“Come and See” 

In John 1: 29-34 John the Baptizer testifies that he “saw the Spirit descending [on Jesus] from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.” It was because of this that he was able to say, “Now I have seen for myself and have testified, ‘This is the Son of God.’” 

Can you give that same testimony? And give it because you have “seen for yourself” who Jesus is? When John the Evangelist bore witness to Jesus, he said: 

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life…. 

This is the only witness that is credible—to others or to ourselves. To those who want to know him, Jesus says,  

“Come and see.”  

“All right, fine. How do we do that?” 

Obviously, we have never seen Jesus in the flesh. And most of us have never had a vision like St. Paul (who also never saw Jesus in the flesh). But that doesn’t mean we haven’t seen him. And heard him. And been touched by him. 

What made Paul’s vision real on the road to Damascus was not the “bright light” or the “voice from heaven,” or even being struck blind. It was the gift of interior enlightenment. The Acts account does not even say Paul “saw” Jesus in a vision. But he met him, and he knew who he was, and he bore witness for the rest of his life to what he knew and felt and heard. We can encounter Jesus and know him in the same way. And his self-revelation to us does not have to be dramatic. (See Acts 9:3-9. And see Galatians 1:10-19.) 

The encounter with Jesus, and with the Father and Spirit, that we have in reading God’s words in Scripture is just as real as the encounter Paul had on the road to Damascus. And much more reliable than any private vision of him that we might experience. When God reveals himself to us this way, we are able to declare with certitude “what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes,” and been touched by in our hearts. We have seen, and we can testify, “This is the word of life.” 

If you don’t believe this, the Lord says, “Come and see.” Pick up the Bible and get absorbed in it. Give God’s words time to grow on you and grow in you. The day will come when you will have no doubt that you have been enlightened by God. Don’t expect it tomorrow but work for it today—and every day. You have to persevere until you know. 

“Called to be holy…”  

Does it shock you to hear that Jesus Christ—and the Father and Spirit—will speak to you personally through their inspired word? Does it shock you to hear Jesus saying in John’s Gospel, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them”? Or “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come”? These words were not meant just for the Twelve apostles; they were Christ’s parting promise to all who would be joined to him in grace.  

We know God as the One who created all things by his word, identified himself as the Word made flesh, and his “sheep” as those who “listen to my voice”; who urged us to “let my words abide in you,” spent his time on earth verbally “teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom,” and promised that although “heaven and earth pass away, my words will not pass away.” Why, then, do we insist on treating him as someone who does not want to communicate with us anymore? Why do we consider it a marvel when he does? 

In 1Corinthians 1: 1-3 Paul addressed the Christian community as “you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy.” Does that shock you? Do you think of yourself as “called to be holy”? As “sanctified”? But that is, literally, the Gospel truth of what you are. Why, then, should it surprise you to hear that God will speak to you through his words when you read them, give you the light you need to understand them, and the love you need to put them into practice?   

The Church teaches that the word of God enlightens the faithful through the working of the Holy Spirit, moves the heart and its desires toward conversion, and toward a life resplendent with both individual and community faith. 

Can God do that without talking to us!? 

Prayer Prompt: What do you know you have seen, heard, and felt from God in reading his word? To what do you look for peace, both in your heart and in your world? Or have you concluded that there is no use looking at all? Decide to make the word of God as much a part of your life as water, food, and air. Be as specific about your time for reading Scripture as you are about mealtimes.  

— Fr. David M. Knight

View today’s Mass readings, Lectionary #64, on the USCCB website here

Fr. David M. Knight (1931-2021) was a priest of the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee, a prolific writer, and a highly sought after confessor, spiritual director, and retreat master. He authored more than 40 books and hundreds of articles that focus primarily on lay spirituality and life-long spiritual growth.