The Devotional – Come and See

The Devotional – Come and See

Comment: If you are a student of the Living Word of God, and I hope you are, then you are sometimes moved to joy in your soul when a particular phrase or word comes alive. A friend and pastor used to say that God the Holy Spirit points us to words and phrases, if we do not respond or search them out at that moment then the Holy Spirit places those words or phrases on what my friend called the back burner to simmer for a period of time. I love the thought of this happening in my journeys through the Holy Word of God. One such phrase that catches my eye and one that has sat on the back burner has simmered enough, that now it is time for us to enjoy the meal. In John 1:43 Jesus spoke only two words to Philip, “Follow Me” The words grip my soul even today, can you imagine the impact of those words to Philip at that moment in time past?

Devotional: John 1:43-51 – At the beginning of the Ministry of Jesus, men were looking for the Messiah, the time for His appearance was at hand. John the Baptizer was baptizing and his message was national repentance from religious idolatry. He was fulfilling Isaiah’s message, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the LORD.” Isaiah 40:3. We call “the scriptures of that day the Old Testament” yet for these men these were not old, these were the current manuscripts of TRUTH, by the way, these STILL are and along with the New Testament complete the Word of God to mankind.

When Philip heard the voice of His Messiah, it was His soul that recognized who was speaking, “Follow Me”, Why? Because Philip studied the manuscripts, notice John 1:45 which reads, “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.” Now I will say to you, “do the words of Jesus speak to your soul?” This is a question that only you can answer.

Nathanael who may have been a little more skeptical, or maybe not as keen in the manuscripts questioned Philip’s integrity in his comment about the Messiah; “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” I like Philip’s response “Come and see” these words are equally powerful as the words of Jesus, meaning that when we respond to the LORD’s direction we have the spiritual ability to lead others to Christ also.

The statement of Jesus in verse 47 of John 1, is a revelation to Nathanael’s soul, that He who spoke to Him is omniscient (all knowing) Jesus says “Behold (look) an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit” John 1:48, in this verse when Messiah speaks, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 

Some say that Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree because he was reading from the Old Testament manuscripts, this could be, but whether true or not; Jesus saw Nathanael because there was no religious idolatry in Nathanael’s heart, his soul was open to Truth. Is your heart open to the Truth of God? Does your soul respond as Philip’s did when Jesus calls from the Holy Scriptures to follow Him? Are you looking steadfastly for the heavens to open and the return of Christ?