January 27, 2023
Nathanael’s Defining Moment
“Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:46 (NASB)
I can remember the day I came to faith in Jesus Christ. Hearing a sermon from a pastor in church, I didn’t hear much if I’m honest. What I did hear was the invitation to come at the end of the service. As he closed his message, the pastor invited those to come receive Christ’ forgiveness. I came. I remember leaving my seat. Suddenly I was standing in front of the pastor. He asked me if I had a decision to share. I told him I heard him say I was going to hell without Jesus’ forgiveness. I didn’t want that, and it scared me. God showed me that day what lie ahead in my present condition. He shared with me God’s plan to salvation. That day I came to faith in Jesus Christ. I had to come first though.
Phillip came to invite Nathanael to visit Jesus one day. Nathanael said, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” There seems to be some scorn in this question. Maybe the town had a bad name with town rivalries. Nathanael must have thought, I haven’t heard of prophet coming from that region of Galilee. This same type of questions came when Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees as well. In John 7:52, the Pharisees respond: “They answered him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.” Later, even Jesus Himself was rejected by those in the Nazareth synagogue in Luke 4:28-29. Matthew 13:58 records a sad indictment of those in Nazareth, “And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.” They would not come to receive the greatest gift mankind could ever receive. But even the youngest followers of Jesus knew how to respond. They told Nathanael to come. Phillip had used the same method on Nathanael that Jesus did with Andrew and John. Perhaps he didn’t even know it. Wise is the one who knows how to deal with the skeptic. He calls the person to “come and see.” Jesus is the only One who opens skeptics eyes.
Each person today has this invitation to come to Jesus. This takes some action on our part though. It takes a person face to face with His Maker and recognizing his sinful condition before a holy God. It is not made with just simply accepting truths about someone without ever coming to Him. This type of belief is termed “Easy Believism,” which is defined as: “Easy believism,” as I am using this term, refers to a position held by those who define saving faith purely as intellectual agreement with the statement, “Jesus is the Son of God, and He promises eternal life to all who believe in Him.”[1] Coming to Jesus in faith is not about “intellectually agreeing that Jesus is the Son of God, and He promises eternal life to all who believe in Him.” I might intellectually agree with someone, but it doesn’t guarantee that I have come. Coming is by faith alone, in Christ alone. Coming is placing all my faith in One Person. Jesus.
Nathanael would come to know Jesus. He didn’t do it by just agreeing with Him though. It came through a lasting relationship that was marked by trusting in faith. Only by this way did he come. Jesus calls you to come to Him today. Come when you need salvation; come when you’re thirsty; come when you’re tired; come when you need encouragement; come when you need direction. Just come.
[1] https://faith.edu/faith-news/a-critique-of-easy-believism/