John 1:43–51 ‘“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.’ (v46)
This is such an authentic piece of dialogue! Philip finds his friend and can’t wait to share the good news. ‘We’ve found the One we’ve been waiting for.
The Messiah! It’s Jesus of Nazareth!’ ‘What? Nazareth?’ is the cynical reply. ‘That crummy backwater? You think something good could from there?’
Was it that Nathanael didn’t expect the Messiah to come from that particular place? Or was there a deeper doubt here?
Philip answers, ‘Come and see for yourself, my friend – meet Him and see what you think!’ What a great method of evangelism – inviting a friend to experience Jesus for themselves.
When Nathanael does meet Jesus, he is astonished that this man seems to know him. Personal encounter leads to personal faith (vv47–49).
It has been well said that God has no grandchildren. Even if we come from a Christian family, and our parents or grandparents have known Jesus, we still have to meet Him for ourselves.
Nathanael comes to faith because of an introduction by someone who already knows Jesus, and personal experience.
Greater things will come, further revelation of who Jesus is (v51) but for now, Nathanael is amazed that he is known by Jesus.
In truth, we are all known by Jesus. Before we encounter Him, He has seen us. He knows our lives, what they are, what we have done, where we have been, and He calls us to Himself.
Sometimes He uses one of His followers to invite their friends to encounter Him. But we each need to ‘come and see’ for ourselves.
A Prayer To Make:
‘Lord, give me wisdom – who in my life needs to hear about You, and encounter You? Speak to Me today, I pray, and help me to “come and see” more of You each day. Amen.’
Scripture To Consider:
Exod. 3:1–10; 1 Kgs 19:1–14; Matt. 2:1–12; John 4:1–42
