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COME AND SEE
Last week we talked about the Baptism of Jesus. Today’s reading happens the day after his baptism, when Jesus takes two of John the Baptist’s disciples for his own. We know that one of them was Andrew. The other disciple was not named, but was most likely the Apostle John himself. Throughout his Gospel John either gives himself a pseudonym, like “The one Jesus loved (John 13:23, 19:26)”, or omits his name altogether. The very first reaction of these two new disciples is to go and get others to share the good news with. John recruits his brother James. Andrew gets his brother Simon, who will later be renamed Peter. Then, Andrew finds a man named Philip. And next, Philip finds a man named Nathaniel. These men were not complete strangers to each other. Andrew, Peter and Philip are all fishermen from the town of Bethsaida, which means ‘Fishertown’. John and James are fishermen as well. The initial recruiting of disciples for Jesus comes from family and co-workers. Nathaniel was a little different. In some of the lists of the Apostles he is called Bartholomew. He came from Cana in Galilee (John 21:2), not Fishertown, and we’re not real sure what his occupation was. He seems to spend a lot of time reading his Bible, and is pretty sure of his theology. It’s doubtful he was a family member or co-worker of Philip’s. Yet, they obviously knew each other; they were not strangers when Philip invited him to come. So, we put Nathaniel on the list of friends who are invited. When Philip approaches Nathaniel he is studying Scripture. We assume that he is studying the story of Jacob’s ladder because of the discussion he and Jesus have later in the pericope. Philip invites Nathaniel to come and meet the special man Moses had predicted would come (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Just before Moses turns the Israelites over to Joshua and sends them in Canaan, he gives them a farewell speech. He tells them, “I have been a prophet to you, but I have been so much more than that. In the coming years you will have lots of prophets. But, someday, another will come along who is like me; so very much more than just a prophet.” Philip tells Nathaniel, “It’s the guy Moses talked about! Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth!” Nathaniel responds to that information with an insult. Nathaniel is from Cana in Galilee. Jesus is from Nazareth in Galilee. And, apparently, all of the other cities in Galilee felt they were superior to Nazareth. It is the only city in Israel never mentioned in the Old Testament. And, I guess, that gave the other cities all the ammunition they needed to really heap insults on Nazareth and its inhabitants. What do you think of when you pick up an object and see the words, “Made in China” printed on it? If it’s a child’s toy your first thought may be, “Oh my goodness! It probably has lead in it! Get it away from the kids now!” If it’s an adult item we usually think, “Cheap! Won’t last very long, will probably break easily, poor quality, produced by slave labor!” We can summon up a huge list of faults with that item, simply because of the tag that tells us where it came from. To the Jews in Jesus’ day, Nazareth was a tag that meant made in China. Besides that, anybody who knows their Bible at all (like Nathaniel) knows that the Messiah comes from Bethlehem, not Nazareth (Micah 5:2). How can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip has this great response. He doesn’t argue theology. He doesn’t argue pedigree. He doesn’t argue miracles. He simply says, “Come and see; just come and see.” It’s powerful, and it’s profound, and it’s simple. And, anyone can do that. When they are introduced, Jesus greets Nathaniel with an encomium; a short message of high praise. “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” It’s a deep and meaningful phrase. When we read about Jacob in Genesis he is a deceitful, lying, unethical cheat. The Lord God puts him through a series of very hard life situations, and molds Jacob into the man he wants him to be. When Jacob finally develops the character God desires of him, he is renamed Israel (Genesis 32:28). What Jesus essentially says to Nathaniel is, “When I look at you I see a man who is all Israel, and no Jacob.” Pretty high praise. But, what really impresses Nathaniel is that Jesus is omniscient. Without having met him before Jesus can tell Nathaniel what he was doing a half hour ago, and what kind of character he has. Nathaniel responds by calling Jesus the Son of God and the King of Israel. I guess that means he’s changed his mind about people from Nazareth. It was worth his while to come and see. Jesus finishes the pericope with a prophecy that relates back to Nathaniel’s studies. He tells him, “You were reading about Jacob’s ladder, this mystical connection between heaven and earth. Some day every one of you standing here will see that I, Jesus, the Son of Man; I am what connects heaven and earth.” Jesus is referred to as “Son of” three times in six verses. He starts out as Son of Joseph. He’s a guy; a guy just like you and me; somebody’s baby boy. Next he’s called the Son of God. Clearly this is a messianic title, identifying him as beyond all other human beings, he is deity. In the end, Jesus calls himself Son of Man. This is an odd combination. Usually, almost always, this phrase means he’s just a guy. That’s what it means when the prophet Ezekiel uses the phrase (2:1-8). But, when the prophet Daniel uses the phrase, it means he is beyond all human beings, he is the Savior (7:13-14). This is the only phrase Jesus will use of himself during his ministry. It brilliantly represents the tension of his physical being; is he a man, is he God, is he both? How can this be? This is a wonderful Scripture we have before us. There are two powerful messages that leap out. First, people are always going to have trouble deciding just who Jesus is. Sometimes he acts just like any other man. Sometimes he acts like no man has ever acted. He can’t be both at the same time can he? He comes from the perfect place – Bethlehem. He comes from the worst possible place – Nazareth. Christians say he is the firstborn child of God, the Savior of all humanity. Muslims say he was a prophet, but not the most important prophet. Jews say he was a heretical, radical rabbi, who had no business teaching. Atheists wonder if he ever really existed. Which brings us to our second powerful message. If we can’t agree on who Jesus is, how do we get people to accept him as Savior? The answer is just as simple as Philip made it. All we say is, “Come and see.” Either they will be convinced, or they won’t. It’s not our job to sell Jesus. It’s not our job to out argue the non believers. It’s not our job to build a perfectly defensible theological/Scriptural construct that ‘proves’ Jesus. Our job is to say, “Come and see. Meet my Jesus, and then decide for yourself.” It is no more complex than that, and anyone can do that. The most effective evangelism doesn’t come from flying to the deepest part of Africa, spending years learning a native language, striving for a breakthrough moment. The most effective evangelism doesn’t come from walking through neighborhoods, knocking on the doors of complete strangers, and asking to share your testimony. The most effective evangelism (from the very first day) comes from telling your family, your friends, and your co-workers, “Come and see.” We have several families with us today who have chosen to be baptized, make their profession of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and then join with us in covenant. None of them is coming as the result of a high powered, intense, pressure campaign. Each of them is here because a friend, or a family member, or a co-worker said, “Come and see.”
If you are reading this on the internet, and you reside outside of the USA, please send an e-mail to: Rev.RockyEllison@yahoo.com We would love to know how you found our website, and what you were searching for when you found us. Thank you.
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