“Come and see” John 1.39,46
by David E. West, England
INTRODUCTION
The passage under consideration reveals how the first disciples of Christ were brought into saving contact with Him. Some have wondered how to harmonise Jn.1.35-42 with the record in Mk.1.16-20, or the parallel passages in Matt.4.18-22 and Lk.5.2-11. However, there is nothing to harmonise, because there is no contradiction between them. Mark and John are not writing on the same subject. John tells us of the conversion of these men, whereas Mark, and also Matthew and Luke, deal with their call to service.
The first disciples did not all come to Christ in the same way, for God does not confine Himself to any particular method. We acknowledge His sovereignty in these matters. Of the four cases described in these verses in John chapter 1 (the two mentioned in v.37 are linked together), no two were alike.
The first two, Andrew and presumably John himself, heard a preacher speaking of Christ as the Lamb of God: “Behold the Lamb of God!” v.36, and consequently they promptly “followed Jesus” v.37. Simon Peter was brought to Christ by his brother, Andrew. In the case of Philip, it was the sovereign action of the Lord Himself: “Jesus … findeth Philip, and saith unto him, ‘Follow Me.’” v.43. Nathanael was sought out by Philip and warmly invited to “come and see” Christ for himself, v.46. So in case number one, it was the word of the preacher; in cases two and four it was the personal testimony of a believer; whilst in case number three, no mere human instrument was employed by God. It should be emphasised that God places the preaching of the Word as of primary importance in the salvation of sinners. Let us not forget that the God- ordained way of making known the message of the gospel is by public preaching. However, we see here that God is also pleased to give a prominent place to personal work in reaching souls with the gospel.
But God has not reached the end of His resources, even if preachers should prove to be unfaithful to their calling and individual believers are too apathetic to witness personally for Christ, because God is able to reach out and save individuals without any human intervention. Our present passage also brings out the suitability of Christ for all kinds of men. The Lord Jesus drew to Himself men of widely differing types and temperaments; it is still the same today.
ANDREW AND JOHN
The action fully opens in verse 29 of our chapter with John the Baptist’s direct testimony to the Lord Jesus after His manifestation as the Son of God. We read, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’” On the first day, Christ was proclaimed: “John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, ‘This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me.’” v.15. On the second day He was thus pointed out, as “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”. In v.35 we read of a third day: “Again the next day after John stood,
and two of his disciples”. If we would contemplate Christ, we must stand still, that is, all fleshly activity must cease and we must come to an end of ourselves. These present verses effectively terminate an era, namely, that of “John’s disciples”. No believer today is a disciple of another believer, for the Lord calls them “My disciples”: “Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples” Jn.15.8.
John the Baptist appears here as one who had consciously fulfilled his course; he is as one who had retired from his ministry and was simply enjoying that in which it had all resulted: the manifestation of the Lamb of God. The walk of the Lord Jesus caused John to exclaim again, so we read: “and looking upon Jesus as He walked, he saith, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’” v.36. Nothing is added now. John is heard uttering the hidden satisfaction of his heart. He does not appear to have addressed these words to his disciples; however, we are told, “And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus” v.37. John was finished with any consideration of himself and was lost in thoughts of the Lamb of God, and his erstwhile disciples seemed to catch his mind, “and they followed Jesus”.
“Behold the Lamb of God”: these five simple words (there are also five in the original Greek) were sufficient to commence the chain of testimony, as Paul wrote: “I had rather speak five words with my understanding” 1Cor.14.19. John knew that he would lose his own followers. Here the sincerity and convicting power of the preacher were sufficient. Through experience, John’s former disciples had trusted the words of John the Baptist in the past, so now their trust avoided argument, enabling them to follow the Lamb of God immediately. John’s work was to prepare the way of the Lord. Here his ministry gathers to Christ, sending men away from himself.
“Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, ‘What seek ye?’” v.38. Note that His question was not, ‘Whom seek ye?’ “Seek” implies earnest desire, as in “seek ye first the kingdom of God” Matt.6.33; “seek, and ye shall find” Matt.7.7; and “the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” Lk.19.10. That they were seeking Him was evident, but the Lord would know the motives of all potential followers: were they seeking something, rather than someone? Of course He already knew their motives, but He would draw a confession from their own lips. During the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus, many followed Christ because the crowd thronged after Him and carried them along with it. Others followed Him for what they could get: the loaves and the fishes or the curing of their ailments. However, a few followed Him because they felt their deep need of Him and were attracted by the perfections of His Person. What He wants is the heart that seeks Him for Himself. Hence the heart-searching question was put to these two men.
