John 1:43, 45-50 (NIV) 43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 45Philip 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. 47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." 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." 49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." 50Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that."
Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven
We claim that God lived in a person named Jesus two thousand years ago in a small obscure country known for its radical belief in God. This same country put Him to death as a heretic. Jesus’ followers claimed that He rose from the dead, but they never produced His living body to an unbelieving people.
To believe that God was present in Jesus two thousand years ago is challenging enough, but our claim goes further than that. We also say that this same Jesus is present today. He is invisible, yet can be seen. Intangible, but can touch our lives. He does not speak in an audible voice, yet can be heard. He did not come into the world flashing the presence of God like a neon light. Rather, men and women glimpsed God in Jesus the way lightening can make visible briefly the world about us before darkness returns.
God is both hidden and revealed in the life of Jesus. So, what hope do we have? How do we see God in Jesus? This is our hope: The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." Our hope is that the God hidden in Jesus is seeking us out. When God finds us in His Son, does He say, “Now let me tell you the truth about God”? No, that time may come, but in the beginning He says, “Let me tell you the truth about you.” We can be made pliant by the voice of God heard in the command “follow me.” Our hopes can be met and our faith brought to life by the power of this meeting with Jesus who is as real in the spirit as He was in flesh and blood. Jesus found Philip, in His own way and in His own time, and He finds you and He finds me, and that is part of our hope.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope February 4, 1990
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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