Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Thursday, 15 January 2015 - Scripture: John 1: Jesus Chooses Philip and Nathanael43-44 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, “Come with me.”
45 Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets[a] wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”
46 Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip answered, “Come and see.”
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, “Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel. And he isn’t deceitful.”[b]
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
49 Nathanael said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered, “Did you believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see something even greater. 51 I tell you for certain that you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”[c][Footnotes:
1.45 Moses and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
1.47 Israel. . . isn’t deceitful: Israel (meaning “a man who wrestled with God” or “a prince of God”) was the name that the Lord gave to Jacob (meaning “cheater” or “deceiver”), the famous ancestor of the Jewish people.
1.51 going up and coming down on the Son of Man: When Jacob (see the note at verse 47) was running from his brother Esau, he had a dream in which he saw angels going up and down on a ladder from earth to heaven (see Genesis 32.22-32).][Contemporary English Version]
"Come and see," Philip says to Nathanael. "Come and see" is the invitation to belief and belonging in John's Gospel for all who follow Jesus and take part in the ministry of gospel practice and proclamation in Galilee.
The invitation to come and see is to join Jesus as he walks in the footsteps of the poor and stands in solidarity with those who suffer from systems of injustice. By following Jesus, all disciples are asked to look with care into the eyes of the neighbor whom God loves without condition.
God of Justice, you walked among us, inviting us to follow. As we participate in your ongoing work of mission may we in turn invite others to "come and see" the work and way of life you offer. Amen.
Matthew A. Maas
Pastor/Chaplain, Swedish Medical Center
Seattle, Wash.
Master of Divinity , 2010
John 1:43 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 about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth."
46 Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!"
48 Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49 Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! 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 And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."[The Revised Standard Version]
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