B, Epiphany 2 - John 1:43-51 "Come and See"

 The first recorded words of Jesus in John’s Gospel are with two disciples of John the Baptist.  Jesus asks, “What are you seeking?”  Literally, what are you worshipping, or what do you desire or want?  To which the two disciples of John the Baptist ask “Where are you staying?” and he replies with the invitation “come and you will see”.

One of these disciples is Andrew, a fisherman.  He tells his brother Simon he has found Jesus.  Did he find Jesus?  Not really! Jesus really found him through the proclamation of John the Baptist, Behold the Lamb of God. 

After this Simon is given the name Peter after Andrew announces he has found the Messiah, the Anointed One.  A king, long lost since King David.

We arrived at the text today having heard Jesus proclaimed as the Lamb of God and the Messiah, and also that Simon was to be called Peter, the rock on which we know the church is built. 

Jesus then moves on to find Phillip and calls him to “follow him”.  And Philip finds Nathanael and immediately connects the man Jesus of Nazareth with the Word of God saying, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45 ESV)

Ironically, maybe even with a sense of comedy, the Apostle John recounts that now, not just Andrew, but also Philip claims, it is he who has found Jesus.  The question goes begging, “Can we really find Jesus or does he find us?”  If we are honest, one might only begin to seek Jesus once the Word of God comes, as it had for Philip and Andrew.

So Philip tells Nathanael, and this man whose name means “gift of God”, in all his bluntness says, “What good can come out of Nazareth?” There is no deceit or subtlety or trickery with this fellow’s word; he says what he thinks and thinks what he says.  Nevertheless, Philip invites him to “come and see” Jesus, to find Jesus, just as he has found him and as Andrew has found him too.  

We are given a privileged view from the Apostle John in this text as he joyfully and faithfully reports Jesus’ word as it is Jesus who actually sees Nathanael first and says, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” (John 1:47 ESV)

It is precisely here the Apostle John begins to unpack the mystery of Jesus being not only one who comes from the backwater of Nazareth.  But as one who comes from God the Father, the God of Moses and the prophets, as the Son of God to teach and open their eyes to the Old Testament scriptures so they truly see heaven is open to them, simple men whom the Son of God has found and calls them to follow as the Son of Man, the servant of humankind.

You too are invited into this wonderful text to come and see Jesus, to see the irony, the satire, the silliness of these men, as they begin to grapple with something so extraordinary which John writes to us with delight after reflection on this event together with the events of the cross, the resurrection, the ascension, the descent of the Holy Spirit at the festival of Pentecost and life in the church as he would have remembered and recounted time and time again in the years after all this occurred.

This is not just John or Philip or Nathanael’s story, it is your story too.  Not only did Jesus find them and call them to follow him, he calls you and me to know and proclaim how Jesus found us, how he finds us today, and how he continues to find us who so often in our feeble narrow-mindedness think so often it is we who find him.  Yet despite our short sightedness the heavenly invitation still stands from the Son of God to “come and see”.  

After Jesus says, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” (John 1:47 ESV) You can hear the surprise in Nathanael’s response, “How do you know me?” Hear the comedy of the situation as throughout the narrative all have claimed to have found Jesus and yet now Jesus tells Nathanael he has known him as he has known all Israel. 

The love and the joy with which John unfolds the story of God meeting man in his sinfulness encourages us to come and see the joy and the love of God’s own Son who finds us even while we were sinners, and still as we continue to struggle with sin which should render us as nothing in Jesus’ eyes but instead invokes Jesus’ word to truly see, not with our eyes, but with the eyes of faith.  Eyes that not only see sin but lead the lips to be as blunt as Nathanael, without cheating and charade, and confess sin!

Nathanael’s honesty is just like that of a child who has not yet learnt to hide sin as we have learnt to do.  But notice how Jesus lets this child come to him; he does not hinder the kingdom of God from this true Israelite.

But it is the end of the story where John connects Nathanael with one Israelite, namely Jacob, that completely opens up the mystery of Nathanael’s nothing Nazarene as not only being a Rabbi or teacher, not only being the King of Israel but being the Son of God.  Don’t let our understanding and familiarity with God’s Word diminish Nathanael’s answer, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49 ESV)

Yes Jesus is!  He is the Son of God, the King of Israel!  He is the Rabbi who has just taught Nathanael that he saw him even before Philip called him.  We take for granted Jesus being Christ the King, and God the Son.  They did not understand all this until after the ascension and Pentecost, making their confession remarkable, even earth shattering! 

This is the climax of John’s revelation.  Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and the King anointed not just of Israel but of all who believe in him.  We do well to see Nathanael blurting out a confession that was out of place for human understanding, but very much spot on because through Jesus’ word, Nathanael confesses something only that the Holy Spirit could bring out of this true Israelite.

Jesus answers Nathanael, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” (John 1:50 ESV)

 And Jesus continues, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51 ESV)

Here at the end of the story, the hearer is given the final piece of the puzzle.   Jesus is likening Nathanael to Jacob.  This is why Jesus calls him a true Israelite.  Here John evokes the hearers’ memory to recall Jacob’s dream when he was on his way to work for Laban and secure for himself a wife.  Jacob was running from his brother Esau after stealing his birthright.  And later he would return from Laban having tricked him too.

But despite all this he has a dream and it is with Jesus’ proclamation of these words, John ties all the threads together so the hearer knows Jesus has come to seek Israel. They are chosen to follow Jesus who is God’s Son, and will be anointed to his kingdom on the cross and live and rule eternally after his resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father in glory.  The hearer is called to see Jacob, the one who dreams and sees the ladder with the angels ascending and descending on it. But see the greater thing that Jacob’s ladder is this seemingly nothing Nazarene called Jesus who is the Lamb of God, the sacrifice for all who struggle with God because of their sin.

So as you lie down before the Lord, as you are called to come and see, as you daily die to self and sin as you let your head rest on the Rock, the Word of God proclaimed in the church, come and see yourself as Peter called to be the Rock who receives forgiveness, whom Jesus finds and calls you to follow. 

Come and see Jacob who despite being a complete weasel and heel of a person became the Father of Israel and was called Israel, one who prevails with the power of God. 

Come and see Jesus’ invitation to Nathanael, the true Israelite, the true Jacob, to see the “greater things” even better than Jacob saw in his dream. 

Come and see through John’s Gospel, who saw God the Son descend and ascend at the crucifixion to forgive, at the resurrection and ascension to reign in victory over sin as King, at the bestowal of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Come and see the irony of being a sinner and a saint.  We might live with a limp as God needs to touch each of us in our struggle with sin. Just as Jacob, Israel, and the nation he became was led and known by God, you and I too are called to follow our Lord Jesus the Christ, Son of God. 

Jesus Christ connects heaven and earth, God with man, Creator and creature, Suffering Saviour with forgiven sinner, Son of man and Son of God, teacher with those being taught, the King of Kings with you and me.

Jesus says, “Come and See! Follow me!”  The Son of God has seen you.  He came down and he found you!  He still comes down with all love and forgiveness to save you. The Holy Spirit comes down to lift us up in the Written Word, so we might know and follow Jesus, the Word made flesh. Amen.