(John 1:46)
�And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.�
�And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.� (Acts 9:5)
When the people of Paul�s day were doing the plowing for a field of crops, they didn�t have a �John Deere Tractor.� They did have a �John Ox Tractor� to work with. Quite often this ox would be an obstinate creature. That sun was as hot for the ox as it was for the farmer. The ox wanted a little rest. So, he would stop from time to time. At these times the farmers would try to move the ox forward and the ox would, often, try to kick the farmer.
The farmer had a nice little piece of machinery to use in instances like this. He had a sharpened stick. When the ox kicked, he would find the stick poking, or pricking, his heel. This also worked to move the ox forward into the task at hand.
The ox would soon learn that it was quite a bit easier, and less painful, to simply do the job at hand rather than kicking against this prick which the farmer placed behind the heels of the beast.
Oftentimes, when we see people fighting against the things of God, it is because they are under conviction from the Spirit. Others have prayed for these sinners. The conviction of the Spirit has entered into their life. Spiritually, this is foreign to their sin nature as they feel the power of God begin to work in their lives. They will then lash out at the spiritual things of God as a reaction as they try to flee from God.
That may have not been the case in our text verse. Nathanael could have just been using a joking manner. But, the principle remains as the object of the joke, if this were the situation, was the Person of Jesus.
There are a couple of things to be noted in this short exchange. The first is the important quest. �And Nathanael said unto him��
A quest is a journey begun with a desired object in the mind�s eye.
Every spring, in Illinois, every high school basketball team begins a quest to obtain the championship trophy for their class of school. All but one will fail. Still, there is great excitement among the townspeople represented by the schools involved. There is a prize for which they aspire.
Philip searched for the fallen. He was looking for one who was not a follower of Jesus. The objective of Philip was twofold. First, he wanted to spread the exciting news that he had found the Messiah.
Second, Philip wanted to gain a follower of Jesus. He wanted another to experience the joy of the discovery. That is the noblest of human endeavors. Philip had found something, or rather Someone!, special. Instead of keeping this Treasure to himself, Philip wanted to share that good fortune with another who needed the same experience.
Philip was searching for fellowship. I remember one time that Linda was ready to go on her annual vacation when something happened and I was not going to be able to go along with her. I said, �Just go by yourself. You�ll still have a good time.�
Her reply was, �It�s no fun going to see someplace new if you�re by yourself. The only real fun is sharing the experience.�
That is our nature as humans. We want contact with others. Even the person who lives by himself will, generally, have a television, or radio, or books and magazines, to keep him company. He wants that vicarious feeling that others are sharing in his experience. He is not alone. One of the worst possible sentences for a prisoner is to be placed in solitary confinement. To be deprived of companionship with others is a terrible depravation.
Philip knew that his own soul would be stirred by adding Nathanael to the group who were followers of Jesus.
That is just another reason why we must attend worship services as a body of believers. We make each other stronger in the faith. We draw upon each other for increased joy. To withhold ourselves from the group is to harm the group. This is not the posture of one who loves the Lord.
Philip also searched for fiduciary reasons. In a fiduciary relationship, there is a responsibility of trust placed between an individual and the group to which he is accountable. The most easily understood use of the term is that of a banker who is responsible for other people�s money. His job is to act as a good steward of that which has been entrusted to his care.
That is one reason why loan restrictions and collection policies are part of the job of the banker. He realizes that it is not his money, but that of others, to which he has access. The banker has a responsibility to the depositors of his bank.
Philip understood that he had a responsibility to his Lord. He had the obligation to seek out others who might follow Jesus.
We, each and every single one of us who are Christian, have this same obligation to our Lord. Jesus desires to redeem those who are lost. He has entrusted us with the responsibility to spread His message of Love.
He has also given us the responsibility to spread His message in love!
I�ve just been reading the story of a �baptist church� from Kansas which travels about the country to hold hate rallies at the funeral services of fallen American soldiers. They did so in the city where I reside.
I used the lower case for the word �Baptist,� and put the phrase �Baptist Church� in parentheses because I do not consider this group to be either �Baptist� or a church, in the Biblical sense of the word.
