Two Men Follow Jesus and Ask to Stay
Welcome to Day 11 of our journey with Jesus. Today, we see what happened when people met Jesus. The main truth for today is this: Jesus invites people who have heard about him to come and spend time with him. Let’s begin.
Current details of the journeyView the calendar, Episode and passage
Jesus in Action
John 1:35–51
Step 1 of 5
- Giorno 11 Incontrare È qui
- Giorno 12 Ascoltare
- Giorno 13 Scoprire
- Giorno 14 Interrogarsi
- Giorno 15 Rispondere
Scopra cosa è successo quando le persone hanno incontrato Gesù.
IL giorno seguente, Giovanni di nuovo si fermò, con due de' suoi discepoli. Ed avendo riguardato in faccia Gesù che camminava, disse: Ecco l'Agnello di Dio. E i due discepoli l'udirono parlare, e seguitarono Gesù. E Gesù, rivoltosi, e veggendo che lo seguitavano, disse loro: Che cercate? Ed essi gli dissero: Rabbi (il che, interpretato, vuol dire: Maestro), dove dimori? Egli disse loro: Venite, e vedetelo. Essi adunque andarono, e videro ove egli dimorava, e stettero presso di lui quel giorno. Or era intorno le dieci ore. Andrea, fratello di Simon Pietro, era uno de' due, che aveano udito quel ragionamento da Giovanni, ed avean seguitato Gesù. Costui trovò il primo il suo fratello Simone, e gli disse: Noi abbiam trovato il Messia; il che, interpretato, vuol dire: Il Cristo; e lo menò da Gesù. E Gesù, riguardatolo in faccia, disse: Tu sei Simone, figliuol di Giona; tu sarai chiamato Cefa, che vuol dire: Pietra. Il giorno seguente, Gesù volle andare in Galilea, e trovò Filippo, e gli disse: Seguitami. Or Filippo era da Betsaida, della città d'Andrea e di Pietro. Filippo trovò Natanaele, e gli disse: Noi abbiam trovato colui, del quale Mosè nella legge, ed i profeti hanno scritto; che è Gesù, figliuol di Giuseppe, che è da Nazaret. E Natanaele gli disse: Può egli esservi bene alcuno da Nazaret? Filippo gli disse: Vieni, e vedi. Gesù vide venir Natanaele a sè, e disse di lui: Ecco veramente un Israelita, nel quale non vi è frode alcuna. Natanaele gli disse: Onde mi conosci? Gesù rispose, e gli disse: Avanti che Filippo ti chiamasse, quando tu eri sotto il fico, io ti vedeva. Natanaele rispose, e gli disse: Maestro, tu sei il Figliuol di Dio; tu sei il Re d'Israele. Gesù rispose, e gli disse: Perciocchè io ti ho detto ch'io ti vedeva sotto il fico, tu credi; tu vedrai cose maggiori di queste. Poi gli disse: In verità, in verità, io vi dico, che da ora innanzi voi vedrete il cielo aperto, e gli angeli di Dio salienti, e discendenti sopra il Figliuol dell'uomo.
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John the Baptist saw Jesus passing by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” Two disciples heard him and began following Jesus.
Watch: An invitation from Jesus: Come and See
Watch the companion video, then continue reading to examine the biblical testimony in its full context.
Jesus turned and asked the first words attributed to Him in John’s Gospel: “What are you seeking?”
They answered with a question about where He was staying. Jesus replied, “Come and you will see.”
Testimony Points Beyond Itself.
The disciples first learned about Jesus through another witness. John’s testimony mattered, but John did not gather followers around himself. He directed them toward Jesus.
Healthy testimony does the same. It can identify, invite, and bear witness, but it cannot replace encounter. The goal is not permanent dependence upon what someone else says about Jesus. The goal is to hear Him.
Jesus Asks What They Seek.
Jesus’ question reaches beneath outward movement. People approach Him for many reasons: curiosity, relief, argument, belonging, healing, knowledge, forgiveness, or life. He does not treat motives as irrelevant.
“What are you seeking?” is a fitting question near the beginning of this journey. Are you seeking confirmation of what you already believe? Evidence for dismissing Jesus? A spiritual experience? A solution to one immediate problem? Or truth, even if the truth overturns your present categories?
An Invitation Open to Examination.
Jesus does not tell the two disciples to believe without looking. He invites them to come, see, and spend time with Him. John says they remained with Jesus that day.
The invitation is simple but demanding. You cannot examine Jesus while always keeping Him outside your attention. You must remain long enough to listen, observe, question, and allow the evidence to accumulate.
Andrew emerged from that day convinced that they had found the Messiah. He immediately brought his brother Simon to Jesus. The encounter began with testimony, moved through investigation, and produced witness.
The Journey’s Invitation.
You are not being asked to trust an algorithm or accept a slogan. You are invited to walk through the Gospel witness carefully. Some questions will not be resolved in a single day. Some assumptions may resist correction. Continue anyway.
Jesus’ invitation remains: Come and see.
Seeing Requires Time.
A hurried glance can confirm almost any prejudice. The first disciples stayed with Jesus. In the chapters ahead, they will see signs, hear difficult teachings, witness compassion, misunderstand His mission, watch Him die, and encounter Him alive. “Come and see” is therefore not an invitation to one impressive moment. It is permission—and a summons—to keep looking until the whole Gospel testimony has been heard.
Rifletta su questo.
Are you willing to examine Jesus directly, or have you allowed assumptions to end the investigation before it begins?
Notice the encounter
Accept the invitation to “come and see” by reading John 1:35–51 without rushing past what each person discovers about Jesus.
What This Means for Your Life.
Jesus does not shame honest questions. In John 1:35–51, He receives people who begin with someone else’s testimony, then invites them to stay, observe, and decide for themselves. That matters if you are curious, cautious, or even skeptical: Christianity is not built on a slogan, but on a claim about a real person who can be examined.
The deeper question Jesus asks is not only, “Do you know the facts?” but, “What are you seeking?” If you are looking for proof that fits your current assumptions, you may stop too soon. If you are open to truth, even when it unsettles you, then His invitation is still open: come and see.
One way to respond today is to read John 1:35–51 slowly, maybe more than once, and note what each person learns about Jesus. Ask yourself where your own search is leading: toward control, comfort, relief, or the truth itself. You do not need to pretend certainty you do not have. You do need enough honesty to keep looking.
Reflection question: What would change if you treated Jesus as someone to be honestly examined, not merely agreed with or dismissed?
