December 20: Come and See
♫ Music:
Day 24 - Tuesday, December 20
Title: COME AND SEE
Scripture #1: John 1:43–49
Jesus found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Scripture #2: John 4:28–30
The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men,“Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
Poetry & Poet:
“Enoch”
by Jones Very
I looked to find a man who walked with God,
Like the translated patriarch of old;--
Though gladdened millions on His footstool trod,
Yet none with him did such sweet converse hold;
I heard the wind in low complaint go by
That none his melodies like him could hear;
Day unto day spoke wisdom from on high,
Yet none like David turned a willing ear;
God walked alone unhonored through the earth;
For Him no heart-built temple open stood,
The soul forgetful of her nobler birth
Had hewn him lofty shrines of stone and wood,
And left unfinished and in ruins still
The only temple he delights to fill.
COME AND SEE JESUS
The theme of this week’s devotions is “come and see.” Today, we read about three people, Philip, Nathaniel, and the Samaritan woman, each who encountered Jesus as they were going about their ordinary lives. Seemingly innocuous interactions with Jesus, as we read, were anything but ordinary. They were holy interruptions in which each of them came to Jesus was the Savior they had all heard about.
In addition to today’s focus passages, take some time to read the Samaritan woman’s full story in John 4:1-42.
The Samaritan woman was deep in a desperate life when we meet her in John’s narrative. Being an ethnic minority woman meant she likely encountered societal barriers similar to what many experience today. We also learn that she had been married several times. Due to common practice at the time, it’s not likely that she initiated divorce, so we are left not knowing if she was widowed or if her husband(s) had divorced her. Despite the reasons that led to her circumstances, not having a husband meant she was further marginalized in society. She was so alienated within her community that she was doing communal chores alone. I ache to think about how isolated she must have felt without meaningful connections in her community.
She doesn’t have connections;
she doesn’t have a husband;
she doesn’t even have a name.
Then Jesus talked with her. Because I know Jesus to be kind, I read his tone as gentle rather than condemning. He doesn’t respond to her brokenness with shame but instead compassionately draws her to himself. He offers her life.
Whereas she embodies desperation, loneliness, and shame. He embodies connection, hope, and redemption. And the result is a redeemed life. Not only does the Samaritan woman come to believe that Jesus is the Savior of the World, but she also understands that He is her savior; one who can radically change her life; one who can restore her.
As important as the salvific message is in this story, there is much more to glean from it. In this encounter, we get to see how Jesus restored a marginalized woman, how she went from a life of limited participation to one of full participation in Jesus’ work, and, how she helped transform an entire town of people, likely the same people who ostracized her. John shares the impact of her boldness in no uncertain terms: “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” (John 4:39)
Reflection:
Take a moment to reflect on Frank Murphy’s vibrant piece “Telling the Good News.” The Samaritan woman, once alienated from the same people she is talking to, is donned in an unabashed boldness and courageous resolve to tell others to come see Jesus.
Prayer:
God, thank you for interrupting my ordinary life.
Embolden me as I invite others to come and see you.
Show me how I can be a full participant in your work.
Amen
Dr. Jamie N. Sanchez
Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies
Chair of the Graduate Department and
Program Director for the Ph.D. and M.A. in the Intercultural Studies Program
Cook School of Intercultural Studies
Biola University
About the Artwork:
Telling the Good News
Frank Murphy
2009
Oil on canvas
48 x 36 in.
First Baptist Church of Dalton
Dalton, Georgia
About the Artist:
Frank Murphy is an American artist and sculptor. He attended the University of Montevallo in Alabama, where he began his studies as an art major, but later changed his major to physical education. After a period of serving in full-time ministry with students, Murphy returned to school at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he earned a M.Div. in Christian education. Afterwards, he accepted the position of minister to students at First Baptist Church in Rome, Georgia, where he has lived ever since. Though serving as pastor, Murphy continued his interest in art with hopes that his work would one day bring new light to familiar biblical narratives. Inspired by master artists like Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Velasquez, and Tintoretto, he is fond of using chiaroscuro—the use of strong contrasts between light and dark—to express his vision. He continues to serve in a student ministry capacity on a part-time basis as Baptist campus minister of Berry College and Georgia Highlands College.
