Beyond Belief

John 1:43-51 CEB

43 The next day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.”

46 Nathanael responded, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?”

Philip said, “Come and see.”

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”

Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are God’s Son. You are the king of Israel.”

50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these! 51 I assure you that you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up to heaven and down to earth on the Son of Man.”

Intro

This week we continue our sermon series:  Bread, Bath, and Beyond. Last week, we looked at Bread (Holy Communion) and Bath (our baptism). We were reminded that when we are incorporated into God’s kingdom through our baptism, our sins are washed away and we are called to a new way of living. This new way of living requires us to move beyond ourselves as we begin to care for others. Each time we come to the table and feast on the bread and the juice, we meet our Savior, who strengthens us for the journey that lies ahead. This week, we begin to explore Beyond, as we look to the ways we are called Beyond our own ways to the ways of God.

In our Gospel lesson this morning, we encountered Jesus calling two of his disciples. Jesus finds Philip and tells him, “Follow me.” Philip finds Nathanael. He excitedly proclaims, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael is a little skeptical because of the location from which this supposable messiah comes.

In real estate, you probably have heard the phrase “Location, location, location.” Location matters in life. Where your house is, what school district it’s in, the schools it’s zoned for, the kinds of houses that are around it…they all matter. Studies show that the location of your home growing up can predict a lot about your future. If you grow up in some areas, you’ll end up with a better outlook in life than others.

Studies show which zip codes are more likely to be a part of the school-to-prison pipeline. The factors like your race and your family background contribute to this. Those living in poverty are more likely to go to schools with fewer resources. One site named “The Pipeline encompasses the growing use of zero-tolerance discipline, school-based arrests, disciplinary alternative schools, and secured detention to marginalize our most at-risk youth and deny them access to education.” “Location, location, location.” The truth is if we are all honest with ourselves, we are all a little biased when it comes to location.

As a United Methodist Pastor, you come to realize your own biases about “location.” When one is told they are being appointed elsewhere, Google Maps is the first to be pulled up; then, if it's in diving distance, a drive-by happens as you look not just at the church but the surrounding area. They look at the parsonage specs, school specs, what food places are nearby…they’re trying to get a sense of “what kind of location is this?” Then, as you begin the appointment, you come to hear more about the area and even the biases that are inherent to an area.

In our own lives, the biases surrounding location come out as people ask us, “Where were you born? Where were you raised.” Delaware? What good comes from Delaware? All of us can understand the sentiment behind Nathanael’s question. One commentary notes that Location, location, location is not just a realtor’s mantra but is “a deeply ingrained prejudice in most of us.” We judge others based on where they live…or we are dismissive of others because of their location in life. What they wear and their social, cultural, and political “location” are all subject to our judgments.

What good can come from Republicans? Democrats? What good can come from the Muslim faith? What good can come from Congress? What good can come from the city council? What good can come from the United Methodist Church?

We all have a bit of skepticism and biases. When Nathanael asks if anything good can come from Nazareth, he is subtly making a claim about the people of Nazareth…in our world where the dividing lines between poverty and the middle class are relatively concrete, we understand this question. Those people over there who live on such and such streets, across the train tracks, or in that part of town are often subjected to nothing good that can come from them, from those kinds of people. We walk quickly to our vehicles and immediately lock them when we are in certain areas of town. We feel more comfortable in certain areas and look over our shoulders in others. I read a report recently that in some locations, Walmart and Target are even putting underwear and socks behind lock and key. What good can come from those areas of town?

Nathanael is worried about that town called Nazareth…can anything good come from those people, including Jesus? Nathanael believes that Jesus can be explained by his origins. They’re not well-regarded over there in that town, therefore, Jesus must not be very significant. I love Philip’s response; he does not refute Nathanael’s claim, he doesn’t call out his biases, he instead invites Nathanael to “come and see.”

Do you want to know what good can come from Jesus? From those people across town? From those who live across the train tracks? Do you want to get to know people instead of whitewashing them? Then you got to get up and “come and see.” You have got to be relational in nature.

This kind of work, this kind of relationality, takes time. Nathanael follows Philip with a healthy dose of skepticism when he is then greeted by the savior with an off-putting complement. “Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” While Nathanael views Christ through a one dimensional lens that judges one aspect of a person rather than the whole person. Maybe Jesus knew how Nathanael felt and decided to kill him with kindness. Maybe Jesus was being a little snarky and sarcastic, teasing Nathanael as a means of inviting him in. Regardless, Jesus looks past Nathanael’s judgmental attitude toward the good that can be seen.

In his calling of Nathanael, Jesus accepts Nathanael where he is as he is. He doesn’t try to make Nathanael into someone who he is not. Rather, God helps us as we move on our journey from one place to another, inviting us to come and see. To follow along the way as we move and grow in the community of faith. So often, people come to the church feeling judged rather than accepted. One of the top reasons people list for not wanting to come to church is the feeling that they are judged by “church people.” Yet our call is not to judge people. Our call is to meet people where they are and to accept and love them as they are. Even if they judge us, we shouldn’t judge them back. In Christ, we are recognized for who we are and invited to come along and see.

This is why the invitation to “come and see” to “follow me” is so crucial in our society today. So often, when church hurt occurs, it is magnified more than other hurt in a person’s life. Church is often the last place a person expects to be hurt, so when a community of faith or a “church person” hurts them, it leaves a lasting, resounding effect. It is natural, then, for those who have been hurt or judged by the church to ask the same question as Nathanael. “Can any good come out of the church?”

Rather than continuing to perpetuate the hurt, rather than argue, our call should be to give the same invitation. “Come and see.” Come and see a place where we talk about real things going on in the world. Come and see a place where love and acceptance are found. Come and see a place where we acknowledge the ways we fall short and have hurt one another. Come and see a place where we don’t believe alike, aren’t in the same political parties, and don’t hold the same theological beliefs. Yet we choose to come together as a part of God’s family. We choose to embody the love of Jesus of Nazareth. We choose to welcome all who God sends our way. Come and see where we try, fail, and try again. Come and join us on this journey together.

This text begs a question of us. Will we, like Nathanael, view people through one dimension of their life? A person is more than an addict, gay, straight, poor, or rich. They are people who have a story; there are many dimensions to them, and they are beloved by God. May we accept the call of Philip, to come and see. To be transformed as we meet people who are different than us. May we come and see as we are invited deeper into relationships that will change, shape, and transform us.

May we be like Nathanael, who was not stuck in his biases but willing to listen, hear, and be transformed. As one theologian notes, “This is not one of those cases where God takes a miserable sinner and turns him into a saint. This is one of those equally remarkable cases where God takes a person who is humanly praiseworthy in every way and makes of him something even more—a disciple.” May we, through the grace of God, grow in love and grace for one another and for those outside these four walls. We must be willing to come and see the belovedness of God in all people. We must be willing to move beyond our own beliefs and be transformed into disciples of Jesus Christ so that we might invite others to join us on our journey of discipleship.

Discipleship is grounded in our baptismal vows, and our call to resist evil, injustice, and oppression begins with relationality. It begins with seeing the belovedness of God in the other; discipleship calls us to examine our biases and to learn from others whose perspectives offer another view. Jesus calls us away from what we know as “home” and invites us into a new family where we are accepted regardless of our place origins, the dividing walls of judgment come crashing down, and the common ground is the table of Grace. May we, like Christ, speak hope as we speak against the biases and instead affirm the good in the other as we move beyond our biases and old beliefs and move more and more into God’s kingdom and ways.

So come and see. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.