John 1: Come and See, Evangelism Through a Simple Invitation

Introduction

One day, a friend invites Charlie to a conference. The problem is that it falls at the same time as his family vacation in the Lake District, in the north of England. So he asks a string of questions: Where is it? What will happen there? How many people are coming? What will they talk about? His friend answers none of them. He just makes a simple invitation: "Come and see." Charlie almost didn't go. He went, and it changed his life: that is where he met the woman who became his wife.

Charlie leads Alpha Youth for Europe and the Middle East. Invited to Citykyrkan Stockholm on the Sunday that closed an Alpha conference, he preaches in English, translated sentence by sentence into Swedish. The title of his message is just three words: "Come and See."

The text is John 1:35-51, the first disciples' encounter with Jesus. The preacher goes through it "piece by piece" to understand what was happening back then and to see how to apply it to our lives today.

Message outline

1. "Behold, the Lamb of God!"

John the Baptist is with two of his disciples. Jesus walks by, and John exclaims: "Behold, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36).
For us, in 2026, the phrase can sound strange. Everyone around him understood: Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for sin, the long-awaited Messiah, the one John had pointed to all his life.
Without hesitating, the two disciples start following Jesus.

2. "What are you looking for?"

Picture the scene: these two young men are literally walking behind Jesus on the road. He stops, turns around and asks them: "What are you looking for?" (John 1:38). These are the first words of Jesus recorded in John's Gospel.
He is speaking to two first-century Jews, but the question is universal and timeless. In one sentence, he touches the heart of the human condition. This morning, he asks it of you: what are you really looking for? What do you think will satisfy you?
We are all looking for something: success, comfort, freedom, influence, justice, happiness, certainty. "I'm not saying these things are bad." Many come from a good desire: to be known, loved, seen, to live with meaning.
The tragedy of our secular age is that we have been sold a lie: that we could get all of this without God. But without him, we only get versions of it. We climb the ladder of success without ever getting high enough. We look for comfort, and life hits hard anyway. We chase freedom and get lost in it. We look for justice, and end up "canceling" people.
Maybe you have known that moment, late at night, when the noise dies down and you are alone in your room: "Is that all? There must be more to life than this." Jesus looks into that inner restlessness and asks: "What are you looking for?"
We were created for far more than the secular age can offer: to be with Jesus. Instead of the world's comfort, he offers eternal peace. Instead of influence, a purpose in his kingdom. Instead of passing happiness, deep and lasting joy. Instead of the certainty of answers, trust in a person.
"What we seek shapes us." So the question is twofold: what are you looking for, and where are you looking for it?

3. "Come, and see": staying with Jesus

The disciples aren't sure what to answer: "Rabbi, where are you staying?" For the preacher, they are so excited that the Messiah is here that they just want to be near him. An awkward "Could we drop by your place?"
He smiles: it's his worst nightmare. The apartment is a mess, there's nothing to eat, and his wife is inviting people over.
Jesus, for his part, doesn't put them off. He doesn't say: "Come by tomorrow, I'm not quite ready." He gives himself and extends an open, gentle and deep invitation: "Come, and see" (John 1:39).
The invitation is both literal and spiritual. He invites them to his home, but above all into a relationship. The proof: they spend the whole day with him. The preacher imagines them laughing with him, listening to him, watching him, asking him lots of questions, lingering near him.
The most powerful thing we can do with our lives is to be with Jesus. Maybe we have become too busy to notice. To be where he is, listen to him, watch what he does, ask him questions, learn from him, remain in him.
There is a beautiful promise: when we remain in him, he remains in us (John 15:4). And real life is found there.

4. Andrew brings his brother to Jesus

After just one day with Jesus, Andrew is so marked by it that he runs to find his brother Simon: "We have found the Messiah!" And he brings him to Jesus (John 1:41-42). "He didn't just talk about Jesus. He brought him to Jesus."
Jesus looks at Simon and says: "You are Simon... You shall be called Cephas," that is, Peter, the rock. Jesus already announces his role as a pillar of the Church. He sees Simon's potential long before Simon sees it in himself, and in an instant he restores his identity.
This is what happens when we meet Jesus: he gives us back our true identity. We no longer need to define ourselves by our past, our personality or our preferences.
The preacher admits it: it is very easy for him to "write people off," to think they will never believe, that they are too far gone in an ideology. Maybe a name comes to your mind. But as with Andrew and Simon, your invitation could unlock someone's transformation. Maybe nothing. Maybe something.
Some people, without your knowing it, would love for you to say a little more. They know you are a Christian, they are curious. But for fear of being "the preachy Christian," we end up saying nothing at all.
Yet the people around us are open to almost anything, including Jesus, especially the younger generation: "They are literally called the open generation." The question turns back to us: are we, as a church, open with our faith and with our invitations?
And we are not alone. The power of the Holy Spirit lives in you. You don't have to transform anyone, or convince, or argue. "Relax," lean on him, and just be a little more open in your invitations. "No pressure."