https://www.frankmurphyfineart.com/
https://readv3.com/2019/12/frank-murphy-marble-hero/
About the Music:
“Come and See” from the album John: The Misunderstood Messiah
Lyrics:
Come and see
Come follow me
Back to the place where He is staying
And He'll not mind
For there you will find all that your faith has been waiting
Come and see
Come follow me
To a road where believing is seeing
There's work to do
And words of truth
To find in your heart for the speaking
Come and see
Come and see
Ooo ooo ooo
Come and see
Come and see
ooo oo oo oo ooo
Come see The Way, The Truth, and the Life
Come see The Light that is Living
Come now and see, how the truth sets you free
Come and live the life He is giving
Come and see
Come and see
Ooo ooo ooo
Come and see
Come and see
ooo oo oo oo ooo
Come and see
Come follow me
To a garden He's watered with weeping
Though shadows cling, the angels will sing
Of the promise He's painfully keeping
Come and see
Come and see
Ooo ooo ooo
ooo oo oo oo ooo
Come and see
Come and see
Ooo ooo ooo
ooo oo oo oo ooo
Come see the servant who's also a king
See on the cross He is reeling
He will provide, from the wound in his side,
Water and blood for our healing
Come see The Way, The Truth, and the Life
Come see The Light that is Living
Come now and see
How the truth sets you free
Come and live the life He is giving
Come and see
Come and see
Ooo ooo ooo
ooo oo oo oo ooo
Come and see
Come and see
Ooo ooo ooo
ooo oo oo oo ooo
Come and see
Come follow me
To the writer of parable pages
That fiery child, so angry and wild,
Now is enfeebled and aged
Come and see
Come and see
Ooo ooo ooo
ooo oo oo oo ooo
Come and see
Come and see
Ooo ooo ooo
ooo oo oo oo ooo
About the Performer/Composer:
In a career that spans over thirty years, Michael Card (b. 1957) has recorded over thirty-one music albums, authored or co-authored over twenty-four books, hosted a radio program, and written for a wide range of magazines. He has penned such favorite songs as “El Shaddai,” “Love Crucified Arose,” and “Immanuel.” He has sold over four million albums and written over nineteen number-one hits. Card’s original goal in life was to simply and quietly teach the Bible and proclaim Christ. Although music provided him the opportunity to share insight gained through his extensive scholarly research, he felt limited by having to condense the vast depth and richness of Scripture into three-minute songs. This prompted him to begin to write articles and books on topics that captured his imagination through conversations with Bible teachers, friends, and contemporaries in both Christian music and the academic community. Card travels frequently each year, teaching and sharing his music at Biblical Imagination Conferences, and facilitating the annual Life of Christ Tours to Israel.
https://www.michaelcard.com/
About the Poetry & Poet:
Jones Very (1813–1880) was an American poet, essayist, clergyman, and mystic associated with the American transcendentalism movement. He was known as a scholar of William Shakespeare and many of his poems were Shakespearean sonnets. Very became associated with Harvard University, first as an undergraduate, then as a student in the Harvard Divinity School, and as a tutor of Greek. He heavily studied epic poetry and was invited to lecture on the topic in his hometown, which drew the attention of Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was well-known and respected amongst the transcendentalists, though he had a mental breakdown early in his career, resulting in his eventual institutionalization. Very lived the majority of his life as a recluse, writing poetry only sparingly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jones_Very
Dr. Jamie N. Sanchez
Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies
Chair of the Graduate Department and
Program Director for the Ph.D. and M.A. in the Intercultural Studies Program
Cook School of Intercultural Studies
Biola University
Jamie N. Sanchez, Ph.D. has been at Biola University since 2016. She is Chair of the Graduate Department, Program Director for the Ph.D. and M.A. in Intercultural Studies Programs, and Associate Professor, all in the Cook School of Intercultural Studies. She was recently awarded a CCCU Research Grant focused on resilience in refugee women. When she’s not working, she can be found hiking her way through Southern California.