“They said unto Him, ‘Rabbi [the Hebrew word for Teacher: literally, ‘my Great One’]’, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master)”. By calling Him “Rabbi”, they indicated their willingness to learn. A readiness to hear is a blessing, for it leads to the removal of ignorance. However, they pose the question, “Where dwellest Thou?” They longed to be with Him; what they desired was His fellowship. Perhaps a better rendering would have been ‘Where abidest thou?’, for abiding invariably has reference to communion. “Where dwellest Thou?” Their hearts were set not on a ‘what’ (a place) but upon a ‘Whom’ (His Person).
“He saith unto them, ‘Come and see.’” v.39. This is the first recorded invitation given by the Lord Jesus in John’s Gospel; the Revised Version rendering is “Come, and ye shall see.” He discerned that they sought His presence, His Person and His fellowship. This invitation is unique, in the sense that the Lord offered hospitality. “They came and saw where He dwelt”, but where it was we do not know; they followed Him along some untold path, and were with Himself, “and abode with Him that day”; that is all we learn. We bear in mind that since the Son of God was a stranger here, then they, if with Him, were strangers too. What an unforgettable experience for them! John adds “for it was about the tenth hour”, 4p.m. in our reckoning; no doubt they remained with Him that night. For that night, His abiding place was theirs too. So shall it be for all believers throughout eternity: we hear His words, “that where I am, there ye may be also” Jn.14.3.
The two men were Andrew and presumably John. So we read: “One of the two which heard John speak … was Andrew” v.40. He would appear to be an inconspicuous type, willing rather to be ‘a link in the chain’ than a dominant figure; thus he is referred to as “Simon Peter’s brother”. On three occasions he is recorded as introducing people to the Lord Jesus: firstly his own brother, vv.41,42; then a lad in an incident which led to the feeding of “the men … in number about five thousand” 6.10: “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto Him [the Lord Jesus], ‘There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes’” 6.8,9. Then there were “certain Greeks” who “came … to Philip … and desired him, saying, ‘Sir, we would see Jesus.’ Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus” 12.20-22.
SIMON PETER
Returning to our passage, we read: “He [this one, namely Andrew] first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, ‘We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.’” v.41. Our personal responsibility begins with those who are nearest to us; witness should first be borne in our own family circle. Note the words “first findeth”: does this suggest that Andrew acted immediately? Andrew’s testimony is full of meaning; he had evidently been looking and hoping for the Messiah, which means ‘the Anointed One’.
In the Old Testament three offices were conferred by the ceremony of anointing, namely, those of prophet, priest and king. All these offices belong to the Lord Jesus for He is the promised Prophet, Priest and King. John’s Gospel manifests Him in each of these offices. As “a great prophet” Lk.7.16, He exercised His ministry in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria and Galilee of the Gentiles. As Priest, we see Him in John chapters 14-17 in the holy place, in intimate fellowship with His disciples, discoursing on heavenly things; chapter 17 is the model of His present High Priestly intercession. As King, He appears in 12.12-15, sitting on an ass’s colt, when “much people … cried, ‘Hosanna; Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.’”, in fulfilment of Zech.9.9. So Simon came to know the Christ by the testimony of his brother, Andrew. Later he knew this fact by revelation from the Father, for when Peter made his confession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” Matt.16.16, “Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘… flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven.’” v.17.
“And he brought [or ‘led’] him [Simon] to Jesus. And … Jesus beheld him” Jn.1.42. The word “beheld” suggests that He looked upon him with a penetrating look, not a mere glance; this He did also in the judgment hall: “And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter” Lk.22.61. “He said, ‘Thou art Simon’” Jn.1.42: the present, what he was naturally, self-confident, but weak and failing, whether on the water: “when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid” Matt.14.30; in the garden: “Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant” Jn.18.10; and in the high priest’s palace, where he denied the Lord on three occasions, Jn.18.15-27. Verse 42 of our passage continues: “the son of Jonas”: this takes us back to the past; “‘thou shalt be called Cephas,’ [the future], which is by interpretation, A stone”: what he became through contact with Christ. Cephas is an Aramaic name; the Greek equivalent, Peter, denotes not a mass of rock, but a detached stone. This new name would suit the purpose for which God would choose him. The Lord Jesus showed that He was thoroughly acquainted with Andrew’s brother.
