand, or project – could create Jesus-style “withness” with someone exploring faith? What ordinary rhythms might God want to make holy?

“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.”
(John 1:43-44, NIV)

Prayer: Ask for courage to disrupt your routine to include someone in your daily Christ-following.
Challenge: Share lunch this week with someone while discussing one thing Jesus taught you recently.

Day 5: Hogwarts Hall Commission

Rain dripped from the Oxford-style rafters as the pastor recalled Andrew’s hustle. “The best evangelists,” he said, “are often rookies.” That night, seven people scribbled names on bulletins – a teacher, a nephew, a surly neighbor. The commission echoed: “Go fetch your Simon.” [35:40]

Jesus still transforms backwater towns and timid hearts into launchpads for glory. Every “come and see” plants seeds for future angelic staircases and transformed identities.

Who needs your persistent invitation despite their Nazareth-like objections? What’s your version of “We found the Messiah” to bridge their skepticism?

“Then Jesus said, ‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ He then added, ‘Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’”
(John 1:50-51, NIV)

Prayer: Beg God for divine appointments to say “come and see” to someone’s specific hunger this week.
Challenge: Memorize John 1:46 – say it aloud when discouraged about someone’s unlikely conversion.

Sermon Summary

John the Baptist sends his own followers away from himself to Jesus with a directive more than a description: “Look, the Lamb of God.” His “He must increase, and I must decrease” sets the pattern of ministry as redirection, not retention. Jesus then turns and asks, “What do you want?” The question exposes motives and aims for trust, not mere curiosity or free entertainment from a healer. “Rabbi… where are you staying?” signals a desire to apprentice, not browse. Jesus answers with the cadence that will echo through the chapter and the Gospel: “Come, and you will see.” Discipleship in John is invitation and immersion, not spectatorship; it is proximity to Jesus that becomes understanding.

Andrew models the first reflex of faith: he finds his brother. Evangelism here is not graduate-level; it is immediate and relational. Jesus looks at Simon and names him Cephas, “the rock.” The naming both recognizes who Simon is and commissions who he will become. Identity in Christ is not self-authored; it is received, and it reshapes vocation before the reshaping is visible.

Jesus says to Philip, “Follow me.” Faith in John is not an armchair opinion; it is apprenticeship. A learner learns by walking with the master. Philip then speaks in Israel’s categories—“the one Moses wrote about… and the prophets”—and runs into Nathanael’s local skepticism: “Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?” The remedy is still the same phrase on another disciple’s lips: “Come and see.”

Jesus greets Nathanael’s integrity, reveals hidden knowledge—“I saw you under the fig tree”—and draws forth a confession: “You are the Son of God, the King of Israel.” The titles hold royal, messianic freight, even if Nathanael likely says more than he yet understands. John has already said the Word is God in flesh; the narrative now lets that recognition grow inside disciples whose first hopes are largely political. Jesus promises a wider horizon: heaven opened, angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Jacob’s ladder, the Father’s care in temptation, the glory of the cross and exaltation—John will unfold this promise as sight that matures belief. The chapter closes with three invitations that become a template for the church: John sends his own to Jesus; Andrew brings Peter; Philip brings Nathanael. Real discipleship releases people to Jesus’ call, even when the sending costs families and congregations. The invitation remains concrete and courageous: think of the person who first said “come and see,” and then become that person for someone else.

Key Takeaways

1. “Come and see” shapes discipleship [09:03] This phrase sets the rhythm of life with Jesus as proximity, not theory. Understanding grows by staying where he stays and moving where he moves. Curiosity becomes commitment when presence becomes practice. [09:03]
2. Jesus names and remakes identity [12:48] Cephas is both recognition and assignment. Christ’s word does not flatter the old self; it speaks a truer self into being. Calling precedes capacity, and the journey with Jesus grows the character the name requires. [12:48]
3. Faith walks, it doesn’t just nod [14:01] “Follow me” relocates belief from opinion to apprenticeship. Trust shows up in steps, not slogans. The knowledge that matters is the kind that gets practiced, even when the route is costly or confusing. [14:01]
4. Sent people send people on [28:53] John releases disciples, Andrew brings Peter, Philip brings Nathanael—nobody hoards. Love for Jesus loosens the grip on “mine,” including ministries and even family plans. Maturity blesses departures that serve Christ’s call elsewhere. [28:53]
5. Jesus’ question aims at desire [07:08] “What do you want?” surfaces motives that often hide behind pious noise. Honest desire becomes the doorway to genuine discipleship. Christ meets people where they are but refuses to leave their loves unexamined. [07:08]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:37] - Lanier Library and Oxford vibe
[02:12] - Summer schedule and book pick
[03:42] - Context: John baptizes Jesus
[04:08] - “What do you want?” and “Come and see”
[06:02] - He must increase, I must decrease
[07:08] - Desire, motives, and true seeking
[09:03] - Discipleship as come-and-see presence
[10:45] - Andrew’s first reflex: bring Peter
[12:48] - New name, new identity: Cephas
[14:01] - Follow me: belief that moves
[15:14] - Apprenticeship vs head knowledge
[16:37] - Moses, the prophets, and Jesus
[18:02] - “Nazareth?” and local skepticism
[19:44] - A true Israelite; the fig tree
[22:53] - Son of God, King of Israel
[23:46] - Angels ascending and descending
[25:37] - Seeing and believing across John
[28:53] - Three invitations that send
[31:42] - Who first said “come and see”?
[35:40] - Praying for courage and a name
[38:19] - Amen and closing announcements

