“Reach my people”
Daily Scripture
John 1:35-49
35 The next day John was standing again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus walking along he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard what he said, and they followed Jesus.
38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he asked, “What are you looking for?”
They said, “Rabbi (which is translated Teacher), where are you staying?”
39 He replied, “Come and see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.
40 One of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Christ [Or Anointed One]). 42 He led him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
43 The next day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.”
46 Nathanael responded, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?”
Philip said, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are God’s Son. You are the king of Israel.”
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Leading Beyond the Walls was one of Pastor Hamilton’s first published books. John the Baptist and Jesus reached beyond walls that many of their day’s religious leaders put up to keep “undesireables” out. That likely applied to John the Baptist’s four followers in this passage, who were simple Galilean fishermen. John pointed them to Jesus, and rather than looking down on them, Jesus invited them to “come and see.” They did, and it lastingly revolutionized their lives (and our world) for the better.
- When Andrew and his brother followed the man John the Baptist called “the Lamb of God,” they asked, “Where are you staying?” Jesus set us a model—instead of checking human credentials or setting out conditions, he said simply, “Come and see.” Verse 39 said “they remained with him that day.” When, and in what ways, have you spent time with Jesus (and his followers) listening and learning? How might you do more of that to build a strong spiritual connection?
- John said Jesus called Simon “Cephas.” Cephas “means ‘rock’ in Aramaic, as ‘Peter’ does in Greek. (Cephas is pronounced kay-fas)…. nicknames usually communicated something about the person.” * Jesus gave Simon a revolutionary nickname (the main name by which we know him today) which meant “Rock,” implying a level of stability and strength he would grow into. In what ways have you grown stronger or more stable by following Jesus? What further growth do you anticipate?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to discover and live into both the joyful and the serious dimensions of meeting you as the Christ, God’s anointed king. Rule over my life every day. Amen.
GPS Insights
Lydia Kim
Lydia Kim serves as one of the pastors of Connection and Care at Resurrection Leawood. An avid believer that growing in faith pairs well with fellowship and food, she is always ready for recommendations on local restaurants and coffee shops.
Growing up, I had a student ministry director who expected us to read and memorize Scripture. My fellow students and I grudgingly learned a verse or two per week to make sure to get all the prizes. As a teen, I had severe “FOMO,” fear of missing out, so my motivation for memorizing Scripture was to participate in the rewards with everyone else. I cannot recall any of the prizes, but I still remember those Scriptures today because they remind me of Jesus’ love and grace.
Jesus reached out to people from all walks of life–children and adults, the sick and the well, blue and white-collar workers, Jews and Gentiles, females and males. I want to say it’s easy for me to be like that–to open myself to others who are different than me, to be as welcoming as Jesus was and is. But I know that it is not always the case. It is much easier to stay in our bubbles; it’s safer, less messy, and less challenging. Reading the stories about Jesus now, I realize that the “FOMO” I had as a student hasn’t entirely disappeared. Sometimes, I find myself wondering what I miss by not reaching out.
The disciples followed Jesus’ call to “come and see,” which changed their lives, communities, and the world. What would happen if we started asking people to “come and see” on social media, to invite a neighbor to Faith Day at the K, or ask a co-worker to join in serving somewhere in the community for a day? There might not be a specific prize or reward each time we reach out, but I believe we do not have to fear missing out when we invite others to “come and see” Jesus in and through our lives.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 239530-239532). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