PHILIP
“The day following” – this is now the fourth day in the sequence – “Jesus would [‘was minded to’] go forth into Galilee” v.43. On this fourth day, a new circumstance arises, for the Lord Himself goes to seek a disciple: “and findeth Philip”. What a lovely illustration of His own declaration, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” Lk.19.10! We should bear in mind that, whether the Lord uses a human instrument or not, it is Christ Himself Who seeks out and finds each one who subsequently becomes His follower.
As to character, Philip was later shown to be slow and reasoning. We are told: “When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, ‘Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’” Jn.6.5. These words of the Saviour give us, perhaps, the only recorded occasion when He asked for aid; however, we are then told: “And this He said to prove him: for He Himself knew what He would do” v.6. Philip’s answer was one of calculating reason: “Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little” v.7. Then we recall Philip’s request: “Philip saith unto Him, ‘Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.’” Jn.14.8. The Lord’s answer was one of mild rebuke: “Jesus saith unto him, ‘Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father’” v.9.
Our verse, Jn.1.43, continues: “Jesus … saith unto him, ‘Follow Me.’”: how simple and explicit! Would that converts could be gained today by such words! It was not for Philip to reason why, but to obey the Lord’s command. The words “follow Me” literally mean ‘follow with Me’, embracing the ideas of fellowship and union. Philip thus became the fourth apostle to be called; all the first-called disciples were Galileans.
We are then told: “Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter” v.44. It is widely believed that there were two cities by the name of Bethsaida, one on the west shore of Lake Gennesaret (the one mentioned here) and the other on the east side, Mk.6.45. We might well question why Andrew and Peter had not sought Philip; did they consider him too hard to win? The Lord is sovereign in these matters.
NATHANAEL
“Philip findeth Nathanael” v.45; Philip thus proves his faith by seeking to share it with Nathanael, whose name means ‘gift of God’. Nathanael himself is mentioned by name only here and in Jn.21.2, where he is referred to as “Nathanael of Cana in Galilee”, and is recorded as one of the seven disciples who went “a fishing” v.3. He is most probably to be identified with Bartholomew, whose name is placed next to that of Philip in the lists of the apostles in the three ‘Synoptic’ Gospels. Philip gives special testimony to Christ: “We have found Him [strictly speaking, Philip had been found by the Lord], of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” Jn.1.45. He thus bears witness, firstly to Christ being the subject of “the law and the prophets”, secondly to His coming from Nazareth, and thirdly to His being the son of Joseph. Whilst Joseph was not the biological father of the Lord Jesus, Who was virgin born, nevertheless, he was the legal father. It was necessary for Joseph to be married to Mary prior to the birth of the Lord Jesus in order that Christ could be acknowledged as the legal heir to the throne of David.
One who has found and follows Christ soon seeks and finds others. However, those whom they find are not always prepared to follow at once. Here we learn that a man, otherwise excellent, may be hindered by not a little prejudice. “And Nathanael said unto him, ‘Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?’” v.46. Galileans were the object of contempt, owing to their lack of culture, their unrefined dialect and their association with Gentiles. Although Nathanael’s heart did look for Him of Whom Moses and the prophets wrote, it never occurred to him that the Messiah could come from Nazareth, for that village was despicable, even in the eyes of a despised Galilean. Nathanael doubtless felt the more its miserably low moral repute because of his own practical Godliness.
Those who seek to win souls must expect to be met with objections. How then should we deal with them? Philip does not stop to argue, but bids Nathanael to “come and see” v.46. There must be a spiritual movement towards the Lord in order that the ‘sight’ of faith may be formed. We should not be turned aside by the objections of the one to whom we are speaking, but should continue to politely press upon that one the claims of Christ. It is a wholesome lesson, neither to be too hasty in our expectations, nor to be cast down if an individual be slow to listen. “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him” v.47; evidently, he responded to Philip’s encouraging words, “Come and see”. The verse continues: “and saith of him, ‘Behold an Israelite indeed [‘truly’], in whom is no guile!’” Immediately the Lord Jesus reveals His Divine powers of knowledge. The Lord has the ability to assess character: we note John’s written words, “He knew what was in man” 2.25. Nathanael was a special Israelite, a man of moral uprightness, “in whom [was] no guile”: he was transparent, with no secret, cunning devices, as Jacob had in a former day. Since Nathanael was honest and open, in his question to Philip he was voicing a genuine difficulty. This must not be overlooked in our dealings with different souls; there are some people who have real problems.
