COME AND SEE (JOHN 1:43-51)
Christianity is many things to many people. Some identify Christianity with the liberation theology and the social gospel of the 60s and 70s, when liberal priests and theologians fuse political activism with church doctrine, especially in the areas of social justice, poverty and human rights. These advocates were not beyond arming the oppressed to overthrow dictators, fight injustice and even topple governments.
Some associate Christianity with “positive thinking” of the 70s and 80s, the self-help model pioneered by Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller. Sin is a dirty word to them. Basically, Schuller defines sin as “a lack of self-esteem,” “a lack of faith,” “deep lack of trust,” or “anything that robs us of our “divine dignity.” (Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation, p. 14)
The 80s on were a fertile ground for prosperity gospel, otherwise known as the “Health and Wealth” or “Name It and Claim It” gospel, as preached by Jimmy Baker and Jimmy Swaggart in the 80s and Joel Osteen, the standard bearer in the 21st century. In a TIME poll, 17% of Christians surveyed said they considered themselves part of such a movement, and a full 61% believed that God wants people to be prosperous. 31% agreed that if you give your money to God, God will bless you with more money.
One of the most intriguing literary devices in Hebrew thought is to use parallelism. In English works, especially in poetry, it is pretty common to see the A, A1 rhyme or pattern in the next line. In Hebrew structure, however, it is common to see the structure of A, B, C followed by a reverse C1, B1, A1 structure. John 1:43-51 was written in the C1, B1, A1 structure to parallel to the previous story of Andrew. Andrew’s story begins with “Rabbi” (John 1:38) while Philip’s end with “Rabbi” (John 1:49). In the middle of two stories, Andrew and Philip say “Come and see” (John 1:39, 46). Andrew exclaimed at the end of the first story, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41) and Philip stated early in the second story, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law” (John 1:45).
Who is Jesus? What draws people to Him? Did He come to start a religion? Well, He was not the guru, rabbi, teacher or even religious founder the disciples initially had in mind.
Christianity is About the Revelation of God
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. (John 1:43-51)
The earliest telling of “The Blind Men and the Elephant” was to describe what religion was like to six different people. One of the six blind men touched the elephant’s side and described the elephant as a wall. Another stroked its tusk and said the elephant was like a spear. The third squeezed its trunk and swore it was a snake. The fourth pressed its legs and countered that the animal was like a tree. The fifth, who touched its ear, argued that it was like a fan. The last grabbed the tail and was very sure it was like a rope.
There is a crucial difference between Christianity and Buddhism, Islam and folk religions. Christianity is a revelation, not a religion. Religion is men seeking God, while Christianity is God seeking and finding men (Warfield). Men’s effort to seek and find God is an impossible task, because God is holy and man is sinful. Christianity is about revelation –God with us (Matt 1:23), the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1:14). Through the centuries and generations man, to the best of his ability, made idols and images to express his understanding of God and chase after every glimmer or possible sighting of divinity in creation, but they are like blind leading the blind. Christianity is the “religion of revelation” and “the only revealed religion.” (“Christianity and Religion, Benjamin B. Warfield) It is about God making and taking the first step to disclose and declare Himself to man.
Bethsaida is a city in Galilee, on the NE coast of the Sea of Tiberias (John 1:44; 12:21) in the north. It was the home of Peter, Andrew and Philip, and a frequent resort of Jesus. On the other hand, Bethany (John 1:28), where Jesus was baptized previously, was a mile from Jerusalem in the south. One of Jesus’ objectives traveling north was to find Philip. Philip was a blessed apostle in more ways than one; he was the only apostle Jesus came to “find” (v 43).
Philip was most impressed with Jesus. Jesus had traveled from Bethany in the south to Galilee in the north, more than 100 miles, just to look for him. In those days they traveled the old-fashioned way - by foot or by donkey. The speedier horse was out of the question.
The word “find” is a common Greek word that became an unusual theological concept. We often hear people say, “I found religion.” Shortly after I accepted Christ at 17, my church participated in Campus Crusade’s “I Found It” campaign. The campaign was spirited and resourceful, but the slogan was clumsy and misleading. In theology we understand that it was Christ who found us even though at times, limitedly and loosely speaking, it seems that we are the ones who found Him. In all other religions people look for God, but in Christianity Christ looks for us. Strictly speaking, even in the Old Testament, people could only know as much as God would reveal about Himself and His attributes through the sacrifices, the Law and the prophets, but all of God is made known in the New Testament through Jesus Christ. Further, if you notice in both instances with Andrew and now with Philip (v 44), Jesus was the one who spoke first. Previously, Jesus made contact by asking Andrew and friend a question even though they were the one who initiated following Jesus (John 1:38). Consistently, in all gospel accounts, Jesus spoke to the disciples first (Matt 4:19, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:4, John 1:38), never vice versa. The disciples were not passive but they were not seekers as such. The One true seeker of lost souls is Jesus.
Christianity is About a Relationship with Christ
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. (John 1:45-46)
There was a barber that thought that he should share his faith with his customers more than he had been doing lately. So the next morning when the sun came up and the barber got up out of bed he said, “Today I am going to witness to the first man that walks through my door.”
