This is a copy of my talk given at Ayia Kyriaki and Saint Stephen’s in the Anglican Church of Paphos on Sunday 6 October 2024. The Bible reading was John 1:43-51. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father
I thank You for Your word
By the power of the Holy Spirit
May You speak to my heart
And change my life
In the precious name of Jesus I pray
Amen.

Introduction

Jesus has left the Judean desert in the south, where he had met John the Baptist, vs43-46: The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.’

As we look closer at this passage today, we encounter three types of people, the: Faithful Follower, Sincere Seeker and Powerful Persuader.


1) Faithful Follower

You can’t have a better description of what it means to be a Christian than the simple command ‘follow me’. Philip knows that Jesus is a saviour to be followed. And since Jesus is in the seeking business, we, as his followers, are to be like him in this respect too. And Philip models this perfectly – the follower of Jesus automatically becomes an evangelist for Jesus.

Philip knows that Nathanael as someone who is religious and spiritually minded who could do with meeting the one who will be the fulfilment of his search for spiritual truth. Philip isn’t dreaming of winning his whole town for Jesus or immediately signing up for some overseas missionary programme. He begins with someone he knows.  And that is exactly where we are to begin. And given that we know something about them, to think of the best ways of sharing our faith with them.

Now you may think that there is nothing exceptional about you which qualifies you to do such a thing – surely it is the job of the clergy to do this? But there was nothing exceptional about Philip except that he was a faithful follower of Jesus and that is all the qualification needed.


2) Sincere Seeker

It is obvious from how the story unfolds that Nathanael loves his Old Testament and so that is to be the starting point for Philip. If Nathanael is to be persuaded at all to follow Jesus then he must be convinced that it is Jesus who fulfils all that the Old Testament looks forward to. And Philip shares that conviction too, so he says, vs45: “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Moses said that one day the prophet would come, even greater than him. The prophets spoke of a Messiah, a king greater than David, the greatest king of them all. They spoke of a Servant who would offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the people to bring men and women back into a relationship with God. Well, that prophet, priest and King has now come, said Philip, we have met him, and his name is Jesus.

Now Philip doesn’t come over as some theological intellect who can dazzle with blindingly brilliant arguments or religious jargon. He comes over as someone who knows three things:

  1. He knows his friend and his love of the Old Testament.
  2. He knows enough of what the Bible says to make a connection between what he has read and what he has experienced in Jesus.
  3. He personally knows Jesus. It is his grasp of some biblical fundamentals that is the bridge from the one to the other- introducing his friend to the Lord Jesus.

And likewise, it would be helpful if we, too, have a grasp of the basics of the Christian faith if we are going to be of service to others – especially those who are sincere seekers.


3) Powerful Persuader

Don’t be easily put off – Philip wasn’t, vs46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.’ Nathanael came from Cana, a nearby Galilean village, so there may be a bit of competitive banter going on – Sunderland vs Newcastle!

In Nathanael’s mind, Nazareth (a bit like Newcastle!) was a nothing place. Religiously, it had nothing going for it at all. It doesn’t even get a mention in the Old Testament – it is Bethlehem not Nazareth, which is the place of promise.

To admit that you come from Nazareth and then, to add insult to injury as does Philip by speaking of Jesus as the ‘son of Joseph’, you have already blown your credibility. No prophet comes from Nazareth. No King can possibly come from the man the locals know as ‘the carpenter’ – Joseph, who used to hang doors in our village. Hence the derisive snort of Nathanael ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’ And who can blame him? He has logic on his side. He has Scripture on his side – or so he thinks.

Now we have to admit that the put down of a friend can be one of the most difficult things to handle emotionally. To be accused of ‘being religious’, of ‘Bible bashing’ can be devastating. That is when you want to find a hole to crawl into or change the subject as quickly as possible. But not Philip. He didn’t panic. He doesn’t go home. He does something else to try to persuade him. He simply says ‘Come and see’ for yourself. He didn’t say, as we might: ‘Go and see’ but, ‘Come and see’. He simply says ‘Come and see’ for yourself.

I know many people who are petrified at the thought of entering into a church for the first time. I can’t imagine how nervous I would feel going into a betting office to place a bet.  I haven’t done that for 40 years.  I’d be terrified and so I understand something of how people may feel about coming to church. When you invite someone, offer to pick your friend up and come along to the meeting with them – offer moral support.

A survey was conducted amongst Christians in the UK to discover what single factor was decisive in their conversion and coming to faith in Jesus. The results were as follows:

  1. The influence of a particular church over a period of time – 28%
  2. The influence of members of one’s own family – 26%
  3. The influence of Christian friends – 20%
  4. A specific evangelistic event or activity – 13%.
  5. Others (Baptism/Wedding/Funeral) – 13%

It’s quite significant that 74% of people become Christians over a period of time as a result of learning about the Christian faith through church, family or friends. In other words, evangelism/sharing our faith involves the long haul and not the quick sprint. And this should be a great encouragement when it comes to our desire to see those we love trusting in Jesus and it should inspire us to be ‘links in the chain’ in the faith journey of others. As Bishop Sean reminded us last week

The Christian seed is sown through the ministry of the Church; through mission agencies and charities that work alongside the Church; but also simply through Christians living a distinctive lifestyle inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit; a lifestyle that is marked by Christlike qualities of selflessness, service, forgiveness, and love. Remember that you may be the only bible that some people will ever read!


Conclusion

So, what happens to the sincere seeker? Vs47-49: When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

The name Nathanael means: ‘God has given’ and in God’s providence his name plays its part in the unfolding of John’s Gospel. And so right near the beginning of this account of the life of Jesus, Nathanael is to be the recipient of the God who gives. And notice how Jesus relates to Nathanael – he really does understand and appreciate his character, vs47: “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”

This is not the flattery of a used car salesperson but the genuine insight of someone who knows us better than we know ourselves. But what does Jesus mean when he describes Nathanael as a ‘true Israelite in whom there is no deceit.’? Obviously, he has his character off to a ‘T’ because Nathanael replies, ‘How do you know me?’ The equivalent of us saying, ‘I’m sorry, have we met somewhere before?’

Well, Jesus knows by what can only be supernatural knowledge that Nathanael is a reader of Scripture – that is what is behind the saying, vs48:  ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.’   A reminder that Jesus sees the potential in people that we sometimes don’t. A reminder that Jesus sees the potential in uus, that we don’t.

So, what do we say to our non-Christian friends, family, neighbours? What Philip said: ‘Come and see.’ What does God say to you if you are serious about life: ‘Come and see.’ What does God say to those who are looking for the answers to the questions of life?  ‘Come and see.’

Why? Because Jesus is a Saviour to be followed. He is the one who has the words of eternal life. He is the one who gives us life in all its fulness.

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author, Revd Paul A. Carr. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name.