What is the significance of the saying "come and see"?

from the old testament

• Psalm 66:5 reads, “Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.” This verse is spoken as if one were standing over history, looking down and saying, “Come and see” God’s great historical works (also see Psalm 46:8, which says something similar).
• In particular, this call is a reminder that “He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot” (Psalm 66:6). This refers to the Exodus account and the escape from the Egyptians through the Red Sea (cf. Exodus 14). Because of how awe-inspiring that event was, it is regularly found in the Psalms and other Old Testament passages as an encouragement to later generations of Israel that God was their God.
• The Psalm as a whole is an invitation to “Shout for joy” in praise of this great God (Psalm 66:1–4). Israel is invited to see (remember) what God has done: “who rules by his might forever” and “whose eyes keep watch on the nations” (vv 5–7).
• Because of what God has done, they are again called to “Bless our God … For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried” and, despite letting “men ride over our heads … yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance” (Psalm 66:8–12). In thankfulness, the author says he will bring offerings and worship God (Psalm 66:13–15).
• The author then changes from telling the people to “come and see” what God did for them to “Come and hear” about what God has done for him (Psalm 66:16). He said, “I cried to him with my mouth … truly God has listened” (Psalm 66:16–19). He testifies in this section to God’s ongoing great deeds, as evidenced by how God heard and answered his prayer.
• He ends by saying, “Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!” (Psalm 66:20). We do not know what he prayed, but that is not the point. The point is His praise and worship of God, whose deeds are awesome.

from the new testament

• The Gospel of John repeats the phrase "come and see." In John 1:39, Jesus called to Andrew and another disciple, “Come and you will see.” Faith involves coming to Jesus and experiencing the truth of who He is.
• When Nathanael doubted that anything good could come from Nazareth, Philip responded with, “Come and see” (John 1:46). Rather than arguing, Philip invited him to meet Jesus personally.
• In John 4:29, the Samaritan woman told her town, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” She invited others to investigate Jesus after encountering Him herself.
• After meeting Jesus, the Samaritans said, “We have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” Their faith moved from someone else’s testimony to personally knowing Jesus (John 4:42). The call to “come and see” invites people to encounter Jesus, discover who He is, and personally respond to Him as Savior.

implications for today

Imagine a friend telling you, “I don’t believe Christianity is for me. I’ve seen too many hypocritical Christians.” You could launch into an argument, but instead, try Philip’s approach: “Come and see.” Invite them to read a Gospel with you, come to church, ask questions, or simply sit down over coffee and explore what Jesus actually said and did. You might say, “I’m not asking you to pretend you believe—just come and see for yourself who Jesus is.”

That approach takes the pressure off winning an argument and puts the focus where it belongs: on Christ. Maybe your friend reads about Jesus forgiving sinners, confronting hypocrisy, welcoming outsiders, and ultimately dying and rising again—and begins asking questions you never could have forced out of them. You can share your own story too: “I’ve seen God change me in ways I couldn’t explain apart from Him, and I want you to see what I’ve seen.” Yes, there are many proofs for Christianity, from confirmed prophecy to scientific arguments for God's existence and more. But you don’t need to have all the answers to invite someone to Jesus; sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is, “Come and see.”