Our Gospel this week is John 1:43-51, taken today from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).
The next day He decided to go to Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets also wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth!” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Nathanael is amazed that Jesus has seen him before he came with Philip, and calls Jesus the Son of God and King of Israel. He had been unsure when Philip said “we have found Him” but now he knows that Jesus is in fact the Messiah. While we don’t hear of Nathanael again or find his name in other lists of the disciples, it is not important who he is but rather who he says Jesus is – our Lord and savior.
We may encounter those who are unsure who Christ is, wanting to know more to support our claim of faith in Him. This is what Jesus calls us to do, to share His story and our connection to Him. We don’t need to use scholarly terms or deep theological ideas, merely a statement of our belief and what He has done in our lives.
God sent us Jesus to show His love and to ask for ours in return. Once we are in that relationship we are called to tell others about the joy we find being part of God’s work. Ask Him how you can reach out to our brothers and sisters to share that love.
Gracious God, we are grateful for the gift of Jesus and Your mercy to us. As Your forgiven children may our lives be dedicated to Your plan and Your love. Amen.