I find it interesting that from Christ's perspective, it is He that
found Philip (1:43). From Philip's perspective, it was he who found
Christ (1:45).
MRA
Maybe last weeks text should come before this one! This is exactly
what Jesus said they would see - the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit)
descending on Him!
It is marvelous to me that Jesus knows us so well before we ever
come to know Him. He knows our sins, faults, shortcoming, weaknesses
and all the rest - but still He loves us enough to sacrifice Himself
for us!
What is it that Jesus likes about Nathanael? That he is a bigot but
not afraid to give voice to his prejudices? This makes a good text
for Martin Luther King Sunday.
Can God find us attractive by virtue of a virtue that most people
would find repugnant, say honesty? Does it not say that God found
David a person of good heart, even though at the time he was little
more than a mercenary soldier of fortune?
Maybe God finds some good in every person. But if that is the case,
why did he rebuke the Pharisees when they voiced their thoughts?
What is the difference? Just some early thoughts. I believe there is
a powerful message about openness and prejudice here. Help me find
it.
Boyd in NC
It is amazing/refreshing/encouraging to me how easily Nathanael
believes in Jesus. We're not told whether Jesus seeing him under the
fig tree was the result of a divine vision, or simply of Jesus
passing by earlier. Either way, Nathanael is impressed enough to
believe.
What makes us believe? Is it miracle? Is it Presence? Or is it with
us, as it may have been with Nathanael, enough to simply be known by
God? There is power in a relationship that is willing to know the
other as deeply as Jesus seems to know Nathanael, especially in an
age when there are so many reasons and means for us avoid it.
Brad in Bama
A note from one of my sources says that it was common for women to
leave their children under a fig tree when the went to work in the
fields, so "I saw you under a fig tree" was a euphemism for, "I have
known you since you were a baby." It might be a reflection on the
call of Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4-7).
The reference that Jesus makes to Nathaniel as "an Israelite in whom
there is no guile," I believe is meant to be tongue-in-cheek.
Certainly there is plenty of guile in Nathaniel! We always seem to
think of Jesus as so serious, but he says of himself that his
ministry is more like a party! Jesus could give and take very well -
remember the story of the Woman at the Well in John's Gospel? Jesus
is giving Nathaniel "the business," catching him in what he thought
was a private remark to Philip! The depth of knowledge Jesus has
about him obviously leaves a strong impression!
Lots of good places to start on this one!
Gary in New Bern
Adam Clarke's commentary points out that it is THE fig tree: one
particularly distinguished from others. Apparently Jewish rabbis
preferred the shade of fig trees to do their studying. I think Jesus
was "piercing the joints and marrow" of Nathanael's soul. In this
one pointed remark, Jesus was giving Nathanael his epiphany. Clare
in Iowa
Is anyone else struggling with the 1 Corinthians reading? Why did
the lectionary people choose this one? It makes the service feel
schizophrenic! I think I will change the epistle reading to 2
Corinthians 5:11-21: Knowing Jesus from the divine point of view,
and receiving the ministry of reconciliation. Clare in Iowa
Clare in Iowa, That is exactly the problem I am having with this
weeks lectionary selections. It remains a struggle to draw 1
Corinthians reading in line with 1 Samuel and John readings this
week.
I noticed there were no comments under the 1 Corinthians section as
of 7:00 AM 10JAN00.
The search goes on. LAR
To Clare and Lar - Perhaps the connection between the lessons could
be this: OT Lesson - waiting to hear and see ("The Word of the Lord
was rare in those days; visions were not widespread"). Gospel Lesson
- Nathaniel discovers the issue is not merely to see, but to be
seen. Jesus looks at Nathaniel with eyes of love that win him over.
Nature of that love describe in... Epistle (2nd Lesson)- That love
claims us - our whole being. Being claimed by God who is love,
allows us to be gifts of love to others. Realizing this is the
beginning of our joy and healing. The one who calls us knows us. The
one who calls us sees us - sees into us and calls us to new life.
Peace in Christ - Yarnspinner in VA
Connection between 1 Sam. & 1 Cor. Samuel belongs to God, Paul says
we are not our own...we belong to God.
I like the phrase here - Where did you get to know me? Perhaps the
most important thing is not necessarily knowing Jesus, but Jesus
knowing who we are. Isn't it important for us to be known? That our
lives mean something to someone else?
John near Pitts.
In connection with Samuel, I'm focusing on the call. The call to do
ministry not just those who we ordained to offices two weeks ago,
not just the pastor but that we all are ministers. Do we hear God
calling? What would convince us? Does God have to call our name?
Does God have to see us in the pew?
You Called? or You Called!
