Come And See

Church researcher George Barna pinpoints the main reason why many believers do not share their faith. He states, “In asking Christians about their witnessing activities, we have found that nine out of ten individuals who attempt to explain their beliefs and theology to other people come away from those experiences feeling as if they have failed.” (1) Many believers feel inadequate in their ability to share their faith, and so they simply do not share at all.

We often feel we must know the correct words to say, and that we must have profound scholarly insight, and be well-versed in apologetics; and then we convince ourselves that we are not smart enough to do anything. Paul stated, “My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

Evangelism is not about having the right words. It is about being faithful in sharing our passion about what Jesus has done in our lives, and then inviting people to come and see for themselves what He is all about. In our passage of Scripture we will observe how Jesus did not begin with a list of propositions, spiritual laws, theological proofs, and arguments. He only said, “Come and see.” (2) We will come to understand that real evangelism is an invitation to a relationship, and extending an invitation is something that anyone can do. (3)

Jesus Invited Two Disciples of John (vv. 35-39)

35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

In verses 35-39 we can observe some simple points for evangelism. The passage begins with John the Baptist who had been baptizing in the Jordan River and preaching about the coming Messiah. “Toward the close of the day, when John had finished his work for that day, and the people were departing home . . . John fixed his eyes intently on Christ, [and] with great pleasure and delight, and pointing at Him” (4) he declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God.

When John called Jesus “the Lamb of God” he was relaying centuries of messianic prophecies in just one small statement. For example, the prophet Isaiah pictured the coming Messiah as a lamb that was slain: "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed . . . He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth" (Isaiah 53:5, 7).

When John declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God he was, in essence, preaching the Word of God. The first simple point for evangelism is that people must hear the Word presented in order to respond in faith. Paul stated, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? . . . So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:14, 17).

As John declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God and long anticipated Messiah, two of John’s disciples heard what he said; and what these two men heard about Jesus made them curious about Him, as the Word of God pricked their hearts. “The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to show the lost person their need of a Savior. He uses that Word to point them to Jesus. He uses the Word to create a hunger within them for something they do not have.” (5)

These two disciples were hungry for a relationship with Jesus. This is clear from the fact that they had been following John the Baptist. He had been teaching them that the Messiah was coming, and they were longing for a relationship with Him once He arrived. (6) So when John declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God, they quickly followed Jesus.

When Jesus saw them following, He asked them, “What do you seek?” (v. 38). He was asking them to examine their motives in following Him; to do some soul-searching. He also said this to encourage them to speak with Him, for otherwise they might have been afraid. (7) He wanted them to draw close to Him, and open up to confess their need. The second simple point for evangelism is that after sharing the Word, we must ask questions to prompt people to open up and confess their hunger and spiritual need.