Check Christ out.

The four Gospels give us an understanding of the formation of knowing who Jesus is. We appreciate this as we follow the lives of the first men to check out Jesus.  What caused Andrew and the other disciple to get to investigate Jesus more closely? The words of John the Baptist aroused their interest by the statement ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’’ The term ‘Lamb of God’ so permeated their upbringing and National psych it drove them to know more about this Jesus.

 

What would [or did] arouse you to give a more serious consideration to knowing this Man from Galilee? Could it be aroused by someone you know who arouses the interest in He who is more than an historical figure. This happened to some members of John the Baptist's group. ’Two of John the Baptizer's disciples said to Jesus  “Rabbi, where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” Why did they ask Jesus about his lodgings? Presumably, they had the intension of dropping by one day. Jesus took their inquiry and turned it into an invitation, “Come and see.” He didn’t bombard them with irrefutable proofs about Himself and His ministry. Rather, Jesus gave them ‘breathing space’ to simply get to know Him. 

I wonder what they saw! What did they hear? What did they ask? Whatever took place they wanted more, and they needed to share what they had found. Andrew’s conviction about Jesus is revealed in his comment to Peter, “We have found the Messiah.” That is intriguing. Building on John the Baptist’s words, whatever Andrew asked, or answers Jesus gave, a conviction was born. Over the next three years Andrew and the others would have that statement of faith severely tested. This will be true for you and any others who come to the same conclusion on the evidence presented.

From a prophetic statement of John a monumental movement began because Jesus simply said “Come and see.” A look down the time tunnel of history sees similar incidents occurring when individuals have an encounter with the Messiah. Such names as Augustine, Francis of Assis1, Martin Luther, John Wesley, C.T. Studd and a myriad of others spring to mind. You may even have your own list.

As you read the account of the first disciples there is a growing intensity in understanding this Jesus. The Lord has some subtle, some profound and very personal effects upon those who agree to 'come and see!'  Simon is a prime example of this. He had a major make-over with his name. He will be called Cephas which means a piece of stone. It would be some time before the unstable components of his character were forged into the significance his new name. When we meet the Master and yield to Him we are given a new name and undergo other make-overs in our lives. However, it will take the daily pressures of life interacting with our faith in Christ for these  to ring true.

 On what was probably the third day Jesus begins to move back to Galilee. Why did Philip respond to Jesus invitation “Follow me?” How did he come to the conviction that Jesus was the fulfilment of what Moses and the Law pointed to?  In sharing it with Nathaniel this conviction aroused what today would be a politically incorrect comment “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Once again the personal encounter with Jesus and Nathanael illustrated the grace of the Lord. In combining the six individual encounters with Jesus there is a movement of conviction summed up by man under the fig tree. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Easy words! Words Jesus accepted but knew they would be tested later. For us, when we come and see this Jesus and place our trust in Him, our words will be tested. We can go further than the original six statements whilst agreeing with them. For we believe Jesus is the crucified and risen Saviour of the World, the promised Messiah, Son of God, Lord of Glory. We have bowed by faith before Him and in the words of Thomas called Him “My Lord and My God!” (John 20:28).

All that began for us, as it did for the disciples because Jesus through His servants says similar words to us, as to the original six “Come and see!”