Come And See

In John 1:43, Jesus called Philip to follow Him. Philip went and found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote, - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (Jn 1:45). This was an incredible and unexpected claim and Nathanael was understandably skeptical. Have you ever felt the same way? Have you ever raised your eyebrows in unbelief in response to a religious claim? Maybe you are not unlike Nathanael.

“And Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’” (Jn 1:46). People from the town of Nazareth weren’t known for being highly educated or skilled. Sometimes we are like Nathanael. We need to listen carefully to ourselves. Are our reasons for not believing valid or are they just a reflection of our prejudice and bias?

It would have been easy for Philip to become discouraged at this point, but he didn’t. In response to Nathanael he simply said, “Come and see” (Jn 1:46). Christians need to be like Philip. They need to challenge people to meet Jesus through His words in the Bible. When people seem uninterested (or for some biased reason don’t think He’s good), we must not give up. They need to “come and see” for themselves!

It may be that you are reading this and wonder why we seem so intent on you coming to study and worship with us. The answer is simple: We believe we have found the One which Moses and the prophets said would come to restore our relationship with God – Jesus of Nazareth. We are so convinced that this is true that we want you to have the opportunity to “come and see” for yourself. We want you to hear Christ’s words and have the great blessings God promises if you will believe and obey.

Nathanael was open minded enough to go see Jesus. Even today, there are people with good and honest hearts who will openly consider the facts about Jesus. After a short time with Jesus, Nathanael said, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (Jn 1:49). Think about three important things here: First, Nathanael called Jesus, “Rabbi” which means “teacher.” In other words, he is willing to listen to and be taught by Jesus. Second, he confessed that Jesus was the Son of God. Time spent learning about Jesus will show He is different from anyone who has ever lived. And third, he called Jesus the “King.” It meant that Nathanael recognized that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s plan – the chosen Leader of God’s people. It meant that he would follow and obey Jesus.

Will you be a Philip and invite someone?
Will you be a Nathanael and come, see, and obey?

dd