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
Mona oyo esalemaki ntango bato bakutanaki na Yesu.
Mokolo oyo elandaki, wana Yoane azalaki lisusu na esika yango elongo na bayekoli na ye mibale, amonaki Yesu koleka mpe alobaki : « Botala Mpate ya Nzambe ! » Lokola bayekoli nyonso mibale bayokaki ndenge Yoane alobaki, balandaki Yesu. Bongo tango Yesu abalukaki mpo na kotala na sima, amonaki bango mibale bazali kolanda Ye. Atunaki bango : — Bolingi nini ? Bazongisaki : — Rabi, ovandaka wapi ? Yesu azongiselaki bango : — Boya mpe bokomona. Balandaki Yesu, bamonaki esika oyo azalaki kovanda mpe bavandaki elongo na Ye na mokolo wana. Ezalaki na ngonga ya minei sima na midi. Andre, ndeko ya Simona Petelo, azalaki moko kati na bato wana mibale oyo bayokaki maloba ya Yoane mpe balandaki Yesu. Akendeki kokutana na Simona, ndeko na ye, mpe alobaki na ye : « Tomoni Masiya ! » Bongo amemaki Simona epai ya Yesu. Yesu atalaki Simona mpe alobaki : « Ozali Simona, mwana mobali ya Yoane ; kasi bakobanda kobenga yo Sefasi. » Mokolo oyo elandaki, Yesu azwaki mokano ya kokende na Galile. Na nzela, akutanaki na Filipo mpe alobaki na ye : « Landa Ngai. » Filipo, Andre mpe Petelo bazalaki bato ya engumba Betisaida. Filipo akutanaki na Natanaele mpe alobaki na ye : — Tomoni Yesu ya Nazareti, mwana mobali ya Jozefi, oyo Moyize alobela kati na buku ya Mobeko, mpe oyo basakoli balobela. Natanaele atunaki ye : — Boni, eloko ya malamu ekoki mpe kobima na Nazareti ? Filipo azongiselaki ye : — Yaka mpe okomona yo moko. Tango Yesu amonaki Natanaele koya epai na Ye, alobaki na tina na ye : — Tala moto ya Isalaele ya solo-solo oyo, kati na ye, lokuta ezali te ! Natanaele atunaki Ye : — Oyebi ngai ndenge nini ? Yesu azongiselaki ye : — Liboso ete Filipo abenga yo, wana ozalaki nanu na se ya nzete ya figi, namonaki yo. Natanaele alobaki : — Moteyi, ozali solo Mwana na Nzambe ; ozali penza Mokonzi ya Isalaele. Yesu alobaki na ye : — Ondimi kaka mpo ete nalobi na yo : Namonaki yo na se ya nzete ya figi ? Okomona lisusu makambo minene koleka oyo. Bongo alobaki lisusu : « Nazali koloba na bino penza ya solo : bokomona Likolo kofungwama, mpe ba-anjelu ya Nzambe komata mpe kokita mpo na Mwana na Moto. »
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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.
Kanisa na likambo oyo.
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?
