JOHN 1:43-51 KINGDOM HOSPITALITY

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Like Andrew following Jesus and immediately going and inviting Peter to come to Jesus, Philip is called by Jesus and finds Nathanael and invites him to “Come and see.” Although Peter and Nathanael are very different people, Jesus identifies each specifically and enters into conversation with them. Jesus describes Nathanael as a man who has an inquiring but open mind. His doubt about Nazareth is an honest one. After all, the Messiah was to be of the line of David which meant that he should be from Bethlehem, or at least Judah. So Jesus contrasts Nathanael with the deceitful Jacob and the Jewish authorities he will later encounter. He is the true Israel, the renamed Jacob, teachable and not deafened by his prejudice or self-interest. Through this conversation Nathanael comes into a personal relationship with Jesus and is promised the further revelation of the kingdom given to all true disciples.

Faith in Jesus Christ is not given for the purpose of personal enlightenment or for the establishment of a spiritual elite. Faith means following Jesus and doing what Jesus does. He came to invite people into a right relationship with God and to make that relationship possible. His opening the way for that relationship was done once for all, but as his disciples we are to continue his work of inviting others to enter God’s kingdom. Our work is the work of hospitality, a work that is best done at the level of individual relationships. Our message is, “Come and see.”

Dear Lord, even today you call your disciples to follow you. Help me to understand what it means to follow you. May I always be honest with my questions, but open to your answers. Give me the ears to hear and the heart to act on what I hear. Empower me to live a life marked by hospitality, the practice of knowing and inviting people to come to you. Amen.