³⁵ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹ He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. ⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). ⁴² He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).  John 1:35-42

We have the calling of the disciples in this part of John, and specifically the conversation between Philip and Nathanael. Philip, after being called by Jesus, first goes to tell Nathanael about his experience with Jesus. We do not have any of the conversation except for Nathanael’s comment about what good can come out of Nazareth, and Philip’s response “Come and See.” Nazareth was a town with many influences, including many Gentile influences. Even the people in Nazareth reject the message of Jesus—people of his hometown. Nazareth would not have been a good town to raise good, Jewish children, apparently.

But we can learn a lot from this short exchange. First and foremost, Philip becomes the first evangelist, going forward to share what has happened to him in his encounter with Jesus. And, even in the face of severe rejection, Philip persists with compelling words – come and find out for yourself. It doesn’t take a lot of fancy words to invite people to come and experience the good news of Jesus Christ. Simple words of invitation will do – and may speak volumes to those who just need a simple invitation.

My friends, believe it or not, there are people out in our communities who want to hear some good news in their lives, especially existential good news. They are waiting for you and me to share the story.

Pastor Dave