Bruce in WI
In this Epiphany Season, it is not only Jesus who is manifested,
made known; it is also the revelation of those who come into contact
with Jesus:
The wise men, open their treasure chests ... The Forerunner, reveals
himself, the one coming after me is before me ... Nathaniel, you are
the Son of God ...
It is not simply Jesus revealing, but our own unwrapping in his
presence which makes this such a wonderful season.
tom in ga
I have been struck in recent weeks by the cost of discipleship.
Mary, who said yes, though her own heart was pierced; Joseph raising
a son not his own, giving up his planned life and hustling off to
Egypt and back again; John losing his head over it all, MLK jr his
life. Christianity may feel really good. Becoming a better person,
in relationahip with the creator, forgiven. These things are great.
Even tithing -- not so bad. But you go far enough down the road and
there's no turning back. What awaits may be greater sacrifice than
we anticipated. The fruits of these lives are known and cherished.
But how many would choose to carry discipleship so very far? Put's
that hymn -- Here I Am Lord -- in slightly different light....
HW in HI
"To Know as We Are Known" (Palmer) involves the prevenient grace of
God's seeing each of us under our "Fig Tree" as he saw not only
Nathanael but Jonah. Our self-image/understanding/identity is
connected with significant others' perception of us...the way we
have been known by others for whom we deeply care!. In whose eyes do
we look to see the mirrored reflection of our self? Being/becoming a
disciple of Jesus, hearing a call of God to the ministries of the
sacred covenant, does involve a costly grace that begins "preveniently",
long before justifying grace and santifying grace. Nat's call to
discipleship begins under a Fig Tree, or in the womb, at a time
prior to knowing that he was being known. The Cost of Discipleship,
in light of Bonhoeffer and MLKing,Jr, is certainly relevant to the
epiphany scriptural context this week Jeremiah 1, the 139 Psalm and
1 Samuel 3 unveil the realization that God's hand is upon us,
shaping us for the ministry of "opening up" the vision of God's
dwelling place, heaven, to those who believe and live in the despair
of thinking that the love of God is beyond their "world", their
situation, their self. This discipleship vision leads to the closure
of Romans 8. The spiritual task of reflecting upon the "pygmalion
effect", or the "looking glass mirror", involving the origin of our
self-image/identity is eternally connected with the realization that
neither life nor death, etc., nor anything else in all creation will
be able to separate from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1
Corinthians 13, especially "for now we see in a mirror dimly but
then face to face" is relevant to God's seeing us beneath our Fig
Tree, whether we are overlooking Nineveh in a fit of anger ("enough
to die") or we are studying the Torah, Law, or Bible in Sunday
School. We are not always called to be disciples because of the
exempliary moral character we display on the mountain of hope but
because, like Moses, Jonah, Saul/Paul, we have known what it means
for anger, hate, and prejudice to get out of hand. Yet God saw us
under our Fig Tree....and He saw us with an unconditional
transforming love declaring we are of infinite, eternal, worth and
dignity. PaideiaSCO in north ga mts.
Here's another thought on Nathaniel's comment regarding Nazareth.
The name Nazareth comes from Netzer, "a shoot." This is the
Messianic shoot from the stump of Isaiah. Nazareth was a very small
town, less than 150 people. Perhaps they saw themselves as the shoot
from Isaiah, an exclusive group from which the Messiah would appear.
Hence the scorn from Nathanial. Kind of like us talking about those
weird fanatics at Waco or wherever.
Larry cny
For those who have been wondering why the 2nd lesson this week is
what it is, the answer is simple and has to do with the structure of
the lectionary. Each year during the Epiphany season we read
sequentially from I Corinthians. This being the "B" year, we are
reading from the middle of I Corinthians. That means that whoever
picked the lections did not necessarily intend that there be some
connection between the 2nd lesson and the other lessons. On the
other hand, that should not stop us from trying to discover and make
such connections as the Spirit shows us. Mike in Maryland
About the reference to the fig tree: Gerard Sloyan's commentary
suggests that this may be a reference to Zechariah 3: 10 or Micah
4:4. In those passages, the Israelites are told that when the Branch
of David appears, they will invite one another to sit under their
figs trees (a metaphor for peace, I presume). Thus, this statement
to Nat. is intended to reveal the identity of Christ as the long
awaited Messiah. It is that theme that intrigues me. Why were
Andrew, Peter, Phillip, Nathaneal, and others so willing to follow
Christ on moments notice? Perhaps it has to do with expectation.
