Reflections on Come and See from John 1:35-51.
The Four Sentence Story on Come and See
The Four Sentence Story is a memory pattern that can be used for preaching, teaching, and storytelling without notes. Every story can be broken down into four parts. The setting, tension, resolution, and through line. Memorize these four parts, add your own creativity into the mix, and then watch the story unfold.
(setting) Two of John’s followers see that Jesus, God in the flesh, has arrived and acknowledge him as Teacher.
(tension) They ask Jesus where he is staying not knowing the incredible journey they were about to embark on.
(resolution) Come, and you will see what happens when God enters the world.
(through line) Come, and you will see.
Storyline Commentary on John 1:35-51
Every story can be broken down into a few parts. The setting, where the story takes place and why it might be important. The characters and their emotions and thoughts invested in the story. A tension that needs resolved. A resolution that brings us through the tension, and a through line (aka main idea) that carries the story through from beginning to end.
The Setting John the Baptist was with two of his followers when Jesus shows up, and John tells his two disciple to look, the Lamb of God.
The Characters
- John the Baptist, an eccentric man wholly devoted to pointing others towards Jesus
- Jesus, the Lamb of God, a title foreshadowing the sacrifice that Jesus would make because of his love for the world
- John’s two disciples who leave John to follow Jesus, just as John would have wanted, a leadership lesson for Christian’s to learn.
- Andrew, one of the two disciples, who goes and gets his brother Simon Peter
- Simon Peter, who Jesus nicknames Cephas, the rock, the one upon Jesus would build his church and even the gates of Hell wouldn’t prevail against it.
- Philip, from the same hometown as Andrew and Simon
- Nathanael, whose name means God has given, the one who questions if anything good can come from Nazareth and Jesus tells him, come and see.
The Tension There’s this beautiful tension that we know on the end of this story. A couple of John’s followers ask Jesus where he is staying. Jesus tells them, come and you will see. They weren’t being invited to just physically see where Jesus was staying, but they were being invited to see what happens when God enters the world.
The Resolution The disciples would see water turned into wine, the miraculous feeding of the 5000, the lame being able to walk again, the blind being able to see, and even death itself stripped of it’s power as Jesus would bring the dead back to life.
The Through Line Come and you will see, words loaded with life.
Prayer
How does this story help us pray to align ourselves with God?
Come and you will see, words loaded with life. Jesus as you extend that same invitation to us, help us to see what you want us to see. Help us to see your work all around us. Help us to acknowledge the miraculous. Help us to see you overtaking death with life.
Reflections on Come and See
What does this story tell us about God? Jesus is the God who enters the world and invites us to come and see. To come and see death being overtaken by life.
What does this story tell us about humanity? We all want truth, but not some half baked, half packaged version of it. We want a truth where death is overcome by life.
What is true for them then that is still true for us today? Jesus is still the Teacher. Jesus still invites us to come and see. We need to have courage to ask Jesus where he is staying in anticipation of seeing the resurrection work of Jesus.
Where is the Gospel/Good News in this story? We don’t have to be special in order for Jesus to notice us. Jesus consistently goes to the least likely of places, the least likely of people, often those that society shuns and invites them into something greater.
How does this story help us love God? There could be no better invitation than Jesus wanting us to see his work. How incredible is that Jesus invites us into him making all things new again, into his way of resurrection and love.
How does this story help us love people? Scripture is full of Jesus encounters where Jesus doesn’t see people for what others say about them, but for who he made them to be, treasured children of the most high God.