Pondering John 1:40-51.
What happens after a day spent with Jesus?
For Andrew, after spending such a day, the very first thing he did was find his brother, Simon Peter, tell him about Jesus and take him to meet the long awaited Christ.
Why does a follower of Christ feel so compelled to share Jesus? I’ve asked myself that question more than once. We all have an ongoing struggle to let go of our selfish nature. It tries to convince us to keep good things for ourselves. So why do I want to share Jesus? If the world would only ask that same question. Why do believers want to share? It makes absolutely no sense, unless the good news is so amazing that we can’t possibly hoard it or even better, because it is an invitation that originates from God Himself.
The next day, Jesus found Philip and said, “Follow me.” To follow someone indicates your agreement to submit to their leadership. Where they lead, you follow. Simple as that—Jesus invited, Philip followed.
Philip then found Nathanael and told him all about Jesus. However, his invitation was met with skepticism and prejudice. And that kind of response to our good news can sting, can’t it? So I especially love Philip’s response. He didn’t argue or debate. He didn’t try to defend Jesus. And he didn’t back down. He countered with a simple offer, “Come and see.” In my Bible, beside this response I wrote, “This is apologetics at its best.”
Come and see for yourself. Step into the life of Jesus and just see. What have you got to lose? When believers invite others to know Jesus, we recognize that each person must have their own personal experience with Him. I once had a skeptical friend tell me that if one day she met Jesus in heaven, she would just tell Him that she was my friend. All I could do for the first few seconds was laugh. I told her that statement would get her absolutely nowhere. She needed to know Jesus for herself.
This is my heart. “Come and see.” It’s what I want to say to everyone who feels hopeless, to everyone who thinks they don’t matter, to everyone who thinks there has got to be more to this life and to everyone who thinks they don’t have a need at all. Come and meet my Jesus.
I realize that many of you already love Jesus and follow Him. You may be reading this because you will grab any opportunity to know Him better. But if anyone reading is a bit of a skeptic or has preconceived ideas about Jesus, I implore you to respond, “I’ve got nothing to lose. So sure, I’ll come along and consider what is written about Jesus.” Great things might happen. More than you can imagine! That’s part of my story.
When Nathanael approached Jesus, Jesus revealed that He already knew Nathanael’s heart and thoughts. God sees us before we see Him. This personal, intimate encounter led to profound recognition of who Jesus is…the Son of God, the King. And that led to a promise of seeing greater things.
Jesus informed Nathanael that He saw him under a fig tree long before Philip had shared the good news with him. Perhaps Nathanael had been studying Scripture (Rabbis used the fig tree analogy to describe meditating on Scripture). And perhaps he had been pondering Genesis 28. I think he may have been doing all of these things but it really doesn’t matter. Jesus revealed that He saw and knew Nathanael in a way that astounded Nathanael. Nathanael listened as Jesus used Genesis 28:12 to reveal Himself, the Son of Man, as Jacob’s ladder. Jesus would be the ladder from earth to heaven, the connection to God.
Four men all decided to follow Jesus because of different experiences.
Andrew heard John the Baptist preaching about Jesus and wanted to get to know Jesus personally.
Peter was invited by Andrew to meet Jesus.
Philip received a personal invitation from Jesus.
And Nathanael had a miraculous encounter.
I love that about God. He invite and He invites in different ways. In my immediate family of three, one of us was drawn to a living relationship with Jesus through Bible study, one through a mission trip and one through community. And we had to each make our own rsvp. I’m forever grateful for the invitations.
Questions to ponder:
Will I consider what is written about Jesus?
On a daily basis, what is my response to the invite to follow Jesus (remember that part above about submitting to His leadership)?
Why do I want to share Jesus with others? What keeps me from sharing Him?
debponders 