When we find something exciting and wonderful, most of us like to share that good news with family and friends. We hope that they will share in our excitement and happiness. Sometimes, though, our news might be met with skepticism, scoffing, or scorn. How do we respond then? When our friends respond with a very sarcastic “Yeah, right!”, or say that our words are a bunch of nonsense, how do we react? As we look into a portion of Scripture from the Gospel of John, we read of a similar scenario. Let’s see what happened.
The day before when our Scripture takes place, John and Andrew decided to follow Jesus. They had previously been disciples of John the Baptist, but after the Baptist’s words about Jesus, they turned and began to follow Jesus. Andrew, knowing that the words Jesus spoke were the Truth, immediately went and told his brother, Peter, inviting him to come and meet Jesus (John 1:35-42). Now it is the next day, and Jesus met another young man, Philip, who He called to also follow Him (vs. 43). Philip responded and believed.
Just like his friend Andrew, Philip thought of some of his other friends, the people he cared about, and he wanted to share the Good News he had found with them. Philip had a good friend named Nathanael, who he knew was waiting for the Messiah to come. (Nathanael is called Bartholomew in the other three Gospels). He knew that this was news Nathanael would want to hear, news that he believed this man, Jesus, just might very well be the long-awaited Messiah (vs. 45).
However, what was the response that Philip received from Nathanael? When Nathanael heard that Jesus came from the village of Nazareth, he immediately scoffed. Nazareth was an insignificant village without any importance. Perhaps nearby where you live there is a village that has a reputation for being a “hick town”, a backwards, unsophisticated place. That was the reputation Nazareth had by the communities closer to the Sea of Galilee, where the fishing and shipping businesses prospered. Nathanael judged Jesus based on the community He had grown up in. He felt that nobody of any importance could come from there! (vs. 46).
Nathanael sat in judgment before he even met Jesus. Frequently we do the same thing. We often judge the people around us, jumping to conclusions about people without knowing the whole story. Philip could have then responded with an angry “Fine! Be that way!”, and could have blown his friend off. Fortunately Philip was an easy-going guy, and instead of arguing his point, he gave Nathanael an invitation to just come and see for himself. He knew that if Nathanael would only meet Jesus, his eyes and heart would be opened. Instead of arguing and getting all hot and angry, many of our friends just need to be invited to “come and see”, they need to just have the Bible opened up for them to read, and let God’s Word speak for Itself.
Though Nathanael had at first given a snap judgment based on where Jesus grew up, he did have an open, honest, and seeking heart, and he took his friend up on the invitation to come and see. When Jesus met Philip’s friend, He declared that he was an honest man with no deceit in him (vs. 47). That puzzled Nathanael, as he had never met Jesus before, so he asked Him how He would know anything about him. Jesus’ response could be even more puzzling to us today (vs. 48). Sitting underneath fig trees was often a place that devout Jews in the countryside would go to pray, read, and meditate on Scripture. Perhaps Nathanael had some significant experience of communion with God during his last prayer time, and he saw that Jesus knew it, which no one else could have. He saw that Jesus had been with him in his time of prayer and mediation.
Nathanael knew now that Jesus was Someone who could not be described in merely human terms (vs. 49). He knew that Jesus could only be the Messiah! Jesus invited Nathanael, as He had done for Philip, Andrew, Peter, and John, to come and follow Him. There is a difference between just being a believer, and being a follower. Being a follower requires getting up. It requires leaving comfort, maybe family, friends, job, or hobbies. Being a follower can require leaving all behind. It can be costly, and it can sometimes hurt.
Have you heard something about Jesus, but have passed judgment on Him without any real solid knowledge? I challenge you to have an open and honest heart, like Nathanael, and open up the Word of God and see for yourself. As Philip said, “Come and see!” If you, like Philip, have told friends or family about Jesus, and they have scoffed at you, rather than getting upset, just invite them, like Philip did, to check out the facts in the Bible. Again, “Come and see!”. Are you a believer in the Lord Jesus? Great! Now get up and become a follower. See what the Lord wants you to do for Him and His kingdom, and be a follower like the disciples did.
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