Reflection: "Following Jesus"We aren’t given many details about Philip in any of the Gospels, but John does tell us about his calling by Jesus. He also tells us that Philip responded in faith and followed Jesus. The very first thing Philip did after that was to find his friend Nathaniel to tell him, “We’ve found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote.” This is often the way the gospel spreads – one person commends it to another, face to face, in the context of a personal relationship. Nathaniel was passionate about Israel and their deep longing for meaning and worth, which came from their national identity as the people of God. Like many good Israelites, he longed for God to redeem Israel. He longed for the messiah to come and lead Israel into a new era of international prominence. Like many Israelites, he bound up his sense of purpose and worth with his people. Yet he was still a disappointed man. The Maccabean revolt, a century and a half before, had failed to establish Israel’s prominence. Prophets and preachers wandered throughout Israel proclaiming that the messiah was coming, yet Israel was still in Roman chains. Nathaniel was a cynical and jaded man.His attitude was “I’ve heard all the claims, now let’s see some action.” Philip persevered and invited Nathaniel to “Come and see. Come and see the Christ and encounter him for yourself. You’ll get the answers you really want.” Now we shift scenes to the encounter between Christ and Nathaniel.Jesus saw Nathaniel and said two things. First, he called Nathaniel a true Israelite, in whom there was no guile. Second, he told Nathaniel that he had seen him sitting under the fig tree. The “true Israelite” image works on a couple of levels. On the surface, Jesus was simply saying, “You are faithful.” On another level, this statement was a play on words referring to their patriarch Jacob. Jacob was a man in whom there was lots of guile, lots of falsehood.If you go back to Genesis and read his story – you’ll see that he was a trickster until he wrestled with God. Then his perspective changed, he turned his life around and God named him Israel. So, there was subtleness when Jesus called Nathaniel a true Israelite in whom there was no guile. The fig tree, on the other hand, was a place of rest and comfort. The ancient prophets used the image of the fig tree to convey a picture of God’s end-time kingdom. In Zechariah 3:10, after describing how God would remove the sin of the high priest and the land, the prophet wrote, “In that day, each of you will invite his neighbour to sit under his vine and fig tree, declares the Lord Almighty.” Jesus used these literary images to convey his understanding of Nathaniel’s deep identification with Israel and his longing for deliverance. In effect, Jesus was saying to Nathaniel, “I know what’s on your heart. I know you’ve been praying for the messiah. I know you want God’s kingdom to be restored.” We don’t know exactly what Nathaniel expected, but Jesus greeted Nathaniel by speaking directly to what was most on Nathanial’s heart. Jesus immediately got past the cynicism to encounter the core issue for Nathaniel. Jesus didn’t play games, instead penetrating the yearning that Nathaniel felt most. And Nathaniel responded with simple faith and joy. He told Christ, “You are the Son of God, the King of Israel.” His quick switch from cynicism to earnestness indicates the depth to which Christ had touched him. This is an example of the kind of disarming encounter we can expect from a meeting with Jesus Christ. Jesus gets past our defences to speak to our longings. He reminds us that we were designed and created with dignity. We’ve been given talents and abilities that can be used for a purpose. Our daily labours have more significance than just the grind of earning a wage. Our physical bodies and relationships mean more than mere gratification. As God’s people, we’re cherished, loved, adored and doted on. As smart as we may think we are - we really don’t have all the answers and we can quickly get in over our heads theologically. All we can then do is point that person to the one who has all the answers – Jesus. Isaiah 55:11 says: “So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.” Jesus gets past our walls and defences to touch us where and when we most need it. Now look what Christ promised in today’s reading from John 1, verses 50 & 51. This statement was guaranteed to blow Nathaniel’s mind because it spoke to his heart yearning, but in a way that far exceeded expectation. Christ didn’t promise to restore Israel – he promised to open up heaven and show the inner workings of creation. He didn’t take for himself the title “King of Israel,” but instead called himself “Son of Man.” Jesus was saying “I’m a bigger king than you ever expected.” Who else could speak to our deepest yearnings but the one who was present at the beginning of creation and who crafted those very yearnings within us? Christ knows those yearnings even better than we do. As we walk with him, and grow deeper and wiser in faith, he’ll teach us. He’ll reveal to us understanding about the yearnings he’s placed within us, and about the corruption that sin works on those yearnings. Christ will be a king of a totally different sort. The Gospel (good news) is for cynics – like us. And sometimes it’s hard for us to recognise God’s calling for us. Like Samuel, we might think it’s someone else, like Eli. But God doesn’t give up on us that easily. He keeps calling. Jesus offers his life to us and it’s up to us to receive that gift with gratitude, change our lives and follow him. Are you ready to follow? My prayer is that you’ll search your heart and ask Jesus to come into your life. Pastor Rick
1 Comment
Beryl
16/1/2021 07:52:00 am
This is a great message, Rick. I like reading your thoughtful messages each week. Thank you.
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