David Bahn – Reflections

John 1:43-51

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 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.” ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”⁵⁰ Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Jesus’ invitation to Philip was simple: “Follow me.” Doing it was not simple. Whether the challenge was to stay true to Christ, to understand the deeper truths of Jesus’ mission, or to retain their focus on the things of God: there were always challenges and difficulties along the way. Following Jesus when he went into the boat for a trip across the Sea of Galilee started simply enough. Following him in faith and confidence when the waves crashed and the winds blew was not so easy.

So it should not surprise us when our Sunday morning Christian confession of faith is challenged in the throes of Monday office politics, Wednesday girl’s night out, or Thursday’s financial decision-making processes. Sometimes it is a matter of simply remembering that our Christian faith touches every facit of life; it’s not just a slice of the pie, or a nice-t0-have life decoration. At other times it is a matter of resisting the temptation to go with the flow that leads away from Jesus’ path. Then there are those tasty-looking, wisdom-offering, fun-promising detour opportunities that present themselves daily.

Perhaps it will be helpful to keep in mind Jesus’ promise to Nathaniel. Not only did Jesus provide a strong affirmation to him and a clear commendation (“an Israelite in whom there is no guile”), he told Nathaniel that he would see heaven opened and angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Whatever that means, it is a vision of future glory afforded to and by Jesus that shows how worthy Jesus is to be followed. Tomorrow I will follow up on that vision. For today, however, I will content myself with the simple but challenging task of following Jesus.