sign in sign up
<<
Home , Jordan River

Come and See

3

The Wilderness of Judea & the River WEEK 1 DAY 1 :29-34

Breaking things down into steps makes a daunting task a little more doable. You can find books that help like: “The Introduction to French Cooking," “Beginners Guide to Investing," “A Simple Guide to Electronic Components," or “Puppy Care 101” that teach us what we need to know about the subject; but what about telling people about ? God had told John to begin baptizing people with water. We don’t know how God spoke to John, whether it was a voice he heard, an , or an impression in his heart, but John is clear that his ministry's directives came from God. John's ministry plan was strange and took courage; he lived in the desert, wore camel skins, ate bugs, and baptized people in the water. God also told John to be on the lookout, because he would see the Spirit come upon someone, and then John would know that someone was God's chosen ones, the . John obeyed God, whether the directions made sense to him or not, “the reason I came baptizing with water was that he (God’s Son) might be revealed to .” After John went where God directed, and did what God told him to do, he waited for the next step. When Jesus returned to where John was, after being tempted in the wilderness, John completed his task; he pointed out Jesus to everyone around him. John told them that Jesus was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, and that Jesus was the Son of God. We might call this “Evangelism 101”: go where God sends you, do the task at hand. As soon as an opportunity presents itself, introduce those around you to Jesus. Tell them He is the Son of God, and that He alone can take away their sin. Courage and obedience go hand in hand when reaching people for Jesus. Sometimes, you must have the courage to be obedient, and other times you must be obedient enough to act courageously. DAY 2 John 1:35-36

We don’t know a about , but we do know that he was Jesus' cousin. Remember when Mary went to visit Elizabeth, and as soon as Mary spoke, the baby (John) leapt in her womb (:41). The next time we hear about John, he lives in the wilderness, eating locust and honey and preparing others for the time when their savior arrives (, Mark 1:1-8 & :1-19). The empowered John for the he was given to do. He was given a mandate from God to "prepare the way" ( 40:3), and he preached to, discipled, and baptized many people. It was not uncommon for teachers (rabbi's) in John's day to be competitive. Rarely would one teacher step aside to allow another to take over, but this job was more significant than John, and he knew it. John was on a mission in his life; he had his eyes on Jesus, and nothing would keep him from his assignment. When the Spirit testified to John, who Jesus was (John 1:33), John pointed his disciples to Jesus (vs. 37), and they went after Jesus. Are my eyes on Jesus and His directives for my life? Am I jealous when others seem to have more influence than I do? When serving God, do I step out of the way so people will see Jesus? Or do I claim the fame and success for myself? Ask God to help you point others to Jesus in all that you do. DAY 3 John 1:35-42

Did you catch that as I did? Maybe I glanced over it in the past and didn't pick up the detail. Can you guess what it is? No… well neither did I at first. I always assumed the story of the disciples began when Jesus was walking along the Sea of and called the fisherman. Still, in actuality, it seems that Jesus was already acquainted with at least a few of them before He asked them to become His disciples. In today's reading, we learn that Andrew and John (the writer) were following John the Baptist but then left him to spend the evening and night with Jesus. Jesus asked them when He noticed they were now following Him, "What do you want?" He was, in a sense, asking them what their intentions were in following Him. Were they just curious, or did they already have faith in who Jesus was? I believe they were confident young men who had studied and believed wholeheartedly in the that John the Baptist had taught them about the coming . I think that these two (Andrew and John) saw the world as black or white; they were either going all in or none at all. Oh, I hope that I would have the confidence to be led by the Spirit as these guys did! God, give us a confident curiosity that makes us follow the promptings you give to each of us. DAY 4 John 1:43-51 Genesis 28:10-17

Come and see! That was all Phillip had to say to his friend Nathaneal; Jesus took care of the rest. Phillip had met the Messiah, and he wanted his friend to as well, but Nathanael was skeptical. For Nathanael, the home town listed on Jesus’ resume was less than impressive, but Phillip wasn't discouraged. Come and see! Come and see for yourself was all he had to ask his friend. Jesus greets Nathaneal in a surprising way. I love how Nathaneal doesn't take the compliment right away - but asks how Jesus knows. Jesus replies that he saw him under the fig tree. There is a lot in this statement. Jesus is saying I know the real you, Nathanael; I know who you are when no one is looking. The fig tree was a common reference for a place of study, meditation, and prayer. It was likely a private area near Nathanael’s home. The fact that Jesus references the story from Genesis when he says, "Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man...” might mean that it was the very passage that Nathanael was studying. Jesus reveals the truth about himself to Nathanael in a poignant way. Just like in the Genesis passage who saw a ladder or a stairway leading to Heaven, Jesus is the way to Heaven; Jacob called the location of his dream the gate to Heaven. Jesus is that very gate for us, the only way to reach it. Phillip only had to invite his friend to come and see Jesus handled the rest. Jesus met Nathaneal in a way that spoke distinctly to him. Who do you need to invite to come and see? DAY 5 : 1-7

There is always a tension in leaving something isn’t there? Whether it is a job where you love the people, but there is an opportunity you can’t pass up, or leaving the couch to get a bag of chips! You may be comfy, and there is some loss in leaving the sofa, but there can be something great on the other end of it, like a bag of Doritos! Imagine the tension that the disciples felt. They had just spent years following Jesus. They watched Him perform like healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, feeding the hungry, but it was time for Jesus to prepare a place for them. This imagery of preparing a place for someone would not be uncommon in that culture. When the Jewish culture would get engaged to be married, the groom would leave the bride and go home to prepare a place for her; he would add on to his parents’ home. The groom prepared a place for his bride. Jesus is doing this very thing; He is preparing a place for his disciples. He is preparing a place for you and me; there is comfort in that. But that doesn't mean there isn't a loss in that right? The disciples were worried, but they were comforted by Jesus. "I will come back," And he doesn't stop there. “I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where ." There is so much comfort in that promise. He will return. He will be back. quote of the week John 1:45-46

45 Philip went to find Nathanael. He said `We have found the man about whom wrote in the books of the law. The prophets also wrote about him. He is Jesus, from Nazareth. He is the son of .' 46 Nathanael said, `From Nazareth? Can any good thing come from there?' Philip said, `Come and see for yourself.' Come and See The Wilderness of Judea & the

END OF WEEK 1