The First Disciples Series

But there is an interesting element in the calling of Philip. One commentator (Milne) noted that in most religions and in Judaism - the student would seek out the teacher. But here - Jesus is the one that is doing the calling. Jesus is the one that initiates.

There is a sense in which none of us truly seek out Jesus. The bent of our hearts are angled away from Him. But, as we walk through life and experience pain, as we encounter someone who introduces elements of the faith to us like, or as we observe the faith of others - these experiences become like pebbles in our shoes, we are drawn to bend down and take time to investigate this discomfort - to remove the pebbles, as Kevin DeYoung might say, - only to find that it is the Holy Spirit of God who is using these circumstances to draw us to Jesus - calling us to investigate (DeYoung - podcast).

So, if you are not yet a follower of Christ, have you really taken time to consider the pebbles that he has been placing in your spiritual shoes? It could be that he is calling you to walk with him, to learn from him, to be with him for eternity.

So Jesus sees Philip along the way to Galilee and calls him to follow.

John 1:45 “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.””

Now, we don’t know exactly what Philip had heard from Jesus or the other followers, but it was clearly enough for him to being to connect the dots between the writings of moses and the prophets - recognizing that Jesus is the one they wrote about. He doesn’t give him a special title, but simply calls him Jesus of Nazareth - the Son of Joseph.

I love what happens next.

John 1:46 “Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.””

I guess that Nazareth was not highly respected. Nathanael may not have been speaking from any biblical knowledge, but rather from a social prejudice. Some commentators suggest that Nazareth did not have a great reputation. Philip simply urges him to press beyond his prejudices and observe.

FF Bruce notes in his commentary (as quoted by Carson)

The Gospel according to John (4. Jesus Gains Two More Disciples, Philip and Nathaniel (1:43–51))

‘Honest inquiry is a sovereign cure for prejudice. Nazareth might be all that Nathanael thought, but there is an exception to prove every rule; and what an exception these young men had found!’

I have heard that at different times people have viewed our church with some suspicion. Some have felt judged, others have been hurt by words that have been poorly spoken, others feel that we are bigoted. whats worse is that all of those things may or may not have been true of our church. It pains me to think that there may have been actions or words that have misrepresented Christ. Especially words that I may have said - after all, we can only control what comes out of our mouths. As you interact with folks who may have preconceived ideas about our church or about baptist churches as a whole, let me encourage you to respond the way that Philip did - encourage them to “come and see” to check it out. “Honest inquiry is a sovereign cure for prejudice.” We are not and never will be perfect - but we are, individually and collectively, in a refining process. I hope that we can allow people to see the work that God is doing in and through us.