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
See what happened when people met Jesus.
Siku iliyofuata, Yohana alikuwa huko tena pamoja na wanafunzi wake wawili. Alipomwona Yesu akipita, akasema, “Tazama, Mwana-Kondoo wa Mungu!” Wale wanafunzi wawili walipomsikia Yohana akisema haya, wakamfuata Yesu. Yesu akageuka, akawaona wakimfuata akawauliza, “Mnataka nini?” Wakamwambia, “Rabi,” (maana yake Mwalimu), “Unaishi wapi?” Yesu akawajibu, “Njooni, nanyi mtapaona!” Hivyo wakaenda na kupaona mahali alipokuwa anaishi, wakakaa naye siku ile, kwa kuwa ilikuwa yapata saa kumi. Andrea nduguye Simoni Petro, alikuwa mmoja wa wale wawili waliosikia yale Yohana aliyokuwa amesema, naye ndiye alimfuata Yesu. Kitu cha kwanza Andrea alichofanya ni kumtafuta Simoni nduguye na kumwambia, “Tumemwona Masiya” (yaani, Kristo). Naye akamleta kwa Yesu. Yesu akamwangalia na kusema, “Wewe ni Simoni mwana wa Yohana. Utaitwa Kefa” (ambalo limetafsiriwa Petro). Siku iliyofuata Yesu aliamua kwenda Galilaya. Akamkuta Filipo, akamwambia, “Nifuate.” Basi Filipo alikuwa mwenyeji wa Bethsaida, mji alikotoka Andrea na Petro. Filipo naye akamkuta Nathanaeli na kumwambia, “Tumemwona yeye ambaye Mose aliandika habari zake katika Sheria na ambaye pia manabii waliandika kumhusu, yaani, Yesu wa Nazareti, mwana wa Yosefu.” Nathanaeli akauliza, “Nazareti! Je, kitu chochote chema chaweza kutoka Nazareti?” Filipo akamwambia, “Njoo uone.” Yesu alipomwona Nathanaeli anakaribia, akanena habari zake akasema, “Tazama huyu ni Mwisraeli kweli kweli; hana hila ndani yake.” Nathanaeli akamuuliza, “Umenifahamuje?” Yesu akamjibu, “Nilikuona ulipokuwa bado uko chini ya mtini, kabla hata Filipo hajakuita.” Nathanaeli akamwambia, “Rabi, wewe ni Mwana wa Mungu! Wewe ni Mfalme wa Israeli!” Yesu akamwambia, “Unaamini kwa kuwa nilikuambia nilikuona ulipokuwa bado uko chini ya mtini? Basi utaona mambo makuu zaidi kuliko hilo.” Ndipo akawaambia, “Amin, amin nawaambia, ninyi mtaona mbingu ikifunguka na malaika wa Mungu wakipanda na kushuka juu ya Mwana wa Adamu.”
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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.
Consider this.
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?
