05-18-08 Sermon Review

The Greatness of Jesus in the Conversion of Men (John 1:43-51)

Today, we'll take a look at the Apostle John's account of the conversion of Philip and Nathanael, both of whom will become part of the twelve disciples. But don't be mistaken; this passage is more about Jesus than anyone else. Actually, I would consider this section to be a part of the opening of John's Gospel. The first chapter seems to be a statement of the person of Jesus Christ through propositions as well as personal testimonies, and starting from the second chapter, we are given the historical evidence that proves the author's assessment of the person of Jesus Christ. It would be to our great benefit to see how the conversions of these men glorify Jesus and teach us about Jesus.

The Conversion of Philip - Now, the text begins by stating "The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip." It is assumed that this "he" is Jesus in our English texts, but the Greek text is a bit ambiguous. D.A. Carson in his commentary suggests that this might be Andrew, giving significance to "first" in vs. (41). The idea is that Andrew first sought out Peter and then Philip. Though the Greek text is not conclusive, it seems to suggest that the "he" was indeed Andrew, since the Apostle gives us some extra detail that "Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter" (vs. 44). Andrew and Philip, as well as Peter, were most likely hometown friends, and once Andrew found the Messiah, he was driven to go find Philip.

When Philip and Jesus meet, Jesus tells him to "Follow me" (vs. 43). It is apparent that Philip accepted Jesus' invitation as the next thing he does is to go find his friend Nathanael to tell him about Jesus. Here are Philip's words: "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Jospeh" (vs. 45). Now here is an amazing statement. Why did Philip portray Jesus in this way to Nathanael? Why did he use "we" instead of "I"? Why did he appeal to the Scriptures? Here is my conjecture: both Philip and Nathanael, along with Andrew and Peter, were diligently studying the Scriptures to see how the Spirit of the Lord manifested Christ. This is probably why Andrew "determined" to go find Philip. Andrew knew the appearance of the Messiah would delight Philip to the uttermost.

There are so many movements today, one of them being the "Find Jesus Everywhere" movement. It challenges us to find Jesus in our movies, our cars, our backyard, our chicken soup, etc. But why is it so hard to see a movement that calls us to look back into the Scriptures to find Jesus. Where is the "Find Jesus in the Bible" movement? I am not surprised that there are so many cults whose leaders claim to be Jesus. I heard in one year, there were over 13 individuals claiming to be Jesus in the small country of Korea. A friend tells me there's even more now. You know what's devastating? These men weren't men in the mental institutes; they were actually leaders with a wide following. Don't believe me? Check out this youtube clip. Philip and his friends were eagerly expecting the Messiah, but they did not give themselves over to whatever "Messiah" that would come around. They prepared to meet Him by searching the Scriptures. A Messiah that is not of the Bible is no Messiah at all.

What does this say about Jesus? Jesus is the treasure of true believers and the hope of Scripture; He is the fulfillment of our desires and the fulfillment of the Bible. There is no greater object of faith to which the Scriptures point. What does this imply for us? We are much like Philip, Nathanael, Andrew, and Peter in that we are also waiting for Jesus, and the Jesus we are waiting for on this side of eternity is the Jesus of Holy Writ. The question for us is this: Will we have known Jesus through the Bible enough in our lifetime that when the real Jesus appears, we will be able to recognize Him and join the joyous exclamation of Philip, "We have found the Messiah"?

The Conversion of Nathanael - After Philip's exclamation, Nathanael responds with unbelief, pondering how anything good could come out of Nazareth, a hick-town. This lack of enthusiasm does not discourage Philip though; he simply responds, "Come and see" (vs. 46). Nathanael consents and follows. When Jesus sees Nathanael, He calls him "an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit" (vs. 47). Nathanael naturally responds, "How do you know me?" (vs. 48). Jesus responds by saying, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you" (vs. 48). Jesus' response to Nathanael has been the topic of discussion for many, but the main point is that it displayed a divine omniscience, enough to move Nathanael to say, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel" (vs. 49). What a quick change of heart (see vs. 45)! Jesus replies to Nathanael's bold assertion of Him by saying, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these" (vs. 50). The conversation ends and Jesus closes with these last words: "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" vs. (51).

I believe we are much like Nathanael. We are so quick and ready to make bold assertions about Christ, lavish statements about who He is. We are quick to address Him as Lord, Savior, Messiah, King, God, etc. And we mean it. I'm not trying to say we don't, or that our confessions aren't genuine. We do mean it, but we are far from knowing it's full realities. When we say that God is good, we can't even start to comprehend the magnitude of His goodness. When we say that God is Lord, we can't even start to imagine the fullness of His glory. I think that everytime we make such bold acclamations of Jesus that we will get the same response as Nathanael: "You will see greater things than these." The problem isn't with our confession or our hearts; it's not even a problem at all! It is a splendid truth that what we have come to know and experienced about Jesus' goodness and glory is only the beginning of further revelation of His magnificence. What an undeserved blessing, an unbelievable invitation to see and experience the goodness and greatness of our God!

Jesus' last statement gives us a small glimpse as to what these "greater things" entail. Much can be said about the angels descending and ascending, but I believe the main idea that Jesus is portraying here is the inauguration of the Son of Man as king over His chosen people. The Jewish people had no idea of the "Son of Man." It was not even an accepted title of the Messiah. But Jesus loved to call Himself the Son of Man - actually, I believe He never calls Himself anything else! But the term has much significance as it reminds us of the incarnation (God the Son identifying Himself with humanity), the crucifixion (God the Son bearing the weight of our punishment), and exaltation (God the Son forever glorified as Lord of all). Jesus in a sense is pointing to the ultimate glory with which all the world will see Him. This is indeed, a much greater thing.

Conclusion - Conversion is not about us, it's about Jesus. Jesus displays Himself glorious in the conversion of men, and if we missed the magnification of Christ in the conversion of men, we have missed the point. We have looked at how Jesus' glory was displayed in the conversion of Philip and Nathanael. In Philip's conversion, we found Jesus as the treasure, the hope of Scripture. In Nathanael's, we found Jesus as the unfathomable treasure, the hope of greater things. I thank God that he has displayed His Son so beautifully in the conversion of the saints. I see it in Philip, Nathanal, and all those who have come to see Jesus as the Psalmist does, "Whom have I in heaven but You, and besides You I desire nothing on earth." Let your love for Jesus likewise reflect the beauty of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Stay strong and God bless!