"Come and See" for Yourself
Month 2: The King Steps Forward · Heart Matters
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 1:43-46
43 The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
Memory Verse
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”— John 1:29 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Deuteronomy 1-4
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 48 of 365 — Moses begins his final words to Israel.)The Heart of It
Philip found his friend Nathanael bursting with news. "We have found Him! Jesus of Nazareth!" But Nathanael frowned. "Nazareth? Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" It was a small, unimpressive town. Nathanael had already decided nothing important could come from there. He had a wall up. Notice how Philip answered. He didn't argue, and he didn't get offended. He simply said, "Come and see." Philip knew the best cure for a doubting heart isn't winning a debate. It's meeting Jesus face to face.
That little phrase, "come and see," is one of the gentlest, wisest things in the whole Gospel. Faith in Jesus isn't a leap into the dark. It's a step toward the light. Nathanael could have stayed stuck in his assumptions. But he was honest enough to go and check. And when he met Jesus, every wall fell. Here's the heart matter for us. Each of us has to come and see for ourselves. Mom and Dad's faith can point the way, like Philip pointed. But no one can believe for you. The good news is that Jesus welcomes the curious and the doubting alike. He's not afraid of your honest questions. He just says, "Come close enough to really look."
Around the Table
Philip's friend wasn't sure about Jesus. So Philip said, "Come and see!" When you get close to Jesus, you find out how wonderful He really is.
Let's do it: Pretend to peek around a corner and say, "Come and see Jesus!" Then give a big happy gasp like you just saw something amazing.
Nathanael almost missed Jesus because he judged before he looked. Instead of arguing, Philip just invited him closer.
Let's talk: Have you ever decided you wouldn't like something, and then loved it once you tried it?
"Come and see" treats faith as something you can investigate, not just feel. Jesus isn't threatened by honest doubt; He invites it closer.
Let's go deeper: What's a real question you have about Jesus or the Bible? How could you "come and see" for an answer, and actually go look into it?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's the best way someone ever invited you to try something new — by arguing with you, or by just saying, "Come on, try it"? Why did that work?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Some people think Christianity asks you to "just believe" with your eyes closed. But Philip's invitation was "come and see." Jesus welcomes a good, honest look. Real faith looks at the evidence and then trusts. It isn't afraid of questions, because the truth holds up when you examine it.
For Dad · Go Deeper
There's deep parenting wisdom in Philip's restraint. He didn't try to bully Nathanael past his objection. He simply made an invitation and trusted the meeting with Jesus to do the rest. As fathers, we can be tempted to argue our kids into the kingdom, treating every doubt as a threat to crush. But faith is a real, free response. God draws people, and they genuinely respond. He doesn't force them. Your job is to keep the invitation warm and the path clear. Then let your children "come and see" at the pace their hearts can bear. Make your home a place where hard questions are safe to ask out loud. A question spoken in your living room is far safer than one buried in silence. And remember how Nathanael's "come and see" ended. It ended in worship (verse 49). Honest seeking, met by a real Jesus, leads home.
Draws on: Paul Little, Know Why You Believe; Os Guinness, God in the Dark.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that Jesus welcomes our honest questions and says, 'Come and see.' Help each of us to come close to Him for ourselves, and make our home a place where it's safe to seek and find. In Jesus' name, amen."
Jesus isn't afraid of my questions. He simply says, "Come and see." And the closer I look, the more real He becomes.