They, along with all Israel, had waited for the Messiah to come for
generation upon generation. So, when he appeared, some (not all)
were ready to respond. They expected God to do something in their
midst. 1 Samuel 3 creates an interesting contrast. Old Eli didn't
seem to expect much at all. He had grown lazy and complacent and was
just marking his days. So it took God three tries to break thru to
Samuel, Eli's protege. Maybe our ability to respond to God's call is
largely dependent on whether we really expect him to be active in
our lives. Just a though. Chris in NC
I wouldn't be too critical of Eli. He had tried to talk with his two
sons, but they wouldn't listen. It was his wisdom that enabled him
to know Yahweh was speaking to Samuel. He still had a use. It is
true that some of us have lost our ability to act within our
congregation, but wisdom stands for something. In order to
understand the importance of all of us, I feel we need to see what
usefulness Biblical characters, episodes and stories have as
paradigms for our own lives.
Shalom Pasthersyl
I think a connecting point between the Corinthians passage and this
one is the question, "what does discipleship mean/require of us?"
Nathaniel was called to put aside his skepticism and make a faith
statement; the Corinthian church was reminded that their lifestyle
betrayed their witness. What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ
in this day and age? His initial call is always the same, "Come and
see!" But then we must leave wherever we are, and go where he is
going (something we can't do if we remain where we are - either
"under the fig tree" or in a lifestyle that is harmful). So the call
requires two things of us: (1)come - follow him where he goes, where
he is leading and (2)seeing - seeing the world as he sees it, seeing
him as he really is (and not through our preconceptions), until at
last (Transfiguration) we see "him alone."
Plenty of challenges in tis text!
Gary in New Bern
Some more thoughts to follow up that marvelous initial comment from
MRA at the top of this week's column: Who found whom??... In the
Gospel lesson, Philip thinks that he'd found Jesus; but Jesus sees
it in the opposite way, and says that it was He who'd actually found
Philip.
This relates directly to the comment later in John's Gospel: "It is
not you who chose me. No, I chose you." (15:16)
Not just the Gospel, but all 4 lections (including psalmody) are
about being chosen this week. There's no doubt about it in that
first lesson: Again and again God calls until finally young Samuel
listens; but isn't it interesting that the ppointed lesson stops
before the boy actually answers back to God. Young Sam does not
choose God here, God chooses him and that's the end of it.
I Corinthians is a tough one, as Clare has noted. And yes, it's true
that this is a continuous seasonal reading that was never intended
to match with the other lessons (thanks Mike!); but still... I
Corinthians 6 contains the ethical charge to live out the
consequences of having been called by God. I am not my own. My body
and my so-called property and my committed relationships are not my
own but actually the property of Another, and I am just the
caretaker, the steward. Not what I would have chosen... I'd be the
boss if I could be. I'd choose to be the chooser, like Philip tried
to do. I'd limit my social responsibilities and stay free and easy
and independent if I had my druthers. But no, God calls me into
community and responsibility for my neighbor, like it or not. (Cf.
Dr. King's call to justice and his martyrdom.) I did not choose...
God chose me.
The psalmody speaks for itself: I am fearfully and wonderfully made,
knit together by God in my mother's womb, way, way before I could do
a thing about it. I am who I am because of a wisdom that I cannot
penetrate. I did not choose my own identity, my own family, my own
mission & purpose in life... It was all chosen for me.
Where's the good news here? Is it good news that I'm powerless?? No,
and that's not the way to go with these lessons in preaching. We all
have more than enough of a sense of human powerlessness already. No
reminder from the pulpit should be necessary; it would just beat
people down even futher than they already are (Cf. Fisherfolk's
comments on self-esteem).
Instead, the good news in Christ is that despite all appearances, I
am called to a purpose that is bigger than I am. Larger than life. I
am not meant to be alone, nor is my life going to be meaningless,
because God in Christ has a plan for me even though I may not (and
probably will not) understand it. The plan may be too wonderful for
me to grasp, but this I can know: It does mean that I'm called into
extending myself in all sorts of ways on behalf of others, to whom
God is calling me in ministry. I am not my own; I am made for the
cross and for resurrection. (Again, Dr. King.) "It is not you who
chose me. No, I chose you." (John 15:16)
Al, Lexington KY
It is my understanding that sitting under a fig tree was a Jewish
metaphor meaning to live in right relationship with God and others.
See, for example:
Zecheriah 3: 7-10
6 Then the angel of the LORD assured Joshua, saying 7 “Thus says the
LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements,
then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I
will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.
8 Now listen, Joshua, high priest, you and your colleagues who sit
before you! For they are an omen of things to come: I am going to
bring my servant the Branch. 9 For on the stone that I have set
before Joshua, on a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave
its inscription, says the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the guilt
of this land in a single day. 10 On that day, says the LORD of
hosts, you shall invite each other to come under your vine and fig
tree.”
