When Jesus turned and noticed them following Him, He asked them, “What are you looking for?” They said to Him, Rabbi (which means ‘Teacher’), where are You staying?” “Come and you’ll see.”…”We have found the Messiah!” (Jn 1:38-39,41)
No one has ever lived a more inviting, inclusive life than Jesus. It was as if He lived His life with arms wide open. John writes that Jesus Christ is “full of grace and truth”. The literal meaning of the New Testament word for grace is, “that which causes joy; that which is winsome”. It seems to me that His winsomeness was most fully expressed through His gift of welcome. We were made for this, everyone one of us.
Jesus’ gift of welcome is closely tied to His message that the Kingdom has come. Jesus lived in the reality of heaven right now, and He invited all who would come, to live in that reality with Him. How often have we heard a new disciple say something like, “I feel like I’ve come home”; or, “I was made for this”? Jesus’ gift of welcome touches the very heart of who we really long to be––included, embraced and accepted. More times than I can recall, I have seen the atmosphere of entire villages changed simply through the welcoming presence of the One we were all made for.
In the verses above we see that two people began by identifying Jesus as a Rabbi. Jesus already knew what they were looking for went beyond good teaching. So He offered them the gift of welcome. This gift is more than opening our home; it is about giving space to someone in our hearts and lives. It is about, at the deepest level, making room. Jesus’ offer of welcome was accepted; spending time with Him changed their understanding and their lives forever. No longer Rabbi, but Lord and Christ. Time with Jesus––witnessing, feeling, living heaven right now is what unlocked their hearts, just as Jesus knew it would.
Paul said that we carry the very fragrance of Christ with us. Because of this, we can change the atmosphere wherever we are. In John’s gospel, Jesus repeatedly says that He is with us, and even more, He is in us. In fact, Jesus tells His disciples that in receiving His gift of welcome, there is such an intermingling of heart that “I am in you and you are in Me.” (Jn 14:20)
And so, when we give the gift of welcome––sharing what we have and who we are––making space in our hearts and lives, we are releasing the reality of heaven right now. The possibilities change. The atmosphere changes. The gift of welcome touches the deepest need of the human heart.
“Come and you’ll see.”
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