Jesus says to them, “Come and see.” These words were the answer our Lord gave when two of John’s disciples asked Him, “Master, where dwellest Thou?” (John 1:3838Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? (John 1:38)). The Apostle John might have been one of the two disciples. Perhaps as an old man, when writing his Gospel, he still remembered even the hour of that meeting with the Lord Jesus —“It was about the tenth hour.”
After these two disciples had heard John the Baptist saying, “Behold the Lamb of God,” they “followed Jesus.” After following Jesus and coming to where He abode, they could have a marvelous time hearing the Lord speaking about His dwelling in the bosom of the Father and of His mission to make the Father known to them.
May we likewise be impressed, when we are gathered by God’s Spirit into His blessed presence. Perhaps we have known of that place for a long time, and go there with others to see the Lord in the midst of the two or three gathered to His name. But let us remember that it is the work of the Spirit of God to bring us there.
Can we witness to others of this work of God with us? The second time we find the words “Come and see” is in the same chapter. Philip says it to Nathanael in answer to his question, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (vs. 46). Should not we give a sincere and enthusiastic witness of “Come and see” to make other saints interested in coming together to see Him! How easily the same spirit creeps in that we find with the disciples when they hindered one casting out demons in the Lord’s name, because he followed not with them (Luke 9:4949And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. (Luke 9:49)). How easily we think of ourselves and our position, without the right focus on Him. When we are focused on “us,” the Lord is not all and everything for us, and we have forgotten that all is of grace.
In John 20, we read that the Lord came and stood in the midst and said to them, “Peace be unto you.” And when He had showed unto them His hands and His side, “then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord” (vss. 1920). May that scene resemble the manner of the meeting when we are gathered together on “the first day of the week” to remember Him.
D. Scheepsma