Title Come and see (John 1:35-42)
Contents
John 1:35 verse 42
come and see
35. And the next day John stood with two of his disciples,
36. When they saw Jesus walking around, they said, Behold, the Lamb of God!
37. When the two disciples heard him, they followed Jesus.
38. When Jesus turned and saw them following him, he asked them, "What are you looking for?" He said, "Rabbi, where are you?"
39. Jesus said to them, Come and see. Therefore, when they saw where they were going, they dwelt together that day.
40. One of the two who listened to John and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon's brother.
41. He first found Simon his brother and said, “We have found the Messiah.” (Messiah is translated as Christ.)
42. They brought him to Jesus, and when he saw him, he said to him, “You are Simon the son of John, and you will be called Cephas.” (Ceba is translated as Peter)
One of the most important and urgent needs of people is to know where Jesus is and how to meet him. John the Baptist came from heaven to show people this way through the example of his life. When people come to him and ask who you are, he replies that I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, He who makes straight the way of the Lord.
In other words, he calls himself the voice of one who calls out that the way to meet the Lord is in the wilderness. And it is a mistake to say that one can find the way to the Lord among those who are not in the wilderness or in the city system, and he is a revealer of that error. In the system of religion, the idea that we can know the Lord in knowledge or in books is a crooked way. When you leave the crooked path and enter the inner wilderness, you will see the right path to the Lord. It is a testimony that the thrill of meeting someone who is not Elijah or a prophet, but is not enough to untie the laces of his shoes, will capture the soul when entering the wilderness.
In the wilderness, where all man-made things have vanished, John recognizes the Holy Spirit descending like a dove upon it. In the wilderness, we meet the One who baptizes people with the Holy Spirit, who gives them the gift of the Spirit of God. And he realizes that the reason he is baptizing with water is to let them know that he must be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Through all these processes, in the soul of John the Baptist, there is a clear spiritual sense of recognizing the Son of God, and he becomes a person who can introduce him to others.
What we must clearly learn from the example of John the Baptist is where is the spiritual sense of meeting the Lord and recognizing Him. The path is not in people, or in religious institutions, or in books. John teaches us that we see the way in the wilderness, by facing the inner wilderness where everything artificial is gone. I pray that we will also come to realize clearly that the way to Jesus is within each of us.
The words of this text show how John, whose way of the Lord became clear, is communicating him to others. Read verses 35-37. “And the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and when he saw Jesus walking around, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him, they followed him.
When John says that two of his disciples were standing together, he is waiting for Jesus. Knowing that Jesus will walk among us, it is natural to assume a waiting posture for Him. We have no attitude of waiting because we have no sense that He is walking among us.
The person standing and waiting like this sees Jesus walking around. He reads from Jesus that he is the Lamb of God and tells it to the disciples who are with him. So, the disciples listen to the teacher and follow Jesus. They introduce the Lamb of God to the disciples, and the disciples listen to the teacher and follow Jesus. It is a scene that reveals the normal relationship that should exist between the clergy and the saints.
Those who come before Jesus and are thieves and robbers are those who do not lead them into the inner silence and the Word but are bound by their own words or theories. What they do is steal, kill, and destroy. It was because of their knowledge of the Bible and their own righteousness that the scribes and Pharisees destroyed people's souls. I think that the church is desolating because these things are happening even now.
The disciples also see the lamb that the teacher is pointing to and follow him. In other words, you must learn to leave the teacher independently. What you learn from your teacher is information about where Jesus is. If you know where you are, you must learn how to forsake your teacher and go to Jesus. Moving beyond the teacher to Jesus is the reward for the teacher's hard work. Relying on a human teacher instead of going to Jesus is only a burden to each other in the end.
What happened between Jesus and the two disciples who went to Jesus, whom John the teacher pointed out, is verses 38-39. “When Jesus turned and saw them following them, he asked them, “What are you looking for?” He said, “Rabbi, where are you?” It was about ten o’clock.”
When Jesus recognizes you and sees the two disciples following you, he asks what you are seeking. I ask you what is coming to you. Jesus is constantly asking us this question from within us. The question is, what do you worship and pray for and then come to church?
