Gathering Disciples ...

In the gospel of John, chapter one, and in verse 38, John records the first verbal exchange he and Andrew had with Christ.  As they began to follow Him, Jesus turns to them and says … “What seek ye”?  A very good question for them, but also for us; what do you want from God?  Our first responses are often like those of a child talking to a mythical Santa Clause; we begin with a list of things (often material) that would make our lives “better”.  Then as we catch a breath, we realize we might just be being a bit greedy, so perhaps we begin to ask for things (again often material), for others who we know and love.  Then when our list is winding down, we begin to think about spiritual things and maybe what we might need in those areas.  How much different would be our relationship if the first answer that sprang to mind was … “save me from all the evil that lies within me”.  What if what we wanted more than anything else was to truly be saved from ourselves?  What if our highest ambition was to be fully transformed into the perfect image or reflection of the God we stood before?  This accomplished, no material thing in the world would matter again.  This accomplished, the length of our lives in this world would be irrelevant.  This accomplished, our very next thought would no longer be for ourselves, but for those we love, and now, for those who refuse to love us.  The question appeared to surprise the two would-be disciples and the best answer they could think of on the spot was … “Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, as Master), where dwellest thou”?  That’s it!?  You want to know where He lives?  His address? 

But our Savior in His tender mercy, does not ridicule their answer, nor give them the brush off, nor reject their attempts to follow Him.  As He does with us, when our prayers and requests are far from perfect, He accepts them anyway.  And with a tone of love in His voice, He responds to them … “Come and see”.  And they went and spent the day with Him.  It was only one day.  But it was one day in the literal presence of God on earth.  And for both of them, one day was all that was needed.  It took only that long for Andrew to decide that his brother Simon (later called Peter) needed to come and follow Christ.  What Andrew was actually proposing to his brother was a radical idea, whether back then, or even now in modern times.  Andrew was not asking his brother to take a part time job, so he could study scriptures in the evenings as time permits, and when it was convenient.  Andrew was literally asking his brother to drop everything, quit your job, give up all assurances you won’t starve to death.  Leave your family behind, leave every other responsibility you have in this world, and at present trust me, I have found the Messiah all Israel has been waiting for.  In essence, Andrew asked his brother to give up his entire life, and begin a new one.

Simon Peter was not rich.  He had no mansions to dispose of, or tax shelters to wrangle out of.  But he did have a life he was familiar with.  He made enough money to eat, cloth himself, and take care of his family.  It was something to him, like our lives are something to us.  But perhaps based on the fervor in the eyes and expression of Andrew, Simon knew he had to check this out.  Andrew brought him to Jesus, but before he could introduce him to Jesus, He called him out by name.  And what is more He gave him a new nickname, “a stone” or perhaps better interpreted “a pebble”.  Simon Peter must have liked the idea, and he stayed, leaving as Andrew had proposed his entire former life behind, in exchange for the complete unknown of following this Son of Man.

The next day, Jesus went into Galilee into the same home town of Andrew and Simon Peter and found Phillip.  And in verse 43 Christ calls out to Phillip and says … “follow me”.  To me this is the essence of our Lord and our Gospel.  Those who, what looks like on their own, are seeking God – find Him.  John and Andrew found Christ because they were looking for Him at the side of John the Baptist.  Christ accepted them as followers.  Simon Peter was called by his brother, and came to Jesus based on the words and witness of one who he trusted, even though up to then, he had no personal experience with Jesus.  But Jesus accepted him as well.  Phillip however, was at home going about his daily routines.  He had no one to call him into service, he had no expectations to meet the Messiah.  But Phillip was about to have the best day of his life, when out of nowhere, comes the God of the Universe, to ask him specifically to … “follow me”.  Whether it is we who are looking for God, we who will find God through the testimony of another, or we who find God because God is looking for us – there is no distinction on the part of God to accepting us into His service.  Phillip, being called, did not delay, he immediately followed.

Phillip knew in less time than it took Andrew, who it was who called him.  His first thought was to call his brother as well.  So in verse 45, Phillip calls to Nathaniel his brother and says … “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  Phillip appeared to know this in an instant.  That is the mark of being touched by the Holy Spirit, to find wisdom in a spiritual matter that you had no inherent reason to know.  Phillip did not hedge his bets.  He did not say it “might” be him.  He did not appear to doubt, and perhaps in a further rebuke to the priests of his day, Phillip cited the very patriarch of their religion Moses, and all the prophets who followed, as the evidence that this was the Messiah.  Nathaniel however, was a skeptic.  Nathaniel would have made an excellent modern day American Christian.  For his first response was … “can any good thing come from Nazareth?”