Soon after he opened his shop the first man came in and said, “I want a shave!” The barber said, “Sure, just sit in the seat and I’ll be with you in a moment.” The barber went in the back and prayed a quick desperate prayer saying, “God, the first customer came in and I’m going to witness to him. So give me the wisdom to know just the right thing to say to him. Amen.”
Then quickly the barber came out with his razor knife in one hand and a Bible in the other while saying “Good morning sir. I have a question for you... Are you ready to die?”
Philip wanted to reach out and witness to a friend by the name of Nathanael, who was a crude, feisty and outspoken guy. More than that, Nathanael was fiery, prejudicial and rude. He did not hear the names of Jesus and Joseph, nor did he hear about Moses and the prophets’ testimony to Jesus, but the moment he heard the city of Nazareth, he reacted with a “Ha!” attitude, followed by a right-in-your face challenge: “Can anything good come from there?”
The wise and perceptive Philip, however, refused to get into a shouting match, break down the opposition’s argument or work himself into a fever. Relationships, not rebuttals, win people to Christ. Unlike any of the apostles, he was the most easy-going person in the group. He might have heard of Jesus’ approach with Andrew and used the same method: “Come and see.” Philip did not have smart-alecky comments like Nathanael, who was not a seeker, unlike Andrew (John 1:40).
Philip wisely did not respond with an argument, a theory, a debate or a proof text. He did not feel hurt, slighted or disrespected. The new convert felt that Nathanael needed time spent with Jesus, to know and experience first-hand His love (John 13:1, 15:9, 17:23). Arguing forcefully would only win the battle but lose the war. So he responded with a challenge, too: “Come and see,” “Check it out” and “Decide for yourself.” He recognized he did not have all the answers; it was better for Nathanael to understand and know Jesus for himself.
Christianity is about the Redemption of Man
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.” (John 1:47-51)
An older couple had a son, who was still living with them. The parents were a little worried, as the son was still unable to decide about his future career. So they decided to do a small test. They put a note on the front hall table that they had left. Around the note they put a ten-dollar bill, a Bible, and a bottle of whiskey. Then they hid, pretending they were not at home. The father told his wife, “If our son takes the money, he will be a businessman, if he takes the Bible, he will be a pastor, but if he takes the bottle of whiskey, I’m afraid our son will be a no-good drunkard.” So the parents hid in the nearby closet and waited nervously. Peeping through the keyhole they saw their son arrive.
The son read the note that they had left. Then he took the ten-dollar bill, looked at it against the light, and slid it in his pocket. After that, he took the Bible, flipped through it, and put it under his arm. Finally, he grabbed the bottle, opened it, and took an appreciative whiff to be assured of the quality. Then he left for his room, carrying all three items.
The father slapped his forehead and said: “This is worse than I could ever have imagined!” “What? asked the wife. “Our son is going to be a politician!”
Nathanael was one of the sharpest, smoothest and straightest apostles. There is nothing he did not know or say. He loves nothing more than expressing his opinion for its shock value; also, the kind that has a personal opinion and the last word on everything. Jesus, however, was just as upfront as Nathanael, and he appreciated Nathanael for who he was and what he stood for.
Jesus called him an Israelite without “guile” or “nothing false” in NIV. This traditional word for “guile” or “nothing false” occurs 12 times in Greek in the Bible. NIV translates it six times as “deceit” (Mark 7:22, Acts 13:10, Rom 1:29, 1 Peter 2:1, 2:22, 3:10), twice as “sly” (Matt 26:4, Mark 14:1) and “trick/trickery” (2 Cor 12:16, 1 Thess 2:3), and once for “nothing false” (John 1:47) and “lie” (Rev 14:5). This is the same word characterizing Jesus: “He committed no sin, and no ‘deceit’ was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). In fact, Jesus commended Nathanael for being like Him – simple, not sophisticated; one who cared less about sounding cute, acting classy, or being politically correct.
Nathanel saw in Jesus someone who was like him: straight inside (zhi chang zhi du), straight to a fault, straight with no U-turn. Jesus was direct, frank and sincere. In fact, so open and honest he was even blunt, with a twist. Nathanael, however, was impressed for the wrong reason. He thought, “Finally, there is someone who totally understands me.” Jesus, however, caught him by surprise. It is not about him, it is about God: “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (v 51). Christianity is not about respect; it is about the redemption and the regeneration of a soul. It is not about God understanding and appreciating you, but you knowing and recognizing Him. Jesus did not come to be a great philosopher, your personal coach or your spiritual director.
Angels (plural), as Jesus explained it in other gospel accounts, are the harvesters at the end of the age (Matt 13:39), the gatherers of the elect (Matt 24:31, Mark 13:27), the company of Christ at his glorious coming (Matt 25:31, Mark 8:38). As in Jacob’s story, the ascending and descending part means the presence of God right now.
Conclusion: Christianity is not about righteous living; it is about reconciliation with God. Christianity is not about rules, regulations and regimen, but about relationship with the loving and dying Savior.
Have you made peace with God? Is He knocking at the door of your heart, waiting to come in? Have you accepted the Seeker and Savior of lost souls into your heart and life?
Victor Yap
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