Micah 4: 3 – 4
3He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between
strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not
lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more;
4 but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own
fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the
LORD of hosts has spoken.
Nathaniel has admirable qualities from which we can all learn. I
wish the world had more people “in whom there is no deceit!" They
may say things that offend us, but at least you don't have to guess
what's on their minds.
DR
Great insights this week (all of you). It really helps me to come
here and hear what you have to say. For me, personally, the phrase
"Come and see" strikes me. Jesus said the same thing to two of
John's disciples. They wanted to know where He was staying (nowhere,
of course. "The Son of Man has no place to lay his head.") Following
Christ means that we follow Him wherever He may lead us. And
following Him is different for all of us. The end result is the same
(heaven), but He leads us all in different paths according to the
gifts and graces that have been so graciously given to us.
Every person in the world has a road that they travel. All roads
lead to God, but not all roads lead to heaven. The choice to follow
Christ means a willingness to travel the road He has chosen for us.
The ride of our life is found when we "Come and see." MD in IL
I am new here. So forgive me for pushing the wrong button and puting
my question in Sermons. So here it is again: Has anyone noticed that
at begining of year we have two readings that are talking about
God's call? Are we all called to begin year with answer of faith?
Senka in SM.
Think about how difficult it is to convince someone that you are
telling the truth. Isn't it the same with trying to convince someone
about Christ being the Messiah. Philip had a difficult time
convining a friend -- how difficult it is for us to convince
strangers as well as family and friends.
A few references to the theme of calling has me thinking about the
fact that for some of us the calling is directly from God (as with
Samuel) while for some it is through another human voice (As in
Philip calling Nathael!) The validation of the calling plays a
crucial role here. How do we (or did we) discern the origin of our
calling?
Another point that I found is that curious is that one aspect of my
calling came from someone that I really disliked! (Don't you just
hate it when it happens that way?)
I suspect that God uses any and all methods to call us into service
(not just to ordained ministry) laying claim upon us for the loving
and caring of others.
My sermon this wek is entitled "Call Waiting."
A W-G rocky coast Me.
Jan 13, 2000 Greeting fellow Pilgrims: Perhaps the reason that no
one as yet has commented on the jCor. text is that we are so sold
out to our culture we can't really see the relevence of the
scripture to our age. Samuel is in the temple "set aside" for the
Lord's work and hears God's voice and responds positively. Nathanael
meets Jesus and leaves everything to follow him. The Christians in
Corinth and many; in our USA today have the Nike attitude -"Just Do
It." Self-indulgence in the things of the flesh is nothing new, but
God repeatedly has called His own to be separate fom the culture, to
be "peculiar." Why do we laugh at hose Christian women who wear
their dresses long and simple, or put their hair up in a bun with a
little white cover over it, or dress so modestly that everyone knows
they are different? Aren't we supposed to be different? While the
rest of the world practices gluttony and say that "fat is
beautiful," why aren't we Christians regularily fasting and denying
ourselves? Why don't we crucify our flesh daily as Paul prescribes?
I believe that we have swallowed the lies forever - from the
"enlightenment," to the "renaissance," to the "sexual revolution."
What will it take to wake us up to the call of holiness? When will
we preachers have the gumption to preach holiness and an abandonment
of our cultural love affair with sin? Dale in Kansas
I suspect the reason many of us haven't commented on 1 Corinthians
6: 12-20 is that we will be speaking to mixed groups which include
children of all ages. I for one am not that excited by the thought
of delving into fornication and prostitutes with such a crowd
(although the teenagers would probably be extrememly interested in
an indepth study of the sexual practices - and mispractices - of
ancient Rome). So I'll be sticking mainly to the Gospel passage.
DR
I mostly "listen" at this sight. You all inspire me with wonderful
ideas. This week I feel lead to share. We don't often think about
what Jesus knows about us, honestly. With Samuel God know he was the
one who would carry the message to Eli, even though Samuel had a
difficult time recognizing God's call. Isn't that just like God to
pick the apprentice, the lesser one, to do the job. How often does
God call us and we respond with an attitude of "It's not my job" or
"as long as I don't open my big mouth I'll get out of this one" What
did God know about the church at Corinth? They definitely don't have
a good reputation. And still God called them in the midst of their
lack of discipline and bad habits. Didn't God know what they were
like? Did he miss sexual sins or the prostitute that hung around? Or
did he call them first and them work on changing their faults as
they learned more of his love. Ever have a known prostitute come to
your worship? Were then loved in such a way that their lives might
change or were they outcast because their lives were not yet right.
