John 1:45-46 "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. (46) And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see."
In today's passage, Philip (the second of the two disciples of John Baptist)
went to tell Nathanael of Jesus. He was very expressive in his words: "We
have found HIM, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write."
There was no doubt whatsoever in the heart and mind of Philip that this Jesus
was the Messiah. In his further description, Philip went on to say, He is
"Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Philip would soon come
to a better understanding concerning this Jesus. He is not the son of Joseph;
rather, He is the Son of God.
As soon as Nathanael heard the word, Nazareth, his mind went in a negative
direction. "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Our bias
can often take us in the wrong direction concerning people, things, situations
and circumstances. Nathanael was already convinced Philip was wrong in his
assessment of this Jesus. Since nothing good (in his opinion) could come out of
Nazareth, there was no way this Jesus could be the Messiah. Notice Philip's response:
"Come and see." Now where had Philip heard that before? Thats right,
the day before when Jesus had spoken those very same words to him. Nathanael
took Philip at his words and went to see.
(John 1:47-49) "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith
of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! (48)
Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto
him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw
thee. (49) Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art
the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." Now we come to the
rest of the story. Jesus gave an absolute proper description of Nathanael as
the two men approached. "Behold an Israelite in whom is no guile!"
Jesus was saying of Nathanael, 'You do not put on any mask of pretension.'
Nathanael said, "How do you know me?" Jesus said, "Before Philip
called you, I saw you under the fig tree." There was no denying this man,
Jesus, was indeed the Messiah. Nathanael followed Jesus from that day
forward.
We come back to the three words from yesterday: "Come and see."
We read the Bible and listen to Bible Stories from childhood. I remember
stories of a young shepherd boy who killed a giant with a sling and one stone.
I remember stories of God opening up the sea for His people to walk across. I
remember stories of God providing bread from heaven and water from a rock. Do
you remember stories you heard as a child? How can we know these things
are true in our lives today? How do I know I can overcome obstacles that are
bigger than me? How do I know God will make a way when there is no way? How do
I know God will provide my every need? The answer is still the same: "Come
and see."
We have begun our journey through the book of John. As we go along the way, may
we be ready to see the great wonders of our Lord and Saviour, the Messiah of
God, Jesus the Christ.