“Nathanael saith unto Him, ‘Whence knowest Thou me?’” v.48. Here we have Nathanael’s second question, this time to the Lord Jesus Himself. “Before that Philip called thee [the Lord did not rely upon human testimony concerning men], when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.” Unseen Himself, the Lord had seen Nathanael. He had seen him where clearly Nathanael thought himself to be seen by none. Christ not only saw him, but read his heart before he came to Him. Nothing can be hidden from His all-seeing eye. This incident is evidence of the Deity of Christ, for it displays His omniscience. Nathanael’s prejudice instantly vanished away. The fig tree was doubtless figurative of the nation of Israel, fruitless under the old covenant. The following incident in the life of the Lord Jesus is quite telling: “Now in the morning as He returned into the city, He hungered. And when He saw a fig tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only” Matt.21.18,19. However, Nathanael himself is representative of the future Godly remnant of the nation.
The reference to the fig tree may be prophetic: “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it” Mic.4.4. Normally to ‘sit under one’s fig tree’ implied well-being, safety and prosperity over an extended period of time and the Scripture from Micah’s Prophecy points forward to Millennial blessing.
Following the words of Jn.1.47,48, this at once elicits from Nathanael the confession: “Rabbi [a title withheld when he first addressed Christ], Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel” v.49. The present writer understands that in the original, the definite article before “King” is absent; while grammatically this serves to stress His Kingship, it perhaps indicates Nathanael’s hope of an earthly king. His confession was an acknowledgement of Christ’s Messiahship according to Psalm 2 (a Messianic Psalm), in which Jehovah says, “Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion” v.6, whilst Messiah Himself says, “The Lord hath said unto Me, ‘Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee.’” v.7.
This is the first of four testimonies in John’s Gospel concerning His Person made directly to the Lord Himself. The others are: “Then Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.’” Jn.6.68,69; “She [Martha] saith unto Him, ‘Yea, Lord: I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’” Jn.11.27; “And Thomas answered and said unto Him, ‘My Lord and my God.’” Jn.20.28.
Nathanael had been deeply impressed by what he had just witnessed, namely, the manifestation of Christ’s omniscience. His confession of the Lord as the Son of God and as the King of Israel had been accepted, since it was clearly offered in faith. We now read: “Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Because I said unto thee, “I saw thee under the fig tree,” believest thou?’” v.50; perhaps “believest thou?” should read “thou believest”. The Lord Jesus continues: “Thou shalt see greater things than these … Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” vv.50,51. Had Nathanael been meditating upon the story of Jacob’s ladder? “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it” Gen.28.12. Nathanael and other believers (“I say unto you … ye shall see”; “you” and “ye” are plural) should see that to which the dream and the vision pointed: that which linked earth to heaven during the Millennium was Christ Himself.
“Ye shall see heaven open”, that is, made open and continuing to be so. It would appear that in that day there will be free access between heaven and earth: “and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man”. As Son of man (a title of Christ in relation to the earth), He is the living link between heaven and earth. In that Millennial day when the Son of man reigns as King these angels will travel back and forth between earth and heaven fulfilling His will. The title “Son of man” is the name by which He often referred to Himself; it refers to His sufferings and to the glory that should follow. When He will be on earth in Kingdom glory, the angels will maintain a special communication with heaven, marking Him out as unique among His subjects in that day. What a glorious day that will be!
CONCLUSION
“The Son of man” is the seventh title of the Lord Jesus presented in John chapter 1. The others are “the Word”: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” v.1; “the Light”: “The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light” v.7; “the Lamb of God”: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” v.29; “the Son of God”: “And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God” v.34; “Messias”: “We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ” v.41; “King of Israel”: “Thou art the King of Israel” v.49. As these wonderful titles are set before us, what more can we do than join with Philip and say, “Come and see”!