What could God have been doing calling such people to his church? He
just couldn't know much about them! And look at Nathanael. Another
Jew who didn't want to believe. Just what Jesus needed! He had one
of the original disciples tell him about Jesus and still he didn't
believe. What was God up to? Jesus had enough problems keeping the
folks who willingly followed him in line without someone like
Nathanael. Just think he had to keep an eye on Peter. Just keeping
him alive could be a full time job. He'd be living on a mountain top
or drowned in the sea if not for Jesus. Jesus needed a good solid
believer not another stubborn doubter. God couldn't know much about
Nathanael or he wouldn't have chosen him. Right? The Psalm reading
pulls it all together. God knows all about us and still loves us
enough to die for us. God knows!! Not just thinks he knows or is a
luck guesser. God knows! I think I'll use the title "What Does Jesus
Know About Us?" Thanks for the inspiration. BY in PA
I see the connection of the three lesson, that once a person has an
intimate relationship with Jesus Christ that Jesus knows him/her on
a very personal level. And that once a person comes to Jesus, that
relationship can only grow if it becomes personal and that person
puts away the sinful nature and put on a spiritual nature. Thus pure
love will flow between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus calls us into
a relationship with him. Much like Samuel and Philip. Once we come
to see him as Nathanael did, what type of fig tree are we sitting
under that Christ will tell us about and perhaps convict us that He
indeed know us personally and that we turn to Him and say. "Rabbi,
you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Will it be the
fig tree of the sin we committed against our bodies? No matter what
the fig tree is, it convicts us of who Jesus Christ is in our lives.
This is just some thoughts as I look at the texts for this Sunday.
Thanks for all your comments.
God Bless Shalom,
Pastor Rich in Kent, Wa
Thanks, all of you for your sharing. It has helped me a lot. As I
reconsider the passage on fornication, I think of how often the
prophets' message to the Israelites was a condemnation for their
"whoring after other gods." Their idolatry was seen as fornication
to God. Surely, we are guilty of idolatry: putting pleasure and
material possessions ahead of God. So the message must apply to us.
Clare in Iowa
As the Epiphany Season opens before us we begin with the "attentive
listening" of Samuel and Nathanael. In their hearing they discovered
that it was God ("the Son of God, the King of Israel") who was
speaking to them. This "attentiveness" sets the theme for the coming
ministry of healing that unfolds in the weeks that follow -- (To
Nathanael, you will see greater things than these.)
Further, there is an interesting difference between Philip who
responds to Jesus call to follow, yet gives a kind of heady
definition of who Jesus is; and when he evangelizes Nath - Nath
responds with a heady and intellectual distancing: Can anything good
come forth ...? It is only in a direct encounter that Nath's heart
is moved and warmed .. not in the second hand information of Philip.
Nathanael is drawn and not called to Jesus.
tom in ga
I notice most of you are thinking of Martin Luther King Sunday, but
did you also notice that it's sanctity of human life Sunday?
Can anything good come out of a life that is unplanned and unwanted.
Can anything good come out of such a life? Come and see. Ask JM. JM
makes a comment under this week's Psalm. JM was aborted but
survived. Can anything good come of this? Frankly, I think so.
Jesus was an unplanned pregnancy. Can anything good come of such a
thing?
Can anything good come from a slave? William Wilberforce thought so
and brought an end to slavery in England. Can anything good come
from an orphan? George Mueller thought so and built orphanages. How
about an alcoholic, an embittered life, a life of shame? Can
anything good come out of such a life?
Come and see.
I am also struck by the progressive revelation of Jesus to
Nathaniel. At first, he was the one prophesied of by Moses and the
prophets. Then He was the Son of God. But Jesus said, "That isn't
all. Wait till you see my return!"
I notice most of you are thinking of Martin Luther King Sunday, but
did you also notice that it's sanctity of human life Sunday?
Can anything good come out of a life that is unplanned and unwanted.
Can anything good come out of such a life? Come and see. Ask JM. JM
makes a comment under this week's Psalm. JM was aborted but
survived. Can anything good come of this? Frankly, I think so.
Jesus was an unplanned pregnancy. Can anything good come of such a
thing?
Can anything good come from a slave? William Wilberforce thought so
and brought an end to slavery in England. Can anything good come
from an orphan? George Mueller thought so and built orphanages. How
about an alcoholic, an embittered life, a life of shame? Can
anything good come out of such a life?
JG from WI Come and see.
I am also struck by the progressive revelation of Jesus to
Nathaniel. At first, he was the one prophesied of by Moses and the
prophets. Then He was the Son of God. But Jesus said, "That isn't
all. Wait till you see my return!"
