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Feb 27, 2024 18:30pm

Come and See

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Come with me, and you’ll see…

I can hear the melody in my mind as I remember watching those doors open, and this wondrous world of candy and delight came into view.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was a story full of dreams and “pure imagination.” Wonka owned this amazing company that no one had ever seen the inside of. Suddenly, news of Wonka opening the doors to the public began to spread like wildfire. You had to have one of the five golden tickets to get in. And these tickets were inside the delicious Wonka bars. How did he make this incredible chocolate and candy? What was his secret?

The ticket holders, all children, were approached secretively about stealing the secret behind the Wonka candy. Would they tell what they learned from their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

One by one, the children were tempted and failed. At the end of the day, one little boy, Charlie, remained. With a family that was extremely poor, Charlie was drawn too. He could take the everlasting gobstopper to the secretive man and sell it to help his family.

Wonka puts him to the test, and in the end, Charlie chooses the right thing. In an act of repentance, he lays down the gobstopper and leaves.

Truthfully, Willy Wonka had been trying to find a successor. One who truly had a beautiful heart. One that would be trustworthy, honest, and in it for the right reasons. Wonka had a treasure, and he wanted to make sure before handing it over.

Wonka celebrates with Charlie and his grandfather when he realizes this young boy made the right decision.

John 1:35-39

“Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.”

John the Baptist had been preaching for years about the coming Messiah. Some men followed him, learning about God, His ways, His commandments, and the Savior to come. But on this day, they would meet that Savior.

They were disciples of John to learn about Jesus, but now they would be disciples of Jesus Himself. But, first, they had to answer a question. Jesus put them to the test.

He asked, “What do you seek?” What were they searching for? Why were they choosing to follow Jesus? Did they want fame and fortune to make a name for themselves? It could not be for selfish desires. Jesus was searching for men who would follow after Him for the right reasons.

He said, come and see.

These men would decide to follow Christ. But they wouldn’t know what that would truly mean until three years later. Persecution would come, not fame and fortune. Would they still choose to follow Him then?

Jesus asks us the same question today. He beckons to our hearts to listen, hear His words, and understand the depravity of our sin and the separation it causes between us and God. He holds out His welcoming arms as we feel the guilt and shame from those sins and confess them to Him, searching for forgiveness. And the question arises… why? Why would I choose to follow Jesus? Why would I surrender my life and will to Him? What is it that I believe about Him that would make me want to do that? Am I doing it for selfish gain, or do I truly want to know Christ and make Him known?

“What do you seek?”