5. "Come and see": evangelism without a degree

The next day, Jesus finds Philip and says to him: "Follow me" (John 1:43). Philip in turn finds his friend Nathanael: "We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth."
Nathanael is skeptical: "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). In other words: are you sure? That guy, the Messiah? He has questions, doubts, preconceived ideas.
"I love what Philip does." He doesn't argue, he doesn't debate, he doesn't launch into a defense of Nazareth. He makes a simple invitation: "Come and see."
When he was younger, Charlie was terrified of the word evangelism. What if someone asked him a question he couldn't answer? He was afraid of ruining everything, of sabotaging someone's path to Jesus, especially since he had questions of his own.
Philip's answer set him free: "That's evangelism." You don't need a degree in apologetics to share your faith. You can invite people to come and see: come to Alpha, a place where you can ask your questions, and there's a meal; come have dinner with my family; come to church; come meet Jesus.
Many people don't need an argument or a debate. They see enough of that in the world right now, and it is exhausting. What people need is a friend willing to walk with them into the presence of Jesus. That big, scary word, evangelism, can be as simple as an invitation.

6. Jesus sees you under the fig tree

As Nathanael approaches, Jesus says of him: "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" (John 1:47). Astonished, Nathanael asks: "How do you know me?" Jesus answers: "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."
These words strike him like lightning. The preacher stays cautious: we don't know whether Jesus saw him physically or spiritually, nor what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree (was he crying, praying, wrestling with questions?), nor what the fig tree represents. But we do know it meant a great deal to him.
For Nathanael the skeptic becomes Nathanael the believer: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!" (John 1:49). And Jesus adds: "You will see greater things than these."
This is the Jesus we follow. He sees you long before you see him. He knows your pain, your prayers, your questions. He sees the real you, and he still wants you, close to him, where real life is found.

7. A chain of encounters

Looking back, this passage is wonderfully simple: it is a chain of encounters. One person meets Jesus, their life is transformed, they bring someone else to Jesus, whose life is transformed in turn, and so on.
This is how the story of the Church began, and this is how it continues today. "No clever strategies. Just an invitation: come and see."
This text is not just a moment in history. It really happened, but it is also an invitation for us, coming from the living Word of God: for those who doubt, for those who have followed Jesus for years, for those who have disqualified themselves and for those who have written someone else off.
"Come and see that there is more to life than chasing status. Come and see the one who sees you and still wants you. Come and see what happens when you stay close to Jesus, even in the midst of uncertainty."
And maybe this week, someone will ask you a question about church, about your faith or about Alpha. You will be able to answer: "Come and see."
In the closing prayer, Charlie invites two groups of people to come forward for prayer: those who recognized themselves in the lie of life without God and want to take a step toward Jesus, and those who have "written off" a family member, a coworker or a friend, especially when it comes to atheism, thinking they would never come to church or to Alpha.

Key takeaways

The first question of Jesus in John's Gospel is: "What are you looking for?" What you seek shapes you, and without God you only get versions of it.
Jesus doesn't just answer: he invites you into a relationship. The most powerful thing to do with your life is to be with him.
Jesus sees people's potential and true identity long before they do. Don't write anyone off: your invitation could unlock a transformation.
Sharing your faith doesn't require having all the answers. Like Philip, you can simply say: "Come and see."
Jesus sees you before you see him, and he still wants you. The Church moves forward this way, from encounter to encounter.

Personal application

If Jesus asked you this morning "What are you looking for?", what would you honestly answer, and where are you looking for it?
Have you become too busy to spend time with Jesus? What time can you set aside this week to listen to him and remain in him?
Who have you inwardly "written off," thinking they would never be interested in Jesus?
Who could you concretely invite this week: to church, to a meal at your home, to an Alpha course?
What holds you back from talking about your faith: the fear of not knowing how to answer, or of seeming preachy? How does relying on the Holy Spirit change things?

Verses cited

Frequently asked questions

What does Jesus' question "What are you looking for?" mean in John 1:38?

These are the first words of Jesus recorded in John's Gospel. For the preacher, it is a universal question that touches the heart of the human condition: we are all looking for something, success, comfort, freedom, happiness, and what we seek shapes us. Without God, we only get versions of these things. We were created to be with Jesus.

Do you need to know everything to share your faith?

No. When Nathanael doubts that anything good can come out of Nazareth, Philip doesn't debate: he says "Come and see" (John 1:46). The preacher, who was afraid of the word evangelism, draws this lesson from it: you don't need a degree in apologetics, you just need to invite people to come and see, at church, at a meal or at an Alpha course.

What does the fig tree mean in the encounter between Jesus and Nathanael?

The text doesn't say, and the preacher acknowledges that we don't know what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree. But these words overwhelm him: the skeptic becomes a believer and confesses "you are the Son of God." The message to take away: Jesus sees you before you see him, he knows your pain, your prayers and your questions, and he still wants you.