I know that anyone can claim the title of �Baptist� since one of the hallmarks of these groups of believers is that of an independent church which is not dominated by the hierarchy of any denominational �headquarters.� But, the term �Baptist� has historically been applied to a group of believers who hold Jesus as Lord and accept the Bible as a guide for life. This group of protesters cannot rightly claim Jesus as Lord since they completely ignore His example from the Scripture. Nowhere in the New Testament example of Jesus do we EVER see him attacking a sinner. He never condones the sin; but He never attacks the sinner. He is seen as attracting the sinner to accept a new life.
An example of this is the picture of the woman taken in adultery of John, chapter eight. After this woman�s attackers had skulked away, we read: �When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee, go, and sin no more.� (John 8:10-11)
Jesus did not gloss over the fact that she was a sinner. Jesus did not ignore the fact that she was a sinner. Neither did He attack her. He did say for her to, �Go, and sin no more.�
This Kansas group has been deluded to believe that they are being attacked because they are Godly. No. Based on Scripture I find no Godliness among them. They are being attacked because they are vile and are reaping that which they have sown. This is another Biblical principle.
If they were a true church of Jesus, they would be doing the same work which He did. They would be seeking souls for the Kingdom of God. In my personal experience among those in this town who were confronted by this group, and in my reading about them in both the writings of others and in their own writings, I have found no single instance where they have invited others to share the fellowship of the Lord.
If anything, they have said that others are simply not worthy of fellowship with Jesus. In this I would partly agree. It is only because of the Cross of Calvary, upon which Jesus died, that any of us are made capable to share the glorious facts of salvation from our sins and peace with God.
Brethren, before we heap condemnation upon this group, we still need to ask ourselves how often have we been boorish buffoons rather than compassionate Christians in our dealings with those who are without the household of faith.
Next we see the impolite question of Nathanael. ��Can there be any good thing come out of Nazareth?��
This was a taunt of disbelief. It�s like the modern day skeptic who says, �Yeah, well if God is, then why�?� Any answer you could give would not be good enough. This is not a question that elicits an answer. It is a question designed to shut off dialogue.
A couple of months ago a lady wrote a letter to the editor of one of our local newspapers alleging all sorts of contradictions in the Bible. My reply to her was much too large to fit in another letter. It was some eight thousand words. I had printed each of the Bible verses to which she had replied and put them in their context. Refuting her claim of contradiction was a simple as that. I wrote back and said that, if she cared to do so, she could read my complete answer in my web site.
Her reply was that she didn�t need to read it; she�d already seen Christians try to �explain away� obvious contradictions. Actually, I hadn�t tried to �explain away� anything. I had simply shown that the context of her �text proofing� was simply an error in not seeing the complete setting of the text in question.
Her purpose had not been to engage discussion. She was simply trying to throw bricks at a Battleship. Since she was not capable of inflicting any damage she simply withdrew and declared victory.
Thus are most of the taunts of disbelief. They very often come from a heart that is under deep conviction.
The words of Nathanael were also a tale of dishonor.
I have a friend that I once worked alongside. He was - well, still is! - a black man. Yet, he started nearly every work day, among a mixed racial group, with a stereotypical �black� joke. I will admit, coming from him, they were funny. But, they were still appealing to the darkest stereotypes with which we see one another.
I believe that this taunt of Nathanael was of this type. �What can those people ever hope to teach us!?
The way that people treat other groups is a mirror of their own hearts attitude towards those other people. Is it an attitude of respect and compassion; or is it an attitude of hostility and contempt?
I could ask this question in regards to the way others respond to the Christian and his values. These values are constantly derided in the media and political speech. After all, we are told not to voice our opinion since it comes from a base of faith. Faith, we are reminded, is to be a personal thing - not to be imposed upon others. Yet, others values are imposed upon us every day.
We are told not to say, �Merry Christmas.� That might offend someone. We are told not acknowledge the Ten Commandments in their historical setting in our judicial system. That might offend someone. We are told that our children can not read a Bible in the schools because that might offend someone. On and on goes the litany. Cross are to be removed from the seals of cities, put there to reflect the historical accuracy of those cities foundings, for fear someone might be offended. Crosses must not be put on the memorials to our dead because someone might be offended. Our political pledge to the flag, our monies, our entire lives outside of our homes and churches, must be devoid of expressions of a power higher than ourselves lest someone be offended.
