Greater Things - November 4

Read John 1:43-51 (ESV)

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 of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Reflect

How did Jesus find you and reveal Himself to you? Did He use someone else, like a Philip, to tell you about Himself?

When asked why they believe in Jesus, I have heard many Christians say, “I don’t know. I just have blind faith.” While it’s true that it is an act of faith to trust in Jesus, I would argue that our faith in Him is anything but blind. It is based on what has been seen by others. It is based on eyewitness testimony.

Jesus didn’t encourage His disciples to just blindly believe that He was the Messiah and take His word for it. Instead, He invited them to “come and see.” He invited them to follow along with Him and witness the amazing, supernatural things that He was capable of doing. He didn’t merely claim to be the Christ. He proved it by performing signs that only God can do and by knowing things that only God can know.

In today’s verses, Jesus called Phillip, who was also a fisherman from Bethsaida, Galilee just like Andrew and Peter. When Jesus told Phillip to follow Him, Phillip invited another friend to come along. He went to Nathanael and told him that they (Andrew, Peter, and Phillip) have found Him, Jesus of Nazareth, the One that Moses and the Prophets prophesied about.

It’s interesting though that the disciples keep saying, “We found Him! We found Him!” When in reality, He found them. It says so in verse 43 of today’s passage: “The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip.” Jesus found Philip. And not just on accident. His trip into Galilee was for a purpose. His calling of Philip was premeditated, not happenstance. Furthermore, He knew that once He found Philip, Philip would seek out Nathanael. Jesus seemed to know an awful lot about Nathanael even though He hadn’t met him yet. He knew that Nathanael was an honest seeker. Even more than that, Jesus knew exactly where Nathanael was even before Philip found him!

In verse 48, after Nathanael asked Jesus how He knew him, Jesus said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” You see, Jesus knew Nathanael inside and out. This was enough to make Nathanael confidently proclaim what Andrew, John, and Philip had also discovered. Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Joseph, was really the Son of God and the King of Israel. They had been waiting and preparing for the Messiah. They had been on the lookout and they had finally spotted Him. But only because He had found them first.

In Philip’s case, Jesus went directly to him. In Nathanael’s case, Jesus used Philip to take Him to Nathanael. But in all cases, Jesus finds us, not the other way around. Even before we know Him, He sees us and He shows us amazing things about Himself. The disciples saw Jesus do some incredible, supernatural things. He worked miracles in their presence. But they also saw Him do greater things than that—they saw His body risen from the dead. In Jesus, heaven was opened up and man once again has access to God. But it’s going to get even better than that. We’ll see Him return to establish His kingdom forever.

We haven’t seen with our own eyes what the disciples witnessed. But one day, those of us who have been found by Him will see even greater things!

Respond

Lord, thank You for seeking and finding me. Thank You for pursuing me, drawing me to Yourself, and showing me amazing things about You. It is hard to fathom that someday, I will see even greater things about You! Use me, Lord, to invite others to come and see You, too. Amen.

Reveal

Invite a friend to “come and see” with you this week. Share what Jesus has shown you, and study John 1:43–51 together. Pray for opportunities to testify and invite others to follow Him, so they too may glimpse the greater things God has in store.