Do you need money, do you want to be healed, do you want to rise up, do you want your business to prosper, do you want your children to prosper, do you want to be comforted? What do you need the Lord for? Our neighbors are asking us the same question. What do you want from the person you live with? Why do you need neighbors? Neighbors are constantly asking whether they are the means or the end of our own life.
The disciples' answer to the question of what Jesus wants is that they want to know where the teacher is. This can be said to be an expression of the heart where Jesus lives and how to live together. This is the answer of a person who, while spending time in the wilderness with John the Baptist, realized what man needs while his inner self was purified.
Those who have gone through the process of self-purification in the wilderness realize the truth that what the soul needs is not to have many creations. The only thing a person needs and must have is to know where God is and how to live with Him. This is an answer that can be given to those who understand that the kingdom and its righteousness are made in the soul, and all things are enriched. Our hearts must be focused on where we want to know Jesus and be with him.
Invite disciples who want to know where you are, show them where you are and stay with them. It is a grace bestowed upon those who want to be with you and to know you. If we want something else, they will listen to it, and if they think we don't need it, they won't. But there is no reason not to hear your prayers of wanting to be with you and to know more. It's probably what you want people to do the most. The reason we can't meet Jesus is probably because our heart's only desire is not to know where you are.
In verses 40-41, the changed image of the person Jesus allowed to be with Him is recorded in verses 40-41. “One of the two men who heard John’s words and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, who first looked for his brother Simon and said, “We have found the Messiah.” (Messiah means Christ.)
One of the two disciples who followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. The first thing he did after staying where Jesus was was to find his brother Simon Peter. He went to his brother and said that he had met the Messiah, the Savior Christ, whom God had anointed and sent into this world. The thrill of meeting God in the person of Jesus led Andrew to go directly to his brother and tell him that he had met God.
When we meet a person, we usually see what he has. What is in it cannot but be revealed. Whether you have money or knowledge, you are either envious of what you have in other people, or you are disappointed that you have nothing. But when you meet Jesus, you will know that God is in you. It is to realize that there is a way to heaven in Jesus. Because of such a mysterious experience, Andrew goes to his brother and conveys this emotion. The thrill of meeting God cannot but be conveyed to those close to you.
So what happens is verse 42. “They brought him to Jesus, and when he saw him, he said to him, ‘You are Simon the son of John, and you are going to call him Cephas.
Andrew can't help conveying the thrill and joy of meeting Christ to his brother, so he takes Simon Peter to Jesus. The sign of a person who has met Christ is the desire to bring those who are lost because they do not have Christ to Jesus. This heart moves the brothers to come to Jesus together.
The reason I place so much emphasis on silent prayer and retreat is that Jesus is waiting for us there, and it is the way He invites us to His presence. The one thing in common among those who met Jesus in silence and retreats and came to know where He is is is how they tell the Lord where He is to those they know. The joy of meeting God cannot only exist in that person, but has the power to spread around. It can be said that joy grows as it is shared.
Jesus sees Simon brought by Andrew and recognizes that he is Simon the son of John. He gives him a new name, Guevara, and tells him that he will be called by this name in the future. It means that Jesus knows what kind of family and origin Simon is, how he was brought up, and what kind of person he is. He knows who we are.
Jesus, who knows who Simon is and what kind of person he is, gives him a new name, Peter, that is, the rock, and tells him that he will become a person who lives like a rock. These are the words of Peter, who was a man who was hurried and wavering like fire, promises that the church will stand on his confession and the kingdom of God will be turned into a rock upon which it is built.
No matter how fickle and flawed our character may be, if there is a spiritual awakening within us to recognize the Risen One, and Jesus is present, we become like a rock. If there is no God, he is only a weak person who can only be shaken. However, with Jesus, the kingdom of God will be established and you will be transformed into a mature person whom others can trust.
I believe that Jesus wants to call us all and transform us into people like Peter. I pray that by meeting someone who knows and understands me better than anyone else, the grace of turning into a rock upon which the church and the kingdom of God are built, rather than a weak person who is shaken by creation, comes upon us.