Sunday Shorts: Come and See

John 1:45-46 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth."

Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

I love this conversation between Philip and Nathanael. The two of them must have been the best of friends and shared many experiences together. The fact that Philip approaches Nathanael first with the exciting news that he has found the long-awaited Messiah means that he must have been very close to his friend. He had already been given the blessing of Jesus in his life, so Philip wanted his best buddy to experience the same thing.

Nathanael’s response is comical – he doesn’t believe Philip and even doubles down on this by asking if anything good could come out of Nazareth. For some reason, Nathanael did not have a high regard for Nazareth – perhaps it was morally corrupt, economically insignificant, or just a rival town to his – whatever the case, Nathanael is reluctant to believe his friend and probably preferred to stay away from this Jesus – whoever he was.

Philip’s response is wonderful. He doesn’t confront his friend’s uncertainty or get into a religious argument about the Messiah. All that Philip gives is a simple invitation. “Come and see,” he says. In other words, humor me and then make up your mind for yourself. It’s a beautiful way to bring someone to Jesus; it’s a non-compelling invitation to allow his friend to freely decide for himself.

Perhaps we have someone who is close to us that we would love to come to church. Maybe we worry about their salvation or are anxious about their beliefs. Instead of forcing them to come to worship or confronting them about their religious ideas, we should just simply invite them to come and see for themselves what church is like – and then leave it with them to decide whether or not they wish to initially come without coercing them with guilt, disdain, or even fear.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we love You and we wish that our families and friends could love You, too. Help us to find ways to encourage our loved ones to come and experience You, to see who You are for themselves, and to find in You all that they have been looking for. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

 

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor who now lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.