This Sunday's Text is NOT an Evangelism Text

 Behold the Lamb of God,  Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

It's probably too late for you over achievers who have written your sermons already, but please don't grab unthinkingly on "Come and See" and turn your sermon into a rally to encourage people to "get people to come to church to Come and See"  That is NOT what is going on in the text.

If you are all excited about "Come and See" as an evangelism text then you have to wait until  a few verses later when PHILIP says it to Nathaniel after he wonders what is so special about someone from Nazareth. (John 1:46)

In this Sunday's text "Come and see" is JESUS' answer to the question, "Where are you staying?"

Now I grouse about John a lot because I am a plain speaker and I don't care for all the riddles and double speak and layers of meaning that you must plow through in John.  In other words I'm lazy and John makes me work.  To just jump to "Okay everyone just tell your friends to 'come and see!'"  is REALLY lazy.

What is going on here?  Who cares where Jesus is staying?  The people in the pews care.  They want to know where Jesus is.  

Where is Jesus in a world where a mentally tortured man gets out of a taxi and shoots up a bunch of people in front of a safeway.  

Where is Jesus in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti where women are still being raped every day in the refugee camps and police have given up trying to stop it?

Where is Jesus  in the home of the single mother who is trying to decide to pay the mortgage or pay the heating bill?  Where is Jesus for the parents who see their son going through a divorce and don't know how to comfort him?  

"Come and See"  JESUS answers OUR question.  And the answer is he's right here, in the midst of the pain and suffering.  And we are invited to stay with him where he is.  Here.

Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.


Preach THAT.