THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014
Judges 13:1–14:20
Luke 1:29–51
Psalm 102:1–28
Proverbs 14:15,16
“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’
“Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’
“‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked.
“‘Come and see,’ said Philip.
“When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, ‘Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.’
“‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked.
“Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.’
“ Then Nathanael declared, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.’
“Jesus said, ‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things that that.’ He then added, ‘I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’” (John 1:43–51)
This passage provide a beautiful introduction to the disciple’s call to evangelism. While evangelism may involve apologetics (defending the faith through rational argument), more often than not, it takes the form of an invitation. We pray that God would draw Himself near to our friends, and then we take opportunities to share about the wonderful Lord Jesus Christ and invite others to approach Him. God gives us the awesome privilege of joining with Him in His self-revelation to His people.
Please note here that Philip had developed a strong understanding of Jesus’s exalted role in history: that He had fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, a claim that Jesus would later make and that would draw charges of blasphemy from the Jewish religious leaders. Philip simply introduce Nathanael to the very nature of Jesus, gently and within a context that Nathanael will understand. The text suggests an immediacy and urgency to the potential meeting with this Jesus of Nazareth.
As with most people, Nathanael reacts strongly to the mention of Jesus. He dismisses the authenticity of the Lord Jesus because of His lowly hometown. The emergence of the Messiah from a small town, and not Jerusalem, did not sit well with popular Jewish understanding.
Please focus in on Philip’s response to Nathanael’s incredulity: “Come and see.” What a great interaction! Instead of becoming defensive, Philip remains positive and encouraging. The invitation is still open, despite Nathanael’s apparent close-mindedness. Philip understood that simply interacting with the Lord Jesus would melt away Nathanael’s hardness.
Indeed, Nathanael does come to follow Jesus after understanding His powerful foreknowledge of Nathanael’s character and location. Philip had succeeded in setting up an encounter between Jesus and Nathanael, whom Jesus loved and longed for.
In a similar fashion, we have the privilege of sharing this “Come and see!” invitation with a world hungry to meet the Lord Jesus. Coming to Christ involves representing from our sin and trusting in His holy sacrifice as an antidote to the wrathful debt we could never repay. As St. Augustine prayed, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
Lord Jesus, give us wisdom to offer “Come and see!” invitations to those whom we love. Help us know You better and to treasure our time together. Cast out those distractions and interruptions that keep us from fully grasping the depth of Your love. In Jesus’s Name, amen.
“I Love to Tell the Story” (http://bit.ly/1mj6UtM)
A. Katherine Hankey
I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true;
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.
I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems
Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;
And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.
I love to tell the story; ’tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.
I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
’Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.
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1) Blog: http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1
2) Facebook: http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS
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