Come and See - Abide With Me

2nd Sunday after Epiphany

*When looking at the original Greek, I noticed a word that was repeated over and over again in the Gospel reading of the day – μενω. This can be translated as “remain, stay, abide, live, dwell” and the NRSV picks a different word almost every time it appears here.. but I have taken the liberty of translating it consistently throughout this passage as abide.

John 1:29-42

The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and declared,

“Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified,

“I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abided with him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and abide in is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that THIS IS the Son of God.” The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”

The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you abiding?” Jesus said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was abiding, and they abided with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.

One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I find parts of this story in the gospel of John to be a bit humorous. Once again we are introduced to

John the Baptist who is the prophet that witnesses and points to Jesus as the Messiah. Then John’s disciples begin to follow Jesus.. and not in the way that we as “followers of Jesus” follow Jesus, but they literally began to follow Jesus around until the point that he stops.. turns to look at them and asks, “What are you looking for?!” This must have been a startling experience for them because all they could muster to say is, uh… “where are you staying?” To which Jesus extends them the invitation to ‘come and see.’ I’m sure as they were on their way to where Jesus was staying they were walking behind him, kicking themselves like, “Jesus finally noticed ME and all I could say was ‘where are you staying!?’ Uhh, I can’t believe how LAME I am!”

None the less they got to spend the day with Jesus. We aren’t told what they did or what they talked about, just that Jesus invited them to abide with him and they spent the day together. Whatever it is that happened though convinced them that, just as John said, THIS was in fact the Messiah. One of the disciples, Andrew, was so convinced that he went and found his brother Simon to bring him to the Messiah. Jesus took ONE look at Simon and gave him a new name, “You are to be called Cephas” (which means Peter.. which means rock).

What was it that happened that day, abiding with Jesus, that these men came to be so confident in him? SO confident they’re willing to change their name? “Oh my name is Peter now? Okay. Sure. Cool. Whatever you want to call me Jesus.” That’s not normal behavior. But.. Jesus wasn’t a normal guy, was he?.. He was different.. special.. to experience him was to be transformed. Simon changing his name to Peter was merely a first step in his transformation to becoming one of the greatest disciples; the rock on which Christ chooses to build his church.. the disciple whom Christ gives ‘the keys to the kingdom,’ (Matt. 16:18-19). So again I wonder.. what happened that day, abiding with Jesus?..

The question Jesus posed to the disciples has been haunting me all week as I pondered this text, “What are you looking for?”

What are YOU looking for?

The way I read the story, with the disciples fumbling over their words, searching for something to say and coming up with ‘Where are you staying?’ may be humorous, but perhaps they fumbled upon just the right question after all.

For isn’t that what we’re actually all looking for anyways?

To abide with God?..

And Jesus says the most remarkable thing.. ‘Come and see.. come and abide with me.’

These disciples could have answered Jesus a million ways.. What were they looking for? They were looking for the Messiah! The Savior! The one who would change life as they knew it! They lived under Roman occupation, which is to say, they weren’t slaves, but they certainly weren’t free. As Jews they lived as a minority in a pagan world. The gospels of Matthew and Mark tell us that Andrew and his brother Simon Peter were fisherman, they were not high in economic class. They were working men with dirty hands and most likely didn’t even know how to read or write. They heard from John the Baptist that someone was coming who would bring light to the darkness they had known and that is exactly what they were looking for. They were looking to abide in a God who would bring them hope, peace, and joy and turn the world upside down.

Dare I say.. not much has changed..

Aren’t we still looking for the same thing?..

When you show up to worship on Sunday mornings, you’re not showing up for the pastor, or for the music, or for entertainment, but rather you’re showing up for God. God is the main audience in your worship, the center of attention, and that very same God you came to worship turns to you and asks, “What are you looking for?”

Perhaps it doesn’t matter what we say, for God’s answer will always be, “Ahh, I see.. Come. Abide with me.”

Even if we come to Christ looking for all the wrong things, none-the-less Christ invites us to come and abide with God. And in that abiding.. in that time spent with Jesus, we are transformed.

Even if we were to answer Jesus, ‘I am looking to get rich!’ (Perhaps with a chuckle) Jesus will inevitably reply, ‘Ahh, yes child, I see.. Come and abide with me and I will teach you what it means to be rich.’ And in that encounter God will teach us what it means to be rich.. rich in love.. rich in grace.. rich in peace.

For when we abide in Christ, we are transformed.

Perhaps the worst reply we could give when Jesus asks us ‘What are you looking for?’ is to say, ‘Oh nothing, I’m good, Jesus. Alllll good here. I don’t need a thing.’ And we Americans.. we’re pretty good at that, huh? Being independent is part of our DNA! We are raised to believe that we can do it all ourselves, or at least we should be able to! If we can’t do it ourselves we’re called failures. To need something or someone is frowned upon and we heap shame upon so called ‘needy’ people, digging their internal hole of shame deeper and deeper as we rid them with guilt and feelings of being a burden. Yet they still shout up to Jesus from the pit of despair, ‘All good here, Jesus! I don’t need a thing!’ because that’s what we have taught them to do..

It’s funny that we think God doesn’t know.. that we think God can’t see right through us.. that we imagine God outside of that hole, while in reality God is right there in it, abiding with us every step of the way. We can put up that road block, stop Jesus in his tracks, ‘No I’m not looking for anything,’ but God has always been and always will be in the business of breaking down barriers. Not only between human and God, but also between human and human.

Jesus is the lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world.

To take away the sin of the world, is to take away your sin and all the shame and guilt and pain that goes with it..

Why then do we so often shame one another?

Why then, so often, do we bury our shame and guilt in the pit of our stomachs and pretend it’s not affecting us? Pretend like we’re not looking for a savior to release us from that bondage?

What are we gaining out of that?

Friends, that is our path to death.

What do we have to lose by admitting our need for God and one another?

Our dignity?

Who told you that!?

Society?!

Society says you have lost your dignity when you ask for help, but Jesus says ‘abide with me and I will give you life.’

Jesus came so that you might have life and have life abundantly (John 10:10). There are always going to be things that get in the way of that, things or people that trip you up and seem to bring you more death than life, but when you’re looking for a way out, look no further than Jesus.. who is always abiding with you, living in you, waiting.. waiting to offer that invitation for you to in-turn abide in him and be transformed.

Come and see.

Come and abide with Christ, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Matthew 11:30).

Come and rest in the arms of Jesus.

In him there is life.

In him you are home.

Amen.

Hymn Abide With Me:

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;

When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see— O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour; What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's pow'r? Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless; Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness; Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes; Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies; Heav'n's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

(Lyrics written by: Henry F. Lyte)