Thought for the Month

As he watched Jesus walk by, John exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi, where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ John 1:35-39

Andrew, whose feast day falls at the end of this month, was one of the two disciples who heard the words of John the Baptist and decided to investigate this man whom he had called ‘the Lamb of God’. They did it in the simplest possible way – they followed him, walking (one assumes) discreetly behind him as he made his way up and away from the river Jordan. Jesus knew they were there, and turned to ask them a deceptively simple question: ‘What are you looking for?’ Actually the verb he used was rather stronger – what are you seeking?

They were obviously seeking something. That search had taken them to the Jordan valley, away from home, work and family in Galilee, to hear the rugged prophet John. But he had always insisted that he was not the end of the search, but the beginning. ‘I am the voice crying in the wilderness,’ he told the crowds. ‘Prepare the way of the Lord! One comes after me who is greater than I am . . . He must increase; I must decrease’. So when John pointed out Jesus to them, and described him as the ‘Lamb of God’, they assumed that the next stage of their spiritual search was about to unfold.

All the more strange then (though, on reflection, very true to human nature) that when Jesus turned and asked them what they were ‘seeking’ all they could come up with was a lame enquiry about his current place of residence: ‘where are you staying?’ Or, perhaps, they were hinting that what they were seeking could not be dealt with in a brief conversation. If they could come to his lodgings, perhaps their burning questions might be answered.

The reply of Jesus was the most straight-forward invitation anyone can receive: ‘Come and see’. That is the very heart of true evangelism. We can say to people, ‘Come and see’. Come and see us at worship, at prayer, in acts of loving service, in lives of sacrifice. As soon as we say ‘come and see’ we’re on the spot!

The results in this case were life-changing – indeed, they changed the course of history. Andrew brought his brother, Peter, to Jesus. Philip brought Nathaniel. The little apostolic band who would carry the most precious message of all to the whole world was being formed. They came, they saw, they were conquered!