Come and See the Glory

📖 John 1:43–51 & John 2:1–12
Grace Journal Series – Written by Erica W.

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
— John 1:46

“Do whatever He tells you.”
— John 2:5

These two moments couldn’t seem more different — a skeptical comment under a fig tree and a quiet miracle at a wedding — but they reveal the same truth:

Jesus shows up where people least expect Him.
And when He does, everything changes.

📖 Section 1: Under the Fig Tree – John 1:43–51

Jesus finds Philip. Philip finds Nathanael.
And Nathanael… well, he’s not impressed.

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

It’s a question loaded with assumptions — about places, people, and possibilities. But Philip doesn’t argue. He simply says:

“Come and see.”

That invitation carries power. Because when Nathanael comes near, Jesus speaks straight to his heart:

“Before Philip called you, I saw you… under the fig tree.”

✍🏽 Note:

That part right there stopped me.
Jesus saw him before he even knew to look for Jesus.
How many times has He seen me when I felt overlooked or invisible?

And Nathanael’s heart opened instantly. Doubt turned into worship.
“Rabbi, You are the Son of God…”

💭 Reflection:

God sees us — not just physically, but prophetically. He sees our rawness, our questions, our hiding places… and still calls us.

Jesus didn't rebuke Nathanael’s doubts. He revealed Himself in them.

🛐 Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, thank You for seeing me even when I don’t see You. Help me not to dismiss where You’re working just because it doesn’t look the way I expected.
Open my eyes to behold You in the ordinary.

📖 Section 2: The Wedding at Cana – John 2:1–12

Jesus attends a wedding. Not a temple. Not a throne room. A wedding.

The wine runs out — a quiet crisis.
Mary leans in with trust that only a mother could carry.
She doesn’t beg. She doesn’t pressure. She just turns to the servants and says:

“Do whatever He tells you.”

That’s the faith that moves heaven.

Jesus tells them to fill jars with water. Nothing fancy. No stage lights. Just obedience.
And in that ordinary act, a miracle unfolds:
Water turns to wine. Quietly. Abundantly. First-class.

✍🏽 Note:

What moved me was how Jesus didn’t make a scene. He moved behind the scenes: no announcement, no spectacle — just transformation.

It reminded me: miracles don’t always look miraculous in the moment. But they always leave a mark.

💭 Reflection:

Jesus still turns water into wine today — not just in bottles, but in hearts, homes, and hopeless situations.
But the miracle begins with trust:
“Do whatever He tells you.”

🛐 Prayer Prompt:

Lord, I trust You with the things that have “run out” in my life. Joy. Strength. Patience. Direction. Fill the empty spaces, and turn the ordinary into something new.
Help me to obey — even when it doesn’t make sense.

📓 Journal Prompt:

• What have I dismissed as “too ordinary” for God to use?

• Have I been more skeptical than surrendered lately?

• What does “do whatever He tells you” look like in my life this week?

🌿 Final Whisper:

Jesus is still calling.
Still seeing.
Still turning empty things into something beautiful.

All He asks is that we come near… and do whatever He tells us.

John 1:19–42 – Who Are You, Really?

📖 Scripture Focus: John 1:19–42

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
— John 1:29

This chapter of John stirred something deep in me.

It reminded me how loud the world can be when it’s trying to define you… and how quiet you have to become to hear who God says you are. This passage isn’t just about John the Baptist preparing the way — it’s about identity, calling, and the courage to point others to Christ when the spotlight wants to land on you.

📖 Section 1: The Question of Identity (vv. 19–23)

The priests and Levites came straight to John and asked:
“Who are you?”

He could’ve said a lot. He was known. He had a following. But his answer?

“I am not the Christ.”
“I am not Elijah.”
“I am not the Prophet.”

And finally — when pressed — he said:

“I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord.”

No titles. No need to impress.
Just obedience.

💭 Reflection:

John didn’t define himself by his family name, his reputation, or public opinion. He didn’t grasp for validation. He defined himself by his purpose: a voice, not a name.

And that spoke so deeply to me.

We live in a world obsessed with personal branding, titles, and making a name — but in the kingdom, the goal is to make His name known.

✅ Knowing who you’re not is just as important as knowing who you are.
✅ Your assignment doesn’t require applause — just obedience.

✍🏽 Note:

“John’s humility and understanding of his purpose really struck me. He didn’t let others hype him up or call him something God didn’t. He knew his lane — and he stayed faithful in it.”

“Sometimes the most anointed thing we can do is stay in position. Not be the main character… just the voice that prepares the way.”

🛐 Prayer Prompt:

Lord, help me be content being a voice for You — not a name for myself. Strip away every false label. Make me bold in purpose, steady in humility, and faithful to the call You’ve placed on my life.

