Title Come and behold / John 1:35-45
Contents Come and behold / John 1:35-45 Rev. Kiho Um
Hearing the cry of John the Baptist who appeared in the Jordan River, new seekers who came, relying on his teachings, began to flock to Jesus one after another. Jesus asked them, “What are you looking for?” and “What do you want to come to me?”
I think this question was a question that explored the inherent desires of human beings lurking inside. As a finite creature, it is difficult to answer in one word when asked, “What are you looking for?” toward a life that longs for all the world and struggles to satisfy it.
Not all human desires are the same. Jairus, the leader of the synagogue, weeping over the dead daughter's body, wants his beloved daughter to come back to life. What the 38-year-old sick man wanted was to be healed. What the blind man, who had lived without seeing the reality despite hearing countless sounds, wanted to see.
When John's disciples in prison asked Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come?" and "Should we wait for someone else?" Jesus said, "Go and tell John what you hear and see." In this way, Jesus said to those who asked questions, “come and see” in one word. This was the surest answer to the seekers.
As the old saying goes, “One hundred sentences are unparalleled.” It is said that it is more certain to go once and see with your own eyes than to explain ten million times. The truth is not proven by any human theories or explanations, but by the truth itself. “Come and see with your own eyes,” what theory or explanation is needed there?
The command “come and see” is a confirmation of the truth
Christianity is not a religion of theory, it is a religion of confirmation. A religion that actually comes, sees and confirms it, and then makes it the starting point of faith! It is a religion of truth without lies.
To have faith in the truth in life is not based on many theories, but based on the experience of entering the world and seeing and confirming it with your own eyes. This is more than an intellectual belief in any proven science. This is because the beliefs that have been seen and experienced only by the ears are never weakened or withered.
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, even the dreadful edge of the sword cannot separate us from the believer’s faith in Christ.” Because he personally faced the glory of Christ and confirmed the power of Jesus with his own eyes.
The Lord of the Resurrection, who had revealed Himself to Paul on his way to Damascus, said through the mouth of Ananias, “You will be a witness for him before all men of what you have seen and heard” (Acts 22:15).
Jesus' answer to "Come" is the most gracious and blessed command for us. Christian faith begins with the command to “come”. Humans struggle to find God on their own and fall into a bizarre fantasy. But Jesus commands life to “come”. As Isaiah 1:18 says, “… Come, let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
The God who invites “come” is a God of power, a God of love (1 Corinthians 13:8), a God who gives freely (Romans 8:32), and a God of salvation (John 11:25-26). Christ, who calls “come”, is the Word, the Light, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of Israel, and the Son of Man.
We humans, who have been called, are sinners (Romans 3:9-12), deceitful and deeply corrupt (Jeremiah 17:9), yet we must nevertheless respond to the invitation we love to the end. Because this is God's grace to save us. Salvation is by grace, and grace by faith can only be received through the blood of Christ.
The Bible is filled with the voice of God calling us to “come”. Let's listen to the voice of God, not the voice of man. Christianity is a religion of calling. As OM, life's problems are solved. The covenant of Jesus is that you can only see it when you come, and that you will show it to those who come.
This is what Jesus commanded his disciples to do. “Come and see” is a double command that combines the command “Come” and “Look”. Come and see with your own eyes and check it out. Not by coercion, not by theory, but by experiential choice.
The command to “come and see” is
Proclamation of the covenant that opens the gates of heaven
In the Old Testament times, it was forbidden for the people of Israel to enter the temple without permission. The uncircumcised Gentiles, as well as the unclean, the crippled, and the possessors of low status, were strictly prohibited from entering the temple.
But now it is Jesus who has declared, “Come and see.” This solemn declaration fulfilled the Old Testament covenant, which proclaimed that anyone who would wish to drink the water of life freely (Revelation 3:20; John 10:9).
“Christ never locks a door,” Dodd said. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19), Jesus said to Peter.
In the Old Testament times, the city of refuge was always open for sinners who had to flee due to unrighteous crimes. The same is true of our Holy Spirit Church. In front of Jesus Christ, who has the key of David, who has the key of David when it opens and no one can open it, we must always have free passage through the open window, and we must leave the door open so that others can enter freely.
Hearing the words of Jesus, “Come and see,” the two disciples, John and Andrew, stayed with Jesus that day, and the next hour, led their brother Peter to the Lord, and Philip the next day.
Philip went to his friend Nathanael and introduced Jesus, but Nathanael responded coldly, saying, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Then Philip said, “Come and see,” just as Jesus had said. Nathanael followed Philip to Jesus and confessed his faith, saying, “You are the Son of God and the King of Israel.” The power of the word “come and see” led John, Andrew, and Nathanael to the faith of experience (come and behold) and the confident faith (confirmation of forgiveness, assurance of salvation, assurance of victory).
The command to “come and see” is
An eternal echo that invites you to heaven
There are countless people who have heard this voice and have found the coordinates of their lost lives. Regardless of the sick, the blind, or the lame, the gates of heaven are always open for those who have accepted this voice. However, those who hear this echo and turn away from it will be in the most unfortunate place, the place of eternal destruction.
Are you tired of chasing after the vanity of the world and despairing? Are the pain of death, the pain of the body, the pain of life, the pain of material things, the pain of children, the pain of husband and wife weighing you down? The Bible says that all things are created by God, humans are also created by God, and that the owner of man is God.
I hope you find God who is the Lord of your life. Life disappears as quickly as a mist. So please don't become a slave to the futility of life. All of you who came to church at the invitation of friends, family members, and neighbors, I hope you enjoy the wonderful blessings of God by holding on to the keys of heaven that Jesus gave you. Those who come to hear this echo will be saved, and those who hear and turn away will be judged.
The command to “come and see” is a confirmation of the truth. The command to “come and see” is the proclamation of the covenant that opens the gates of heaven. The command to “come and see” is an eternal echo of invitation to the gates of heaven.