Come and See

John 1:43–51 NKJV

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 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.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

John 1:43-51

How do we face skepticism? When someone seems doubtful of God, and the need for being a Christian, what is our response? How should we approach inviting others to services or bible studies? These are some important questions that we want to consider with this passage.

3 points - Imparting Enthusiasm, Simplifying our Invitation, and Having our Motive be Glory to God.

Imparting Enthusiasm - “We have found Him…”

Philip the disciple is absolutely convinced of Jesus' Messiahship.

Philip is SEEKING Nathanael to tell him about Jesus.

Philip’s belief convicts him so that he wanted to tell others about Jesus.

Note that Philip is from the fishing village of Bethsaida. If he was not a fisherman himself, he at least was familiar with the practice!

Not just the invitation, but Philip enthusiastically details the reasons WHY Jesus is the Messiah.

He points out that Jesus is who Moses and the prophets wrote about. Deuteronomy 18:15,18 ; Isaiah 9:1-7

Deuteronomy 18:15–19 NKJV

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ “And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.

This Messianic passage forms the basis in the Pentateuch of the promise of the Christ for all the people of Israel.

Moses makes clear that:

There would come a prophet from their own people.

They were commanded to “hear” this prophet in the place of the Father’s voice.

The Father would put words in His mouth. He would speak all commanded to him (a theme throughout John, incidentally)

Whomever would refuse to listen, judgment would be required of him.

Isaiah 9:1–7 NKJV

Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

This passage establishes that:

The Messiah would come from Galilee.

The Messiah would break the burdens of Israel and liberate them.

The Messiah’s power and rule would be absolute and endless.

The Messiah would sit upon the throne of David.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts would accomplish this.

He names his hometown (Nazareth) and his father (Joseph).

Likely it’s too early for Philip to know about the virgin birth, so he understands that Jesus is known as being the son of Joseph.

Despite the information, Nathanael is skeptical.

“Can any good come out of Nazareth?”

Not an unreasonable question.

Nazareth was a “backwater” place, culturally noted for its uselessness. Less than 2k people, never directly mentioned in the Old Testament or the writings of Josephus.

However, it isn’t so much a distaste for Nazareth itself that makes Nathaniel skeptical – the issue is, how could the Messiah come from such a place?

Simplifying our Invitation – “Come and see”

Philip’s invitation is plain and straightforward.

He doesn’t seek to debate Nathanael or win him over at that moment.

He simply says, “Come and see.”

Nathanael goes to Jesus

The implication is that Philip and Nathanael come to Jesus together.

Jesus takes care of the details.

Nathanael had posed a question that Philip either wasn’t able to answer, or knew that the answer would be better fielded by Jesus.

Philip doesn’t say, “your trivialization of Nazareth proves nothing. I say this man is the Messiah!”

If he had, he would really be pointing to himself.

We must leave the answers up to Jesus. We should not try to explain every single thing – let people read it and find it for themselves!

Glory to God as the Motive - “You are the Son of God!”

At seeing and hearing Jesus for himself, Nathaniel believes, and testifies of Jesus' reign.

Jesus does not rebuke Nathanael for his doubt at all, but commends him for it. “A true Israelite”! 1 Sam. 3:10

1 Samuel 3:10 Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”

Jesus shows himself to be a prophet (v.48) Zech. 3:10

Zechariah 3:10 “In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘Everyone will invite his neighbor Under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ””

Hearing this, Nathanael praises Jesus, calling Him “Son of God” and “King of Israel”.

Compare and contrast Thomas’ admission on the receipt of his own proof: John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

This is all a matter of FAITH!

Nathanael, after having heard the testimony, and seen the evidence, begins to glorify God.

He sticks with him, and becomes one of the Apostles (John 21:2)

Note Jesus’ statement: “hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Note the significance of this imagery! Gen. 28:10-22

Genesis 28:10–22 NKJV

Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Jacob goes to Haran, the original home of his grandfather Abraham.

He receives a dramatic vision that corresponds with what Jesus promises to Nathanael.

A restatement by God of the Covenant to Jacob, the first time it is given to him.

Jacob renames Luz to Beth-el - (House of God).

Note also Jacob’s “terms” with God:

Genesis 28:20–21 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.

Sometimes we find rash vows in God’s Word. This is not a rash vow, but one that is leaving the necessities up to God, as they should be. This is the model of how WE should have a relationship with God, because the “IF” part is completely removed by the fulfillment of the Messiah!

When WE say “Come and See”:

It shows our interest and enthusiasm about the work of our local congregation.

To invite others, WE must be convinced of Jesus’ Kingship, just as Philip was.

One who is selling something must communicate the need for the product. This works best when the seller BELIEVES in that product.

EVERYONE has a great need for the Gospel. Are we convinced of OUR need?

It shows restraint and self control in that we don’t aim to win an argument, but win a soul.

Let’s understand that ALL of us can be as skeptical and doubtful as Nathaniel.

How are we facing that skepticism? Are we willing to condescend with others and help them understand, or are we just preaching sermons at them?

Why can’t our invitation be as simple as “come and see”?

Certainly if there are questions, we can answer them, but we must remember – we are not trying to win an argument.

We cannot approach people outside the church with a “debate” mentality – the more we pound people into the ground, the less interest they will have in speaking to us about Jesus.

Instead of preaching to them, let’s leave it up to them and their interest level. We can’t force interest in the Gospel.

Michael Malice, an anarchist - audience asked how to discuss anarchy with friends/family. His response - “don’t, unless they’re interested.” At a certain point, the more we try to force an interest, the more we will alienate ourselves from others.

Plant seeds. Don’t beat the ground.

Remember, in the day of judgment, you must be the watchman who warned, not the watchman who said nothing!

Interest level aside, it is important to help lead and guide those who are legitimately searching and seeking – we cannot leave them alone.

The final say has to be in Christ. When it comes to matters of faith, we cannot insert our own opinion.

John 6:68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

It will yield great dividends for us as God’s People.

Faith does not always come easily. Often, we must struggle for it.