Come and See

In John 1:43 Jesus found a man named Phillip and invited him to follow Him. Phillip followed Jesus and became one of the 12 disciples. After Phillip made his decision to follow Jesus, he found a man named Nathanael. Phillip told Nathanael that he had found the one about whom the prophets had written, Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael's instant response was, "...can anything good come out of Nazareth...?" Phillip responded by saying, "Come and see."

Phillip's excited announcement that he had found the one the prophets had foretold was met with skepticism. We are not told what made Nathanael so skeptical about Nazareth. It is clear he was not a fan of Nazareth. Skepticism may be warranted in situations where something seems too good to be true. You know the saying, "If something appears to be too good to be true, it usually is."

While it is wise to cautious and alert as we navigate our way through life, skepticism can become the enemy of the good. Skepticism can blind us to truth. It can also embitter us. Nathanael seemed to have some residual feelings of dislike towards Nazareth. The good news from our text is that Nathanael met Jesus and was able to overcome his skepticism. Jesus clearly revealed to Nathanel that He was everything Phillip had said about Him and more. Nathanel responded in a very different way than he did when he voiced his opinion that nothing good could come out of Nazareth. He said, "...Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel" (John 1:49)!

Is skepticism becoming the enemy of the good in our world today? Because of dishonest people in political office who use their office for their own selfish agendas, have we come skeptics of the intentions of all people in political office? Our whole political system in America can be undermined by skepticism. We need to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions and the way they discharge their duties, but we must not allow skepticism to color the way we look at every person in politics. There are people who are willing to be genuine public servants and can muster the resolve to do the right thing.

Because of the explosion of cons and scams and having family and friends exploited, I confess that I am skeptical toward people I do not know when it comes to transacting business affairs. It is deplorable the number of swindles and unscrupulous business practices that has created distrust. While we cannot be too cautious, at some point we have to trust each other.

This story from John 1:43-51 reveals the one we can always trust. We can always trust Jesus. Nathanael the skeptic became Nathanael the believer. He responded to Phillip's invitation to come and see. In a world that is becoming more negative and skeptical, Jesus issues an invitation to all. Come and see. In Jesus, you will find the one who is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Ultimately, Jesus is the answer to the evil that often works to make us skeptics. He is the one who can produce the love, honesty and good will that our world needs today. Come and see!