To be called on by Jesus, what an honor. Did Philip even understand how huge this was? Close your eyes for a moment and imagine Jesus saying to you, “Follow me.” I think we can all follow a little closer than we already are. Some of us might be following for the first time, like Philip.
What was Philip’s reaction? He, like Andrew, knew he had to tell someone. He found Nathanael. While Philip was all in for Jesus, the mere fact that Jesus was from Nazareth made Nathanael a skeptic. But Philip wanted his friend to see for himself, “Come and see,” was his request. Nathanael was pleasantly surprised because Jesus recognized him as an honest man.
Nathanael was also a bit surprised that Jesus knew exactly what he had just been doing. In fact, he called Jesus, the Son of God! That is quite a revelation that many who encountered Jesus did not see or understand. God revealed himself to Nathanael that day, and he, too, became a follower of Jesus.
How has God revealed himself to you? We have all, at one time or another, had moments of doubt and uncertainty in our walk of faith. Think of how many people today are separated from God because of their doubt, their disbelief, or their misunderstanding. It’s quite a tragedy to be sure.
That’s why it’s all the more important for us to take on the role of Philip and invite those who don’t know Jesus to come and see. For years, we would encourage our church family to invite their friends who didn’t have a church home. What was comfortable was to invite friends who went to another church, who already knew Jesus. It was an easy ask for them to come to visit for a special event.
While there is a lot of “kingdom shuffling” going on (that’s when people from one church move to a different church maybe for preaching or music preference), our mission is to reach the people who don’t know Jesus. Maybe they have been believers in the past but for some reason have turned their backs on God. Maybe they feel like God deserted them, when in fact we know he never does.
If you can’t think of someone in your circle of influence who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus yet, ask God to show you someone. God knows all of his children and doesn’t want a single one to be far from him. Let’s do what we can to find those who need to “come and see.”
Let’s pray. Lord, sometimes I feel like everyone around me is a believer. I know there are those on the fringes who have let their relationship with you take a back seat. May my life and devotion to you be evident to help them return to you. For those who have not met you yet or have refused a relationship, I pray you are softening their hearts to be ready for an intervention. May I know when the timing is right. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