📖 Section 2: Behold the Lamb (vv. 29–34)

The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said:

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

He didn’t introduce Him as “Jesus of Nazareth” or “my cousin.”
He spoke of His assignment — the Lamb sent to carry the sin of the world.

And then John said something that paused me in my spirit:

“I did not know Him…” (v. 31)

This is his own family. They likely crossed paths growing up.
But John still had to wait on the Spirit to reveal who Jesus really was.

✍🏽 Note:

“That humbled me. Sometimes we’re around Jesus — even in His presence, even doing His work — and still don’t fully know Him.
John was faithful to his assignment before the revelation came.”

“And because he didn’t chase a title, he was in position to see the truth clearly — and declare it boldly:
‘Behold the Lamb of God!’”

💭 Reflection:

Sometimes we want clarity before obedience…
But what if obedience is the road to clarity?

John stayed the course — baptizing, preparing, watching.
And when the Spirit descended like a dove, he knew.
That was the Lamb.
That was the One.

🛐 Prayer Prompt:

Lord, help me stay faithful while I wait.
Let my heart be soft enough to behold You when You pass by — even if I’ve seen You before.
Reveal more of Yourself to me.
I don’t want to just serve You — I want to know You.

📖 Section 3: Come and See (vv. 35–42)

The very next day, John pointed to Jesus again. This time, two of his own disciples followed Him.
Jesus turned and asked the question that still echoes in our hearts today:

“What are you seeking?” (v. 38)

They didn’t respond with theology.
They didn’t ask for signs.
They just said: “Where are You staying?”

They wanted to be near Him.
And Jesus simply replied: “Come and see.”

💭 Reflection:

That’s how it starts. Not with qualifications. Not with credentials. Just curiosity. They came and saw — and never turned back. One of them, Andrew, went and got his brother Simon. And when Jesus saw Simon, He called out something beyond what Simon knew about himself.

“You shall be called Cephas (Peter)”
— The Rock.

Before Peter ever preached. Before he failed. Before he followed —
Jesus saw the rock inside the man.

✍🏽 Grace Journal Note from Erica:

“There’s something so beautiful about how this all unfolds. John didn’t cling to his disciples. He let them go. And Jesus welcomed them without a résumé.
He just said, Come. And from there, a movement began.”

🛐 Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, I want to be near You — not for blessings, but because You’re worthy. Let me be the one who comes, who sees, who stays. Reveal who I really am — not who the world says, but who You call me to be.

📓 Journal Prompt:

Ask the Lord honestly:
“What am I truly seeking from You right now?”
Write down what comes up.
Then ask Him:
“What do You see in me that I don’t yet see?”

Sit quietly, and listen. The answer may change your life.

🌿 Final Whisper

You don’t need a spotlight to fulfill your calling.
You just need obedience, humility, and eyes to see the Lamb when He passes by.

Stay in position.
Speak when He tells you to.
And always — always — point to Jesus.

John 1:1–18 — The Light That Came Close

Series: The Word Made Known – A Journey Through John

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
— John 1:1 (NIV)

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,
to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
— John 1:12–13 (NKJV)

🌿 Why “The Light That Came Close”?

John opens his gospel with divine weight — not with a manger, but with eternity.
Jesus is the Word, eternal and creative, not just present at the beginning… but the beginning itself.

But He’s also called the Light:

• “In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” (v.4)

• “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (v.5)

• “The true Light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” (v.9)

And in verse 14, that Light did something unimaginable:

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us…”

God didn’t stay distant.
The Light came close.

That’s why this entry bears this name — because it reflects what Jesus did: He entered the world He created, not to condemn it, but to illuminate it… and to draw near to us in love, truth, and grace.

🕊️ Full Reflection:

Jesus, the eternal Word, was not a poetic idea or a distant deity.
He was with God, He was God, and He came for us.

He entered a world that was made through Him, yet rejected Him.

“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (v.11)

The heartbreak of rejection is real — and Jesus felt it.
But the story doesn’t stop there.

💛 And Yet... Redemption

“But as many as received Him…”

That phrase changes everything.

To the ones who did recognize Him — who received and believed — Jesus gave more than forgiveness.
He gave identity.
He gave access.
He gave rebirth.

✨ “He gave them the right to become children of God.”

Not born of family line…
Not of effort or intention…
But born of God — born again, by His Spirit.

We were all created by God, but not all are automatically children of God.
That comes by receiving Him — believing in His name — and being born of the Spirit, not the flesh.

🪞 Journal Prompts:

• What does it mean to you that Jesus is the Word?

• Have you fully received Him — or just acknowledged Him?

• Do you walk in the identity of a child born of God — with full access, intimacy, and purpose?

🙏🏽 Prayer:

Jesus, You are the eternal Word — the Light that came close.
You stepped into the world You created to bring truth, healing, and belonging.
Thank You for inviting me to be not just near You, but born of You — a child of the living God.
Help me live each day fully aware of who You are and who I am in You.
Amen.