A Sermon: Getting to Know You

John 1:43-51  NRSV

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18, NRSV

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
³ You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it.

13  For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
¹⁵     My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
    all the days that were formed for me,
    when none of them as yet existed.
¹⁷ How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
    I come to the end—I am still with you.

Recently one of my friends was having a group of us over for dinner.  Another friend offered to pick me up.  As we were eating, that friend said, “I wanted to ride together to make sure you came.”  We all laughed.  These friends know me and know that I can be a fickle introvert, especially in winter.  She asked later if it hurt my feelings.  It did not! I told her it felt good to be known so well.

Who knows you? Who do you let see the real you? Who do you let see the most vulnerable parts of you?  Being vulnerable is easier for some of us than others. Being vulnerable is risky, because it opens you up to being hurt.  However, being known is a gift.  Sometimes we put up walls and defenses so that people cannot get to know the “real” us.

In this first chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus returns to Galilee after meeting John the Baptist.  He calls Simon and Andrew.  Then he finds Philip, and invites him by saying, “follow me.”  Philip then goes to Nathaniel, seemingly excited because he says, “we have found him about whom Moses in the laws and also the prophets wrote about.”  Nathaniel is understandably incredulous.  Could Philip have really found this person?  Maybe he’s crossed his arms, rolled his eyes.  Maybe it’s a defense mechanism, because he is afraid to believe it.  Can anything good come out of Nazareth? 

We don’t know much about Nazareth, other than we think it is a small agricultural town.  It is not known for anything, and maybe that is not where Nathaniel is expecting a Messiah to come from. It is never mentioned in the Old Testament. Rather than argue, Philips invites Nathaniel to “come and see” for himself.  “Come and see” is the best evangelism tool we have.  We invite people to get to know Jesus for themselves.  We invite them to come to church to see what God is doing among us.  We say come and see, as we invite people to serve alongside us.  Then they too can know the joy of being a follower of Jesus and God’s abundant love for us. 

Despite his doubt, Nathaniel goes.  Perhaps his curiosity is piqued, perhaps there is a part of him that is hopeful.  When Jesus sees him, he compliments him, and Nathaniel’s incredulity returns, even if he might have been flattered by the description.  “Where did you get to know me?” he asks.

Jesus’ answer is that he saw him under the fig tree, and Nathaniel believes. It made me wonder what happened under the fig tree.  I learned that fig trees were often used as places of prayer, especially for rabbinical students.  Praying for the Messiah was a regular part of a believer’s prayer life. Does Jesus know that Nathaniel was praying for the Messiah, and that is why Nathaniel believes?  Because Jesus knew about his prayer?  Under a fig tree is also a Jewish idiom meaning study of the Torah.

 If Nathaniel is amazed that Jesus knows him, he will continue to be amazed as he follows Jesus.  Jesus basically tells Nathaniel, “you ain’t seen nothing yet. ”There is no end to what God can do, and Jesus tells him that he will see the heavens opened up. 

What do you know about Jesus?  The Gospel of John is all about revealing who Jesus is.  In this brief passage we learn that Jesus is who Moses and the prophets wrote about, Rabbi, Son of God, the King of Israel.  We are now in the season of Epiphany, the time between Christmas and Lent, where the truth about Jesus is revealed to us once again.  The story of Nathaniel reminds us that it is ok for us to have our doubts, but that does not mean that Jesus does not know us and love us completely.

As we move towards Jesus to know him, Jesus respond to us like he did Nathaniel.  He may compliment us.  He may tell us something about ourselves that no one else would know.  He might use the words from Psalm 139: 1-4: I have searched you and known you. I know when you sit down and when you rise up; I discern your thoughts from far away. I search out your path and your lying down and am acquainted with all your ways.  Even before a word is on your tongue, I know it completely.

Do you feel that sense of love and care? 

Nathaniel is not named again until the last chapter of John, when Jesus appears to seven disciples.  He is not named in the twelve, though some scholars believe he is, but called Bartholemew.  Either way, he was a follower of Jesus.

As followers of Jesus, we too can be amazed by what all God can do.  As we spend time reading Scripture, praying, serving God and God’s people, we get to experience God’s abundant love.  The more we get to know Jesus, the more we learn about ourselves.  It can be difficult and also amazing to think that God knows every little part of us, all our thoughts, even the not-so-nice ones, and still loves us completely.  That kind of love is hard to come by in the world, yet God offers it to each of us freely. 

God knows you completely, won’t you continue to spend time with God to get to know God even better? Will you be willing to draw near to Jesus and be filled with the loving power?  Are you willing to invite others to come and see?

You are known, from the beginning to the end of your life.  You are loved and cared for.  You are God’s beloved, precious child.

I want to close with a prayer from Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes, who writes at unfolding light.net.

God, forgive me for thinking I am a stranger to you.
You have known me from the beginning; you fashioned me.
You see me from the inside; you know me better than I do.
And you love me.
You see my preciousness when I cannot.
You know my goodness even when I betray it.
You know my brokenness and my sin,and you heal and forgive.
You hold me in your delight.
Though my trust is flimsy,
I entrust myself to you and your grace.
May I never be a stranger to your love.