June 17, 2022 – Words of Wisdom, James Innell Packer

Judge Less – Love More

“There’s a difference between knowing G-d and knowing about G-d. When you truly know G-d, you have energy to serve him, boldness to share him, and contentment in Him.”  J. I. Packer*

*James Innell Packer is a Canadian Christian theologian. He serves in the Anglican and Reformed traditions as the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.  

^“ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”  Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”  When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”  Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” John 1:43-49

Judge Less – Love More

Nathanael is the epitome of what it means to “know of G-d” but not “know G-d” – at least for a few moments in this text. Philip has been called by Jesus. There must have been something about Jesus that compelled Philip to follow on the spur of the moment, to drop everything and follow. And so he is compelled also to share this word with his friend Nathanael. We can understand the reaction from Nathanael for he has yet to meet Jesus. But he knows that Jesus is from Nazareth. And obviously he has a low opinion about people from Nazareth.

I grew up with people around me having a low opinion of others who were from a certain town, a certain state, a certain side of the railroad tracks, so to speak. It is so easy to make judgments about people simply because they are from another town, perhaps a town you do not like because they were your rival in high school, or they are just different. We cannot be too quick to judge people on the simple fact that they are from somewhere else.

Nathanael first “knew of Jesus”, and he wrinkled up his nose. But when he came to “know Jesus” he realizes he has met the “Son of G-d”. If he would have simply walked away when Philip told him that Jesus was from Nazareth, he would have missed meeting the “King of Israel”. After all, as the writer of Hebrews states, ^“….show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)

We need to be ready to entertain, to welcome, to accept into our midst those who come seeking Jesus, especially those different from us. After all, as Nathanael learned, we may not only meet a messenger from G-d, we may actually meet Jesus himself. And no one wants to miss that.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, we are so quick to judge others simply because they are not like us. Help me today to judge less and to love more. Amen.

Pastor Dave