Known and Loved -- A Message for January 17, 2021

 

          After Jesus began his public ministry, he gathered a group of trusted friends to accompany him on his journeys.  Jesus eventually turned the reigns over to them….they carried on his work when he wasn’t here to do it on earth.  But, the people Jesus selected were not necessarily the most obvious choices: he didn’t chose scriptural scholars and priests to work alongside him.  Instead, Jesus chose fishermen and carpenters, tax collectors and a revolutionary.  This morning, we read one of the stories of Jesus calling his followers are it was recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter one, verse forty-three through fifty-one.  Listen now to the word of God:

John 1:43-51

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 

45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 

51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayer for Understanding

Spirit of truth and life, speak to us in the rich and ancient words of the scriptures. Let us hear your call so that we may leave behind our old ways, and follow in the footsteps of Christ, the Living Word. Amen.

Message                      “Known and Loved” 

          Nathanael was what my college group of friends would have called “a hater.”  He was a negative and critical person.  Philip was delighted to rush to his friend Nathanael and tell him the good news that he had met the messiah.  And, instead of being delighted himself, Nathanael responded with the negative “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”  Nathanael almost allowed his prejudice against the little town of Nazareth to keep him from meeting Jesus.

          After some arm twisting, Nathanael went with Philip to meet Jesus.  And, when he arrived, Jesus said: “Here truly is an Israelite with no deceit.”

What does this statement mean?  There are two possibilities.  The first is that Jesus may have recognized Nathanael as someone who always told the truth.  He spoke his mind.  He was one of those people who blurted out whatever popped into his head, even if his statements were mean or offensive.

          The other possibility is that Jesus may have been teasing Nathanael.  I kind of like this: I enjoy sarcasm, and it warms my heart to think that perhaps Jesus used gentle teasing as a corrective of his peers.  All Jewish people are descended from Jacob, who was also named Israel.  Jacob and Esau were the twin sons of Isaac.  Jacob was sort of a habitual liar – he manipulated Esau into giving away his birthright, he tricked his father to give away his brother’s firstborn blessing, he manipulated his father-in-law into giving him all of the best sheep of his flock, he lied to Esau and told him he would return to live together with him and the rest of the family and instead moved to another place.  Lies and manipulations came out of Israel’s mouth during much of his life. 

          So, when Jesus said to Nathanael: “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit,” Jesus may have been joking that Nathanael was the perhaps the only completely truthful Israelite.

  Jesus may have also been making a statement about judging a person based on his heritage….Perhaps negatively judging someone just because they are from Nazareth is just as bad as assuming all Israelites are liars. 

          Either way, Nathanael and Philip became followers of Jesus even though Jesus grew up in Nazareth.

          This weekend is the weekend American’s remember the life of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. Doctor King came to national prominence as someone who worked to end discrimination against Americans of African descent.  Just as Nathanael made negative assumptions about Jesus because of his origins in Nazareth, many Americans have been unfairly misjudged and treated because of their skin color or ethnic background.

          And, just like Nathanael could have missed the opportunity to become a follower of Jesus, many people miss out when we dismiss people who look differently than we do.  When you make assumptions about whole groups of people because of their town of origin or because of their ethnic origin, you lose out.

          Christians are called to be both accepting and loving.  We can’t judge a book by its cover.  We can’t make assumptions about Jesus’ worthiness just because he was from a small, backwoods town. We can’t make assumptions about other people because of the color of their skin, or their ethnic background, or their country of origin, or their religious beliefs, or their sexual orientation, or the political party they voted for in the last election.  Instead of being like Nathanael, of being “haters” who assume the worst about others, we need to work to assume the best about others. 

One of the ways we assume the best is by working to appreciate other people as the unique, talented people they are.  We are all different.  We are all blessed with different abilities and gifts.  We are all able to teach other people something new.  We are all able to share stories of our lives that will enrich other people’s lives.

Nathanael had to get over his prejudice about people from Nazareth so he could follow Jesus.  He was only willing to go and meet Jesus because Philip insisted it was worth it for him to do so.  Sometimes, we need to listen to friends or fellow Christians to get over stumbling blocks.  When we make incorrect assumptions about other people, perhaps it takes a persuasive family member or church friend to convince us to reconsider our views.  Oftentimes, our children teach us – I have heard stories of families who only let go of their prejudice because their kids brought home their gay friend or their Muslim friend or their black friend.  And, then, when the families got to know the friend better, they realized it was unfair to lump all of those kinds of “others” together in a biased way. 

When Philip convinced Nathanael to meet Jesus, Nathanael not only became a follower of Jesus, he also deepened his relationship with God.  He learned that even though he was one of those “better” kinds of people, he had a lot more to learn in order to practice his faith.  He had a lot more to do in order to deepen his relationship with God.

We need to be open to listening to the nudging of God.  Perhaps that nudging comes to us through the words of a friend or a family member.  Perhaps that nudging is coming from within, nagging at us that we need to do something different in our practice of our faith.  Perhaps that nudging will come to us as a message in a dream or in a conversation we over-hear at the grocery store.  God works to connect with us however God can, sometimes in the least expected ways. 

          And, sometimes God connects to us through the people we least expect…people from Nazareth…people who don’t look like us…people who we make “hateful” assumptions about.

          Let us work to listen to God and to open our hearts in love to all people.

          May it be so.  Amen.