“Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.”
John 1:38-39 NLT
Those two disciples of John just had to spend some time with Jesus and He was gracious enough to receive them. John had previously pointed out that Jesus was the “Lamb of God” and that was enough for them. I’m reminded of the parable Jesus taught, about treasure. We read in Matthew 13:44, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field“. How excited are we about spending time with Jesus? Is it important enough for us to abandon what we are doing and just sit at the Master’s feet? Reading His Word and praying? Worshipping, lost in His presence? Of course, we still have a living to earn. There are chores to be done. But are our lives orientated around Jesus or is He peripheral to our worldly existence? Or in other words, which kingdom do we desire to be grounded and promoted within?
The Christian life provides a priceless opportunity to be close to our wonderful God, and live a life His way, not ours. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be“. And He went on, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33).
Jesus set out life priorities. His invite “Come and see” hangs in the air, always there, always available, just waiting for us to respond and hear His words, personal and tender, gracious and loving, never harsh, always wanting our highest good. Can I ask a question – do you know Jesus? I mean, really know Him personally, and not just know things about Him? If not, His invitation is there just waiting for a response. Jesus’ invitation “Come and see” is timeless, and is just as relevant and potent today as it was two thousand years ago. There is a choice to be made. Do we say, “Yes Lord, Your will be done” or is Jesus going to say to us one day, “Sorry, but your will be done”. Hmmm…
Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for Your patience with us wayward and sinful humans. We commit to follow You, this day and every day. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 