Tuesday, April 29, 2025
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him. “Come and see,” Philip answered. Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered. “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!” Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” Then he said, “Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1:43-51
A Special Invitation
Just the day before Jesus asked the question, “What are you looking for?” to two disciples that were with John the Baptist. One of those disciples was Andrew who then went and got his brother, Simon, and introduced him to Jesus. The next day, Jesus finds Philip, who was from the same hometown as Andrew and Peter, and says, “Follow me.” Philip went and found his friend Nathanael and told him about Jesus. Nathnael doubted that anything good could come from Nazareth which was a common prejudice about Nazareth at the time. Philips reply was “Come and see.”
Jesus’ invitation to Philip to come and see became Philip’s invitation to Nathanael to come and see. When Nathanael pushed back because of prejudices he didn’t argue with Nathaneal, he just invited him to come and see for himself. Philip was excited knowing that he had truly met the Messiah - the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth. When Jesus knew things that no one could possibly know, he is convinced.
Philip is a simple example of what it means to share our faith. He simply invites others to come and see, to experience for themselves who Jesus is, the same way he was invited to see. That is what Jesus asks of us - invite others to come and see.
We are extended this great invitation in to come and see who Jesus is and what he has done. We walk with him, stepping where he steps, living and loving like he does. His invitation becomes our invitation to others. We can share what he has done in our lives and what our faith means to us. Not only do we share this faith by our words but also by the way we live. Our whole life is an invitation to those around us. What are we inviting them to? What do others see when they look at your life?
