Sermon for January 14, 2024 – The Second Sunday after the Epiphany

1 Samuel 3:1-10; Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51

Come and see.

I hear this phrase, or versions of it, at least 30 times a day. 

Daddy, come and see what I made. Come and see what I am doing. Come and see this mysterious mess. Even when I am actively playing with Stephen, when he gets excited about something he calls me to look closer, to join him in his delight or curiosity. I wish I could tell you that I always respond to Stephen’s beaconing immediately with matched enthusiasm. And that does happen often. But equally as often I find his requests distracting or tiring since he does everything fully, full energy, full excitement, and expects the same of whoever is speaking or playing with him. 

This is how I imagine Phillip talking to Nathanael. With excitement, impatience, and wonder all rolled into a ball. Jesus has just asked Phillip to follow him. We don’t get to hear what Philip said in reply to Jesus. Maybe he had questions, or maybe he already knew about Jesus from others. What we do know is that after speaking with Jesus, Philip decides to become a disciple fully, with full energy and full excitement. So, when he finds his friend Nathanael and shares this good news, Philip expects Nathanael to match his excitement with his response. 

Yet, as we heard in our gospel reading, Nathanael does not respond with matched excitement, instead he responds with a judgy question. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” This is a recurring theme throughout the Gospel of John as many of Jesus’ contemporaries make the same mistake when appraising Jesus and his message. They assumed that Jesus’ origins could explain who he was, and because he was from some unknown village he could be more easily dismissed. Nathanael’s skepticism about the claims made for Jesus by his first followers allowed Jesus to suggest to Nathanael that his first impression was flawed. The aphorism, “never judge a book by its cover” comes to mind. 

A similar theme is present in our first reading today from First Samuel. There is the young Samuel, who at first mistakes the voice of the Lord for that of Eli but needs Eli’s help to realize who it really was calling him. Even when confronted with the Divine, it is possible for us to be oblivious to God’s presence in our lives, because we presume to know exactly how God will behave and communicate with us. 

Back to Nathanael… Nazareth was just a tiny village like any other in the area surrounding the much larger city of Sepphoris. Hebrew Scriptures never mentioned Nazareth or associated it with messianic expectations. Nazareth, then, lent no special status to its residents. It’s like me saying I’m from Boston, but really, I am from Waltham. Everyone has heard of Boston, but people only recognize Waltham if you have been in and around there.

So, when Philip told Nathanael that Jesus was the one of whom Moses and the prophets wrote, Nathanael concluded that Philip had to be mistaken, because Jesus was the “son of Joseph from Nazareth,” that backwater village no one has ever heard of before. In Nathanael’s mind, Jesus could be nothing more than a regular man from an insignificant village. The Messiah would certainly have more important parents and be from a more significant town. Once again, God chose to subvert our presumptions with Jesus coming from an insignificant village.

At the very beginning of the Gospel of John, this kind of assumption was alluded to, “He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.” Jesus’ opponents never accept him, because they are unwilling to see beyond appearances. Again, “never judge a book by it’s cover.” So, while Nathanael does not believe that Jesus could be the Messiah, he does listen to Philip’s call to “come and see,” and after his first interaction with Jesus, his mind is changed. 

After Nathanael proclaims that Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus responds that he will see greater signs than this. Jesus alludes to Jacob’s dream in which he saw angels ascending and descending on a ladder stretching between heaven and earth. In referencing this Hebrew Scripture, Jesus is identified not merely as a messenger from God, but as the means by which human beings can have a direct connection with God. When Nathanael has this experience as promised by Jesus, he will know Jesus as he really is -- not just the son of Joseph from Nazareth but the Word of God in the flesh. And this promise isn’t just to Nathanael. It’s to all of us, and all of the disciples that will come after us.

When reading scripture, I try to imagine myself in the story and I try to find a character to identify with. This helps me to better understand the text as a whole, and the motivations of the characters. In this gospel I see myself as both Philip and Nathanael depending on different times in my life. Maybe you do too?

My first inclination is to be like Nathanael. Skeptical of what I don’t know or what I don’t understand. Even when the stakes are low, like when my son wants me to come and see something he is excited about, I reserve my full commitment until knowing more. With Stephen’s it’s because I know he gets most excited when he has made a huge mess. It is difficult for me to join him in his excitement because I am thinking beyond the moment, anticipating the work I will need to do to clean up his mess. Any yet, perhaps if I was more present in his moment of joy, he would surprise me and help clean up without pitching a fit. 

Other times, I am like Philip. Wholeheartedly sharing my joy, excitement, or passion with others. This is how I want to be all of the time, but it takes practice. Thankfully I, and hopefully all of us, have friends like Philip who invite us to come and see. To learn or experience a new thing, to open our minds to something outside of our comfort zone. 

Like Nathanael or Samuel in our readings today, we have assumptions about God and how God interacts with the world around us. There is nothing wrong with this, as our lived experiences have helped us form these assumptions. But it is possible that our assumptions about God and God’s activity can prevent us from having authentic encounters with God in new ways. We must be ready to accept that God will work and communicate with us in ways beyond which our rational mind can fully understand.

This week, I’d like you to spend time thinking about your assumptions of God and how they have changed over the course of your life. Have there been moments or certain friends that have helped you connect with God? Are there old practices that no longer serve your relationship with a loving God that you can set down? 

And after you have spent some time thinking, I invite you to pray. Pray for yourself, for your families and friends, and pray our parish family, that we might each experience relief from our assumptions or skepticism so that we can encounter God with fresh eyes and open hearts. Amen.