Today’s Reading: John 1:43-51; Genesis 28:10-22; Philippians 3:1-11
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come follow me.” Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown. – John 1:43-44
Because the name Philip is not a Hebrew name, many believe that he was Greek. This shows a mix of cultures between the disciples, but it also shows that Jesus’ ministry was going to be for more than just the Jews. Because Philip was either Greek or possibly spoke Greek, he became a doorway for other Greeks to approach Jesus.
Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” – John 12:20-21
EACH OF JESUS’ DISCIPLES WERE CREATED UNIQUELY TO DRAW OTHERS TO JESUS, JUST AS WE ARE.
There was something special about Philip that gave others the opportunity to encounter Christ, just as there is something unique about you that God desires to use to draw others to Himself. The first person to find Jesus through Philip was a young man named Nathanael:
Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth!”
“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
“Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied. – John 1:45-46
There was a natural tendency for people to define others by where they have come from, the color of their skin, their family background, etc. Sounds like society today, doesn’t it? Nazareth was a small town, not famous enough to be considered a possibility for greatness. It was not well thought of, yet God chose it as the birthplace of His Son. How wonderful that God sees value in even the small, imperfect places and people!
REVALUED & RECOMMITTED
As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel – a man of complete integrity.”
“How do you know my name?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”
Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God – the King of Israel.”
Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.” – John 1:47-51
It was not just that Jesus knew where Nathanael was before he arrived, he knew who he was. It was as if Jesus was saying – Just as you know where I came from and want to judge me by my origin, I know where you came from. You are a descendant of Jacob, who was known to be scheming and deceitful, but I know that you are a man of complete integrity. And, just as Jacob dreamed of a stairway reaching to heaven with angels of God going up and down the stairway (Gen. 28:12), you will see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.
Because they were given the opportunity to encounter Jesus, the lives of these two disciples were forever changed. Philip found his value in the Son of God, and Nathaniel became aware of the Son of God’s value. They could have been content with hearing his sermons and seeing his miracles, but they chose to have a personal relationship with Jesus, and it changed the trajectory of their lives. Both of these young men RECOMMITTED their future and became full-time followers of Christ. And because of their response to the call of Jesus, the lives of others were significantly impacted.
MAY THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD THAT WE ONCE SAW AS GIVING US VALUE BE CONSIDERED WORTHLESS COMPARED TO THE INFINITE VALUE OF KNOWING CHRIST JESUS AS LORD.
Lord, I pray that each of us is able to accept our value in who you say we are; I pray we are able to see our identity in you. May we never be satisfied with knowing Jesus from a distance, but always be pursuing a closer relationship with you. Thank you for renaming me your child, redefining me with your purpose, and revaluing me according to your grace. I choose to daily recommit myself to you and faithfully remain a follower of Christ. Amen.
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! – Philippians 3:7-11