The Message, January 18, 2026: "Come And See," John 1:29-42
Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
January 20, 2026
“Come And See”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
John 1:29-42
As this morning’s passage begins there
is a slight overlap with last week’s passage. As you may recall, we heard about
the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel.
John’s Gospel invites us back to the river, but today we hear the story from a
very different point of view. Rather than that of a third person narrator,
today the storyteller is none other than John the Baptist himself.
John … The Baptist … was with some
of his followers, and they saw Jesus approaching. And as we heard, John said,
“There he is! That is the One I was telling you about! That is the One about
whom I testified … the One who is greater than I am … the One who is First even
though I came before him! Yes, that is Him! The Lamb of God who came to take
away the son of the world!”
“And this is what happened
yesterday. I was baptizing people in the river like I had been doing, then he
approached me. I knew him … but I did not KNOW him. I mean I did not know what
was going to happen. Then the heavens opened and the Spirit descended from
heaven like a dove. And it did not flit or flash for just a second or two, NO,
it alighted upon Him! It remained upon Him! I did it! I baptized Him! And then
I knew … I KNEW … that he is the One! He is the CHOSEN ONE of God!”
Here in this opening chapter, John,
the Gospel Writer, almost writes as if he is writing in his daily diary. He did
not take any shortcuts or make any assumptions for his readers as he introduced
them to Jesus.
Then, the next day … this happened.
John … The Baptist … was standing with two of his disciples, Andrew and one
other, and once again they saw Jesus. John once again testified, “There he is!
There is the Lamb of God!” With John’s testimony, the two began to follow Jesus
down the road.
John, the Baptizer, did what he was
called to do. He did not try to cling to his disciples. He pointed the way
toward Jesus. “He is the One whose way I prepared. He is the One. Follow Him.”
Now, consider this … what must those
first footsteps behind Jesus been like for Andrew and the other?
It was not like they had stumbled
across a celebrity at the market. He was the One that prophets had foretold. He
was the One for whom the People had prayed for generations. He was the One who
comes with power. He was God’s Chosen One! Did they walk quietly at a “safe”
distance? They certainly did not want to bother him! Certainly not!
But then Jesus took the initiative.
Jesus invited them in. “Friends, what are you looking for?”
I enter into that moment carrying my
own experience. I enter that moment with every time that I have felt awkward or
overwhelmed in the presence of someone that I admired or respected. In my head
I heard those two thinking to themselves, “Say something intelligent. Don’t
sound stupid.” In my head, I heard my awkward self blurt out, “Rabbi … uuuhhh …
where are you staying?” And then in my head, I heard myself yelling at myself
saying, “Why did you say THAT?! That sounds creepy!”
Of course, I read this testimony
with my twenty-first century sensibilities and insecurities. This exchange took
place in a very different time and culture.
When Jesus turned and asked Andrew
and the other, “What are you looking for?” their minds must have been racing.
“We are looking for You. We are looking for freedom. We are looking for
salvation. We are looking for peace.”
But their response, “Rabbi … Teacher
… where are you staying?” was not an awkward, tongue-tied or brain-fried
response. Rather, it was one that came forth from their cultural context. When
they said, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” they were really asking Jesus, “Rabbi,
can we spend some time with you?” They were not looking for a quick
conversation about the weather or local gossip. They desired to engage Jesus in
deeper meaningful discussion.
We know that because Jesus’ reply,
“Come and see,” was a familiar phrase used by the rabbis in their instruction.
Jesus answered the inquiry by Andrew and the other with an invitation. “Come
and see. Do you want to understand? Come and see. We will explore the question
together.”
“Come and see. I will help you see
what it is that you are looking for. Come and see. We will explore the Way of
God together.”
John … the Gospel Writer … indicated
that it was four o’clock in the afternoon. Why would he include that particular
detail? My guess would be because of the ancient hospitality code. As the day
drew to a close, it was incumbent upon a host to invite their guests to remain
with them for dinner and to spend the night. That little detail could indicate that
Andrew and the other spent the evening with Jesus, breaking bread and soaking
in everything that Jesus would show them.
Which brings us to what must have
been the next day, when Andrew went and found his brother, Simon. “Simon! We
found the Messiah! This is no pretender. This is not a charlatan
messiah-wannabe. This is the One! He is the Real Deal! Simon … we found the
Messiah! Come and see!”
Andrew may very well have been the
first Christian missionary. He certainly had a missionary heart. He took great
joy in bringing others to Jesus, and he began with his own brother. Andrew
brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at Simon and said, “You are Simon, son of
John. You are to be called Cephas.”
Once again, it is important to pause
and explore a particular word that John used in telling this part of the story.
The word that John used when he wrote that Jesus looked at Simon was “emblepien.”
The word means “an extended, intense gaze which see beyond superficial things;
a gaze that sees or reads an individual’s heart.” It is the same word that was
used when Jesus “looked at” the rich young ruler. Jesus looked intently upon
Simon, and told him that he would be called Cephas, which means “Rock.” (Cephas
in Aramaic is “Rock.” Peter in Greek is “Rock.”)
Jesus looked intently upon Simon and
saw beyond a simple fisherman. He saw what Simon would become … Peter … a Rock
… upon which a church would be built.
A few years ago, someone said to me,
“All you do is retell the scripture passage that you just read using different
words.” That assessment was accurate. There are times when I do choose to
retell the passage that we just read or heard. And I do that because it is
important for us to visit and then revisit the words of scripture. It is
important for us to hear them as they were intended when they were written or
spoken. It is important to hear them in their historical and cultural context,
so that we can understand what they mean to us in our personal context.
If Jesus were to turn to us and ask,
“What are you looking for?” how would we … how would you … respond? What is it
that we desire from Jesus? From God?
Is it love? Acceptance?
Is
it peace? Freedom?
Is
it forgiveness? Grace?
Is
it wholeness? Safety?
Is
it to be seen as worthy? Or is it simply to be seen?
The
truth is that Jesus already knows. He gazes upon us and sees what we can
become. Jesus knows our potential and our possibilities. He is inviting us in.
Come
and see. Sit with me. Let us explore together. Be still. Ease your troubled hearts
and minds.
Come
and see the world as God intends it to be.
Come
and see the Way of love and compassion.
Come
and see yourself as God sees you.
The
world around us is terrifying, heartbreaking, and sickening. Every day we see
horrific acts of hatred and violence committed against our neighbors. Our
stomachs are in knots, our hands are clenched in fists of rage, we cannot sleep
at night. All of that creates some very unloving thoughts to grow in our hearts
and minds. “Rabbi … Teacher … where are you staying? We want it all to stop.
Can we come and sit with you?”
Child
… friend … beloved … be still. Come and see. Amen.
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