John 1:43-51
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” [1]
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What struck me in today’s passage is Philip’s invitation to Nathanael, “Come and see.” Philip had just been telling Nathanael about his encounter with Jesus. But when Philip mentioned that Jesus was from Nazareth, Nathanael objected that nothing worthwhile could really come from Nazareth. Philip’s response was not to argue, not to defend, not even to disagree, but simply to invite: “Come and see.” Come and meet this Jesus. If there was to be a change in heart for Nathanael, it would not be Philip’s doing. It would be Jesus. Philip’s action is very similar to Andrew’s which we heard about yesterday. Andrew went and found his brother Peter, and then “he brought him to Jesus.” (1:42)
Note the effect that Jesus is having on these men: They encounter Jesus. They find a friend. They bring the friend to Jesus.
I see in this passage a simple call to be about the mission of Jesus. Our call is simply to invite people to encounter Jesus. It’s not about arguing with them, cleaning up their lives, defending ourselves, or convincing them to like our church. But simply to bring them Jesus. And when they stumble over other things (the behavior of Christians, bad experiences with the church, difficult theology), we simply direct them back to Jesus. Let them encounter Jesus as we model Him in our lives, as we talk about His love, as we demonstrate His love, as we share what a blessing He has been in our lives, and as we “come and see” them by inviting them to come with us to Jesus in prayer.
Lord Jesus, put people in my path and in my life whom You want me to bring to You. Open my eyes and heart to be led by You to say to them “Come and see.”
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Jn 1:43–51). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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