The Invitations of Christ

"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 1:39).

This is the first of the gracious invitations of the Lord Jesus to "Come" to Him. On this occasion, right after His baptism by John, He invited two potential disciples to come with Him to His dwelling place. Very likely this was an outdoor mat somewhere, for He soon afterwards acknowledged that "the Son of Man hath no where to lay His head" (Matthew 8:20). Nevertheless, one night of abiding with Jesus changed their lives. Soon afterwards He issued another invitation to them. "Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17), and they never went home again.

First He invites us to come to see and know Him, then to come with Him to win others. There is also the wonderful invitation to come to Him for relief from our burdens and cares. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). And note His promise to those who do accept His invitation: "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).

There were personal invitations. To Zacchaeus, the seeking sinner glimpsing Jesus from a sycamore tree, He said: "Come down: for today I must abide at thy house" (Luke 19:5). To his friend Lazarus, dead and bound in a tomb, He cried: "Lazarus, come forth" (John 11:43), and not even the grave could prevent his accepting such a call.

There are other invitations from the Lord, with gracious promises to those who come, but note especially the final invitation of the Bible, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).