Friday, January 13, 2012

Won't you come and see Him?

Can anything good come from there? That is the question that gets asked and there is a common response to such a question in John’s Gospel: “Come and see.” I don’t know about you, but I find that helpful and encouraging. We aren’t left in the dark. We are not left wondering and guessing. We are invited in. And that we are invited in, we are also welcomed. This story (John 1:43-51) about Philip and Nathan helps us to know how we, as the Church, can introduce others to Jesus. We invite others, and they in turn receive not only the invitation to come into the community, they receive the welcome of Christ himself. Sound too bold for you...maybe not, Come with me and see.

We start this story with Jesus deciding that it is time to go forward and preach, teach and heal. And he is headed north and towards home to the Galilee. Jesus deliberately goes looking for Philip. He calls and invites Philip to go with him and the others that Jesus has called. Philip has heard Jesus’ message and now is the time to choose. Will he leave the life he has known and risk the uncertainty of what Jesus offers. He knows and likes Jesus. But what about the life they are going to lead and live... will everything be okay? Will there be a roof to cover their heads? Will there be enough to eat? And how long will we be gone? And most of all, what’s in it for me? One thing is for certain though, if he is going he is not about to go alone. Philip goes and finds his friend Nathaniel and invites him on the trip. And Nathaniel, when he is told of Jesus, gets the same invite that everyone else has received, “Come and see”.

The two men go to the arranged meeting place with some of their belongings in sacks slung over their shoulders. They find Jesus and the other disciples waiting (some rather impatiently) to get on the road. Jesus even before there is a word out of Nathaniel’s mouth greats him and describes him to a tee. “Nobody is going to fool this one!” says Jesus, “He knows the truth.”

“What! What! How do you know me? We’ve never met before,” Stammers Nathaniel.

“I saw you over by the fig tree and you were praying to be shown the Messiah and for the consolation of the Kingdom,” replies Jesus.

To which Nathaniel exclaims, “Ah, now I see! Know I see that you are the One I have been asking for, Teacher. You are the Messiah... you are the Son of God!”

“Come with me  and you will see greater things... even be touched by angels. Come and see my friend, come and see.”

What will you do this week? Will you lay back and do nothing? Be critical of what you hear and not respond? Will you not come and see and then go and shine that others might see Jesus?


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