John 1:35-51 Behold the Lamb of God, Call of disciples, “Come and see.”
Psalm 66:1-5 Come see what God has done
Come and See
For the last little bit of the church’s history, the last 40 years or so, we have been convinced that the Gospel is not enough. We have become convinced that we need bands, or pipe organs, backpack giveaways or gymnasiums, pastors who write and publish or pastors who are cool and hip, that we need huge staffs or multiple locations, that Sunday morning is out, and that pews and hymnals are pews of the devil.
At the same time, the other studies have shown the truth of this very passage. People go to church – people meet Jesus – because of people they know and interactions with them. There are no gimmicks to get people to Jesus in this passage. What we actually see happen is the exact
opposite. John the Baptist points out Jesus and loses Andrew as his disciple. Yet that pointing leads to Andrew telling Simon, his brother, about Jesus, and Simon becomes a disciple of Jesus. Simon then becomes Peter, and well, we know how that goes.
What about us? Are we serious enough about pointing to Jesus that we will let our own disciples go to Jesus? Are we excited enough about Jesus that we will yell, “Behold the Lamb of God?” Are we excited enough about Jesus that we would meet him and run to tell others about him? Do we believe in a Jesus whose message is powerful enough, impressive enough, real enough, that showing someone Jesus is enough? Or do we need a new program, a new gimmick, a new something?