Nathaniel felt like Nazareth was the Harlem of his day, a neighborhood known more for crime than for accomplishment.  Given that Jesus was supposed to have come from such a wicked place, how could he be the one they were looking for?  For Nathaniel where you come from mattered.  Phillip does not ridicule him for his response.  He does not judge his brother harshly, or rebuke his lack of faith and trust in pretense.  Instead, with a faith in Christ that could have only originated outside of himself, having just met Jesus only a little while ago, he responds … “come and see”.  I doubt Phillip knew he was actually quoting the words the Savior Himself used with Andrew and John only a day ago.  But those words imply Phillip had no doubt about who he was following, and he knew too, when Nathaniel saw for himself, he would be convinced.

Jesus, knowing all things, decides to give Nathaniel a boost in his faith, and seeing him coming he declares to those around Him … “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”  A rather nice compliment, but as Nathaniel is quick to perceive, you would have to know me for quite a while, in order to know I am an honest man in my dealings.  Nathaniel challenges this new Jesus in verse 48 … “Whence knowest thou me?”  So when did we meet, and how do you what kind of person I am.  Jesus responds with an answer only God could know.  It is clear these two have never met.  It is clear Nathaniel is trying to call out Jesus by challenging Him in how He might know what He is talking about.  But the answer Jesus offers is a private one to Nathaniel.  For only Nathaniel knew where he poured out his own heart to God in prayer.  He did this only when he was alone.  He did not pray in the temple and under the spectacle of a public audience.  Instead he sought solitude before he came to God to confess the private thoughts and feelings of his heart.  He craved solitude to do this and he had found a private spot where he knew he would be alone when he did it.

Verse 48 continues … “Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.”  Jesus was saying directly to Nathaniel, something private, that only Nathaniel would understand; you sir, were praying to me, I am the God who heard your words under that tree when you were alone to pray.  The rest of the disciples might have simply thought that Jesus had seen Nathaniel before, or had encountered him some time in the past.  Nathaniel knew this was not the case, and knew that only God could know what Jesus knew.  In verse 49 Nathaniel responds to Jesus saying … “Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”  Nathaniel first acknowledges Christ as the Son of God.  He marks His divinity first, as he knows the private answer Christ has given, having heard the prayers of Nathaniel.  He then proceeds to reveal he shares the common misconception that the Messiah is there to restore the kingship to Israel.

Jesus responds in verse 50 saying … “Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.”  He continues in verse  51 … “And He saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”  In a subtle way, Jesus turns the attention away from the misconception about which Kingdom He is here to establish, and points them forward to His ultimate ascension into heaven where they who were gathered there would all be a witness to.  At the same time Jesus confirms His divinity by stating that Angels would be attending to Him, and that indeed He saw Nathaniel where no one else knew he went to pray.  Jesus also addressed Nathaniel’s skeptism, by saying to him, “thou shalt see …”.  If Nathaniel must see to believe, as his brother Phillip had responded when he first challenged the Messiah, Christ lets him know, there is far greater things which he will see as they move along together.  Nathaniel had already been convinced.

The lesson is perhaps more for us.  It is Christ who hears the desperate prayers of our hearts, no matter where we are when we give them voice.  He hears them even when they are nothing more than thoughts in our brains.  There is no privacy when it comes to us and our God.  There was never supposed to be the need for privacy, as an intimate relationship was always the intent of our God with us.  Our nakedness was never a barrier to spending time with God, nor was our union between man and woman in the sacred vows of marriage.  Our God desires to be with us at all times, and is unashamed to call us His children, despite what we do, and what we desire.  His goal is to see us freed from our sins and bondage to pain and evil.  His goal is to see us restored to the perfection He intended.  Therefore Jesus points out to Nathaniel and to us, is it HE who hears our prayers when we think ourselves alone.  It is HE who meets the needs of our hearts, and longs to show us His great love for each of us.  It is HE who values the prayers of a single person, and knows us better than we know ourselves.  This is the lesson of the discipleship of Nathaniel, despite our skepticism, Christ is still here to save and redeem us.

All throughout these first few encounters, our responses to God are far from perfect.  We come with the baggage of our own misconceptions about the interpretation of scripture and the mission of the Messiah.  Yet our God is patient with each of us.  He does not rebuke our lack of faith, or judge us as we deserve.  He does not cast our efforts aside, or reject our service because of our imperfections.  He did not tell a single person who wished to follow Him, that they were not welcome.  Only Phillip had been directly called to that point in time, yet 4 others were there and welcomed as well.  Even in the earliest part of his ministry, while he was still gathering disciples, Jesus was not condemnatory, judgmental, or requiring that his followers have a perfect understanding of truth.  Instead He was happy to welcome them into a collective mission to redeem mankind, a service oriented mission in which they would be a part.  This is the mission, in which He still welcomes us today.  Christ knew then, as He knows now with us, a perfect understanding of truth can only happen as we spend more time with Him.  Only then will our errors and misconceptions about scripture, be corrected in the face of the love of Christ.  It is with Him that truth can be revealed, for He is truth.  It is we who are changed and molded by the encounter.