Even our educational systems, which should stand for a true examination of all of the evidence of origins, are assailed if they dare to give equal - or any suggestion that there is a First Great Cause. We are told that our belief system is simple superstition.
Somehow, no one is concerned that we might be offended in any of this.
This statement of Nathanael was also a trial of discipline to Philip.
Philip could have gotten upset with Nathanael�s offhanded rejection of this Jesus Who he had not yet met. But, he didn�t. Philip just continued on with his invitation for Nathanael to join him as a follower of Jesus.
It ain�t easy? But, that is the correct approach. In the face of the open hostility of many, we must remain steadfast and calm.
A former heavyweight champion died recently. Floyd Patterson was one of my favorite fighters. Someone once remarked that he had been knocked down more than any other heavyweight champion. Patterson�s reply was that he was also the heavyweight champion who got up the most often.
That is the attitude that we need to have a Christians. Though the world show us an open hostility, we must remember the example of Jesus. He never berated the sinner. His only hostility was toward those who would have kept the sinner from approaching the Savior.
Our duty to Jesus is to win the lost, not to whip the sinner.
Finally, may we notice the innocuous quotation. ��Philip saith unto him, Come and see.�
Notice that Philip did not use an argument; he used an invitation.
We talk, quite often, about the �arguments for the Christian faith.� They do exist. They are compelling. But, they are useless against a mind that is closed. Don�t forget, we are engaged in a spiritual conflict. The forces of our natural mind and logic are, effectively, useless in this stage of combat. The other side, Satan, has the strategic advantage of controlling the mind and nature of those who we seek to win.
The battle for souls is spiritual. Our best argument is useless against the forces of Satan. Even our worst argument, when augmented by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit is the only weapon which can win the day for us, and more importantly, this is the only argument which can win those who are yet lost in their sins.
Arguments are good. Evidence of the rightness of our stand is advantageous. To study the Word of God is a duty of the Christian. But, these are only useful to build up the faith of those who are already born again. We need a trust in, and offer prayer to, the Holy Spirit of God, to advance HIS cause!
We can look and see that Philip did not use animosity; he used interest. I can not say this often enough. We do not win spiritual points by reacting with our natural and physical strengths. It is easy to be �ticked off� at some of shenanigans which are used against the Christian. But, this won�t draw others to our Lord. If anything, this only gives the adversary another tool for his kit of deception.
We need to be so interested in the salvation of the sinner that we would look past his sin and his sinful conduct, even when it is directed against us. In the sport of boxing one is always warned, �Never hook with a hooker.� The meaning is that a boxer should use his own strengths in style to win. To use the strengths of the other is to invite disaster.
Our primary �weapon� in the spiritual battle is the Love of Jesus Christ. That doesn�t just mean that we love Him; although we must! This also means to display the same love that Jesus displayed. �Pay backs� may be a natural response. But, the problem is that it is natural. We need to holy love which Jesus spreads abroad to lost humanity if we are ever to honestly reach them with the Gospel.
We do not, ever, condone the sin of the sinner. But, we must, always, look past the sin and see the person who is spiritually trapped by that sin. If you were to come upon a person who had been overtaken by an avalanche of snow, you would not berate that person for his stupidity in being under the snow. You would attempt to remove him from the snow. That would be your first instinct.
This should also be our attitude toward one who is burdened under a load of sin. He needs to be helped out from that burden. This is only possible by introducing him to the Savior. We have no other shovel to remove the snow of that burden.
Finally, notice that Philip did not answer in anger; he answered with incitement.
Did you ever hear the term, �Inciting to riot?� That means that a person has tried to make other people do something that he wanted them to do. In that instance he has wanted them to riot.
We want people to do something specific. We want to incite them to accept the Savior. Philip just said, �Come and see.�
Why don�t you come and see that Jesus is good for your soul?
Accept Him as your Savior.
Do it today!