Readings:
1 Samuel 3.1–10,
Psalm 139.1–5, 12–18,
Revelation 5.1–10,
John 1.43–end 

Collect:
Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Reflection

In our gospel reading this week, we hear about the disciple Philip, and the call of Jesus on the lives of ordinary people like him. At this point in time, Philip was not an eloquent or educated man, yet he knew what he had found, indeed who he had found in Jesus, and went and told Nathanael. He could not answer Nathanael’s cynical comment, “can anything good come from Nazareth?”, but simply said – come and see.

I wonder how many people reading this and worshipping in one of our congregations do so now because a friend said to them ‘I can’t answer all your questions about Jesus, but come and see’.

What was it that was so special about Jesus? Our passage from Revelation, obscure though most of it may seem, contains two, key verses that sum it all up, referring to the risen Christ.

‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth.’

This reading highlights the authority of Jesus to ‘open seals’ securing heavenly documents, and his completed work to save an international group of disciples for eternity. He grants them spiritual authority to serve God in the world, and to be channels between God and people to bring them to him: if effect to say, ‘come and see’.

This is the Jesus who Philip meets and follows. He leads Nathanael to him when he says come and see. And Nathanael responds. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great German pastor who died at the hand of the Nazis, has this to say about the call and authority of Jesus:

It is Jesus who calls, and because it is Jesus, they follow at once. This encounter is a testimony to the absolute, direct, and unaccountable authority of Jesus. 

Jesus summons us to follow him not as a teacher or a pattern of the good life, but as the Christ, the Son of God. 

Christ calls; we are to follow.

The timid Philip, after Pentecost, became a gentle yet dynamic evangelist for Christ, and we read much of him in Acts, far more than in John’s gospel. The transformation on his life was electrifying. His call was sure and secure, taking him to all sorts of unexpected places and people at the direction of the Holy Spirit. He wholeheartedly followed the call.

Let’s take a brief look at his spiritual development…

At the feeding of the 5000 he is recorded as saying to Jesus, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (John 6:7)

At the last supper he said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:8,9)

But after Pentecost…

The [church] chose [seven deacons]: Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas. (Acts 6:5)

Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. (Acts 8:5)

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem

 to Gaza.” So he started out, and … met an important official … of the queen of the Ethiopians. … The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” (Acts 8:26-28). Philip duly obeys and the official becomes a disciple, who ultimately takes to gospel to Ethiopia.

And finally…

… [Luke and others] reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. [9] He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. (Acts 21:8-9)

That must have been an exciting household to live in!

Jesus called his disciples with authority, and they followed because of that. We may not be called to be a Philip, but we are each one of those kingdom and priests serving our God (Rev 5:10) with the call to say to those we meet, ‘come and see’ Jesus.

How can we resist such a call? Spend a moment reflecting on Jesus’ call on your life. What response will you make to the call to follow the Son of God?

Dave Talks