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 1:35-51 (ESV)
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus... 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter)... 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Observation questions

What did John the Baptist say to his disciples when he saw Jesus, and how did they respond?
What new name did Jesus give Simon, and what does it mean?
How did Philip respond to Nathanael’s skepticism about Jesus coming from Nazareth?
What titles did Nathanael use to describe Jesus after their interaction?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think John the Baptist redirected his own disciples to follow Jesus instead of keeping them for himself?
What might it mean for Jesus to rename Simon as “Cephas” (Peter) before his character had fully changed?
Why is the phrase “come and see” repeated in this passage, and how does it contrast with mere intellectual curiosity?
Jesus asked the disciples, “What do you want?” ([07:08]). How might this question reveal the difference between superficial interest and genuine discipleship?

Application questions

John the Baptist’s role was to point others to Jesus, not himself. Who in your life are you intentionally redirecting toward Jesus, and how?
Jesus gave Simon a new identity before his transformation was visible. What name or purpose do you believe God is speaking over your life, even if it’s not yet fully realized?
When have you hesitated to invite someone to “come and see” Jesus because of fear or assumptions (like Nathanael’s skepticism about Nazareth)? What practical step could you take to overcome that hesitation this week?
Andrew’s first reflex after meeting Jesus was to bring his brother ([10:45]). Who is one person in your relational circle you could intentionally invite into a conversation about faith this month?
The sermon emphasized that discipleship is “apprenticeship, not spectatorship” ([14:01]). What daily habit or practice could help you move from observing Jesus to actively walking with Him?
Jesus’ question, “What do you want?” challenges motives ([07:08]). How might your answer to that question change if you approached Him with complete honesty today?

Sermon Clips

This is an important role for all of us. Right? Pastors, teachers, our job is to point people to whom? Jesus. Right? If if I give a sermon and people like it, but the attention at the end of the day is on me and not on, the Jesus about whom I'm preaching, that's not a good sermon. Right? People may like it, but that's not a good sermon. The the the point of our lives is to point people towards Jesus. And so he does this, and they begin to follow Jesus. [00:06:04] (29 seconds)

You know, there's all sorts of reasons to follow around a preacher like Jesus in that day. One, I always constantly remind people, they did not have YouTube, and they did not have television. And so a traveling preacher, especially one who there's rumors he can heal people, that's just entertainment. So, you know, they may be looking for a miracle. They may be looking for just to see what this is all about. But when he asked them, he is looking are they genuinely seeking to to know him in his ways? [00:08:00] (30 seconds)

All these are true. I also think right? Let's just admit it's a little more challenging. Philip when Philip said come and see, Jesus was right there. And so we can't say come and see. We really are part of those folks who have not seen and yet believe. And in a pretty materialistic culture, I mean, that just sounds crazy to some of our our neighbors. And so it opens us to ridicule and other things. But if we have found true life, if we are the disciples of Jesus right? Jesus in this passage has already modeled come and see. And what do these disciples do almost immediately after? They put that behavior into practice. [00:35:06] (40 seconds)

And so when it comes to sharing my faith, Allison has actually been much more successful over the years at being able to reach out to folks and bring them to church predominantly because she's been able to do that with her coworkers. Right? So she goes to work every day where not everybody's a Christian, and she gets to live out her faith and care for people and invite them to church. I mean, I've tried to get Davey saved over and over again. But right? And so it's just a reminder that you don't have to be an advanced Christian to bring somebody to Jesus. [00:11:42] (32 seconds)

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