What do we see of interest in this
passage?
A. The Spread of the Gospel message:
(1)
John
the Baptist points at Jesus and says, “Look, here is the Lamb of God” (v.36).
John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and made the statement that this Jesus was
really significant – “the Lamb of God” i.e. one who makes a sacrifice for the
people on behalf of God, the one who will take away the sin of the world.
We can see how John the Baptist felt
about Jesus by reading the earlier verses 29-34. Jesus is the one that John was
preparing the way for when he talked about repentance. Repentance was one
thing, but Jesus would bring ultimate forgiveness and the gift of the Spirit
which would see lives transformed. Jesus was God’s ultimate gift to the world –
the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One.
Two of John the Baptist’s followers,
there and then, decided to follow Jesus. We know one of these was Andrew, and
we go on to read the broader significance of this. The spread of the Gospel
message does not occur by people experiencing Jesus and salvation in either just
a personally enriching way or just a momentary way! Rather, the good news of
Jesus spreads by people actually following Jesus – becoming disciples. That is
why when Jesus gave his “great commission” type statements about going out into
the world, he talked not about converting people, but rather about
what??? Making “disciples” (e.g. Matthew 28:19)!! The conclusion of Luke and
the beginning of Acts describe those who have had a salvation experience as
“witnesses” (Luke 24:48, Acts 1:8), showing the ongoing active component of
having Jesus as the Saviour in our lives.
We should note that when Andrew and
his friend started following Jesus, Jesus questioned them as to what they were
doing. Jesus, knowing where he was going, wanted to make sure that Andrew and
the other one were serious in their intent. Jesus asked them a curious
question, “What are you looking for” (v.38)? This question actually went to the
heart of their motivation … ‘what is it in life that you need that is making
you want to follow me’? Their reply, “Teacher, where are you staying” suggested
that they were ready to spend quality time with Jesus and thus be taught what
they needed to know. So, this is what is required of a true Jesus follower – an
attitude of wanting to get to know Jesus (and what he is about).
So, from the example of John the
Baptist, one way we can witness to Jesus is to point toward him, and to point
to his significance. But how is this done? With our mouths, having a natural
propensity of sharing our faith journey within most conversations – Andrew had
become convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, and was certainly going to tell
his brother about this (v.41). And secondly, with the integrity of our lives
(through the joy and sense of appreciation we project).
(2)
Secondly,
we see new disciples of Jesus directly target others. We just saw Andrew
quickly go off and tell this great news to his brother Simon, who was none
other than the one who would become known as Peter (v.41). Andrew had paved the
way for Jesus to personally connect with Peter who was going to be so vital in
the spread of the Gospel outwards. Although Peter would stagger and waver
from time to time, in saying that this Simon before him would be called Peter,
meaning “rock”, Jesus was stating the great potential and impact that laid
within Andrew’s brother. The introduction that Andrew facilitates between Jesus
and Peter proves to be momentous for the Gospel.
Then Philip, who had just been
personally encountered by Jesus, went and told his friend Nathanael about what
had happened to him (v.45). Philip’s words to Nathanael began with, “We have
found him …”, as if this was the greatest discovery of their lives (which of
course it was)! “I have met the long-awaited One”, said Philip!
Now Nathanael was one who was not
going to make this easy. He was at the very least suspicious. Nathanael grabbed
onto the bit about where Jesus had come from, and said, “Can anything good come
out of Nazareth”? He knew the reputation of Nazareth, and let conventional
wisdom get in the way of good news. Some commentators (e.g. AM Hunter)
interpret Nathanael to even be scornful in this response. This is like our
friends who will find all sorts of reasons to dispute the relevance of Jesus.
Most of these reasons though will likely stem from the unthinking behaviour of
self-called Christians, rather than anything bad they can say about Jesus
himself!!!
How did Philip respond to this challenge??
How did Philip deal with Nathanael’s preconceived notions? He gave Nathanael a
three-point theological talking to?!? No, he didn’t!! Philip said to Nathanael,
“Come and see” (v.46)! Philip introduced Nathanael to Jesus, a point from which
a relationship could begin. Now we can’t physically take our friends to Jesus,
but what can we do??? Show them the Jesus we find in the pages of the
Gospels, and tell of how we find these accounts to be relevant to us.
It was Philip’s idea to tell the good
news about Jesus to Nathanael, but we can certainly see in our text that Jesus
was ready to receive Nathanael. Jesus already loved Nathanael! Jesus interacted
with Nathanael over his doubts, resulting in Nathanael’s statement of faith,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God” (v.49). In a similar way we can facilitate
other people’s doubts being addressed as they are introduced to the words and
actions of Jesus in the Gospels. Is Christianity judgmental and irrelevant to
the everyday problems and concerns of people? Well it shouldn’t be … if it is
truly based on Jesus. And we can be privileged to experience small levels of
faith grow into impressive strong and active faith. Nathanael’s small beginnings,
Jesus promised, would be enriched by “greater things than these” (v.50). Such
“greater things” would emerge through the life, ministry, death and
resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus exhibited some of his Divine
side in knowing that Nathanael had been sitting under the fig tree (v.48). Many
suggest that this sitting “under the fig tree” indicates that Nathanael was a
student of the law, perhaps studying his theology in the shade (hence Philip’s
reference to the “law and the prophets” in v.45). Thus Nathanael may have been
one that was really ready to accept Jesus … once given a suitable invitation.
This is certainly how it turned out. Thus it is important to be on the ball,
understanding people who God is leading us to connect with. This is what Philip
was able to do.
B. The Depth of what Jesus brings:
Verse 51 is striking.
Jesus was saying to Nathanael that, as he followed Jesus, he would see both
evidences of the great Creator God working through Jesus, and, as well, many
ways in which Jesus was directing people’s minds and hearts up to God. Jesus is
the centre-point of God’s activities on earth. Jesus is the place and the
person where the earthly and the heavenly meet! Jesus is the person we need to
know!! The heavens have opened and revealed what God is like. And Jesus shows
how to live in union with God (G. Appleton).
Not only does Jesus,
through his incarnation into our human environment, show us what God is like,
but also shows us what it really means to be human (idea from: Jesus
the Saviour: The Meaning of Jesus Christ for Christian Faith by William C
Placher, 2001). Now it’s true that Jesus was humanly male, and a Jew, and lived
in a particular cultural context in a certain time. But if we look deep into
who he was, and what he reflected to be most important, and how he interacted
and related to people, we learn a lot about being human.
We can gain much from
looking at various people who have been found worthy to look up to, however
every human being (bar one) has been marred by sin, and there would be at least
some defect in character that we would have to recognise or steer away from.
The one exception is Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus has also
experienced human suffering in a variety of forms, so understands fully what we
sometimes face, and can guide us through it into the future God has for us. I
love the verses from Hebrews (4:14-16) that say,
Since,
then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus,
the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15For we do not have a high
priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in
every respect has been tested as
we are, yet without sin. 16Let
us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
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