May 1 - See and be Seen
When Jesus began His public ministry, He was seen by many who had to make a decision on how to respond to who He is. When John the Baptist saw Him, he immediately declared that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Although he came before Jesus, Jesus ranked above him and was before him. John’s work was for Jesus to be revealed to Israel. He further bore witness that he saw the Holy Spirit descended from heaven and remained on Jesus and so Jesus was the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
John then directed two of his disciples to Jesus, asking them to behold the Lamb of God. The two wanted to see more clearly who Jesus was and asked to see where He was staying. So they went where Jesus was staying and they stayed with Him that day. One of the two was Andrew, who then went and told his brother Simon that he had seen the Messiah. The next day, Jesus called Philip to follow him. Philip in turn found Nathanael and told him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” When Nathanael had doubts, Philip just said, “Come and see.”
People need to see Jesus, the way is always through introduction of those who have already seen Jesus. This is bearing witness about Jesus so that others may also see Jesus. John the Baptist, Andrew, Philip and many others are witnesses so that those who have not known Jesus may see Him. Giving an invitation for others to see Jesus is evangelism. When we invite others to come and see Jesus, their lives would not be the same. A life changing experience always begins with an invitation to see.
The reason for life change is because of the power of Jesus to see into our lives. When He saw Simon, He immediately said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas (or Peter).” Giving Simon a new name is the same as giving him a new life. The old Simon was gone and the new person, Peter, had arrived. When Jesus saw Philip, He also issued a call for his life to follow Him. From that day on, Philip’s life was never the same. When Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree, he saw into his life and affirmed that he was a true Israelite. The future of his life would be so glorious as he will see the heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. In another words, Nathanael would see an open heaven, or God’s presence in his life.
Are you inviting others to “come and see”? Have you seen the Lord personally? Have you been seen by the Lord? If so, your life would never be the same. Have you been given a new life, a new direction for your life and a life of glory with His presence?
Ps 63:1-11 Judg 13:1-14:20 John 1:29-51 Prov 14:15-16