Come and see

 

 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and 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."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to 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, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

 

- John 1:43-51

 

Yesterday we read about the second and third day given in the Gospel of St. John.  On this day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.   And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and 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."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  My study Bible comments here that no deceit means both having a pure heart and being straightforward with others.  

 

  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  It is not given to us what exactly happened under the fig tree (just as Christ's introduction to Philip is not detailed either).  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible reports, this was the meeting place of Philip and Nathanael, and Jesus here is praising Nathanael for being so diligent and careful in is search for the Messiah.  (See also Psalm 32:2, for this phrase of praise.)  Christ's foreknowledge and His ability to see into Nathanael's heart stir him to this confession of faith.  

 

Jesus answered and said to 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, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  My study Bible explains that the title Son of Man is a title of the Messiah that had a level of mystery in its meaning, indicating a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7:13-14).  In an Old Testament prophecy, Jacob saw in a dream a ladder connecting earth to heaven, upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12-15).  Jesus is this "ladder" uniting earth and heaven, and is therefore this Son of Man.  In today's reading, we are given the fourth day of Christ's public ministry.  Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael, who see Christ as the true Light; the One who was revealed in the Old Testament, a lesser light.  According to my study Bible, this is a parallel to the fourth day of creation, in which was established the lesser and greater lights governing the night and the day respectively in Genesis 1:14-19.  

 

Jesus says of Nathanael, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  As we begun reading St. John's Gospel on Monday, from its beginning (the Prologue, or the first 18 verses; see Monday's reading and commentary) we have remarked upon the power of identity that is present as a theme in this Gospel.  Important, and essential, is not just Jesus' identity as Christ, both fully human and fully divine, but also the understanding necessary to our faith that Jesus has come Incarnate into the world in order to restore us to our true identity, our true humanity -- for, as St. Gregory Nazianzus teaches, what His divinity touches is healed, restored.  And this, in a nutshell, is the key to salvation.  It, in fact, is our salvation.  For even death, the last enemy, was trampled by Christ's death, crucified on the Cross for us so that we might be with Him (John 17:24).  Key to Christ's identity as Son of Man, and also to our identity -- which is only true found in Him and through Him -- is that He is the "knower of hearts" (John 2:23-25; Acts 1:24).  For, as Creator, who has made us in God's image and likeness, He has come to restore our true nature to us, lost through what is termed the "fallenness" of our world; that is, the effects of sin in our world and the struggles we therefore inherit and are born into.  But through the Incarnation, He brings His divinity to our humanity to restore us, to "save" us.  And this is what He sees in Nathanael.  When we hear Nathanael ask, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" it may sound like an off-hand insult to us, but in reality Nathanael knows that the Christ was not prophesied to come from Nazareth, or even the region of Galilee, and this is what his question is given in reference to.  But Nathanael is also one not to be pulled into something without discerning what it's all about first; he's what we might call a "straight shooter."  That is, one who's mouth speaks from the heart.  And this is a kind of purity that Jesus admires, calling Nathanael "an Israelite indeed."  Interestingly, Philip responds with just the words that will appeal to a straight shooter who needs to see for himself, "Come and see."  (Also intriguing is that these are Christ's words to Andrew, Simon, and the unnamed disciple from yesterday's reading, when He's asked by them where He's staying, "Come and see.")  Coincidentally, today is the Feast of the Transfiguration, in which Jesus plainly showed to His disciples who He truly is, His divine identity in all His glory.  In this perhaps we can all understand that every one of us is invited to "come and see," to find the life in Christ for ourselves, to be touched by His grace and healed, even as these disciples will grow into greater faith and dependence upon Christ throughout the rest of their lives.  For the Lord has come to dwell with us (and within us), so that we may learn to depend upon Him and grow into the grace that grows in us, weaning away what does not serve God's purposes and building in us that true image and likeness He has come to lead us into through participation in His life.  Let us also "come and see" for ourselves.

 

Behold the Lamb of God!

 

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.   I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

 

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

- John 1:(29–34) 35–42 

 

Yesterday we read the beginning of Christ's public ministry, which begins with the testimony of John the Baptist.  Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the LORD," ' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

 

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."   My study Bible comments that John's declaring Jesus as the Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  Christ is the true Paschal (Passover) Lamb, and He offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  According to my study Bible, St. John Chrysostom teaches that Jesus came to John this second time in order for John to make this declaration, and thereby stop anyone from thinking that Jesus needed baptism to wash away sins. 

 

 And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.   I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  That the Spirit remained upon Him, my study Bible says, was a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity.  Christ did not receive the Holy Spirit at His Baptism; this vision which John saw was a revelation of the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested on Christ.  This completes the second day given in St. John's Gospel; as John the Baptist declares that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit, which is greater than John's own baptism of repentance, which was performed with water on earth.  This is a parallel to the separation of water above from water below on the second day of creation in Genesis 1:6-8.

 

Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  Here we are given the third day in St. John's Gospel, in which John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ gathers to be His own, one of whom Jesus declares to be the foundation of the Church (see Matthew 16:18).  This parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.  These first disciples now called by Christ had been followers of John.  They are Andrew and Simon (also known as Peter, or Cephas).  On the following day (in our next reading), there will be two more disciples called by Jesus.  There is yet another disciple who is unnamed here; according to some patristic commentary he is John the Evangelist himself, author of this Gospel.  My study Bible explains that it was a common literary device for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13).  

 

St. John the Evangelist begins his Gospel with the words "In the beginning," paralleling Genesis and the creation story. What follows his Prologue, so far in this first chapter of his Gospel, is a day by day account of Christ's public ministry.  In so doing, St. John gives us a glimpse into the building of this ministry, and what we notice, just as the Gospel builds this story by approaching it day by day, is that nothing happens simply by fiat.  That is, Christ starts small, and goes step by step.  He doesn't immediately declare the establishment of His Church, although one would consider that Christ, as Second Person of the Trinity and Son, can do anything He wants to.  Instead, just as the story of the Incarnation is essential to our understanding of Christ, Jesus' building of His Church and His public ministry is part of the Incarnation, and, we can extrapolate, the "work" of the Incarnation.  In understanding the purpose of Christ, as God, becoming a human being, the theology of the Church teaches us (notably according to St. Athanasius of Alexandria) that Christ was meant to assume all aspects of humanity in order to bring healing to all aspects of our lives.  This would include the things by which all human endeavors are bound, such as time and space, the communication necessary between people, and perhaps most notably the interpersonal connections shaped in the reality of Creator to creature as manifested through the Incarnation.  Christ, as the Good Shepherd (as He will call Himself) calls to His sheep, and knows them all by name, as they know Him.  See John 10:1-6.  Ironically, when Jesus makes this statement about Himself in chapter 10 of this Gospel, the religious leadership has no idea what He is talking about, but their expectations of the Messiah are all to be confounded in those who lack faith.  But we, through the benefit of the understanding in the mind of the Church, can appreciate that Christ's work in this world is, in particular, the specific work of the Incarnation, meant to take on all aspects of humanity even as Christ remains fully divine, in order to heal the world and fulfill all righteousness.  So, as we readers seek our own understanding of our faith, let us take heart that for our Creator, all aspects of the human experience and the building of His Church are crucially important to assume, and so this teaches us as well that our perfectly human endeavors also may shine with the light of Christ, even as we build what is good in our lives, bit by bit, person by person, drop by drop (so to speak).  Let us hastily admit here that it remains to be seen throughout the reading of this Gospel just how imperfect even these chosen disciples can be in their understanding and reception of His teachings.  When we question our own capacities to build up something in our lives, let us not be impatient with ourselves and with the reality of the nature of life in this world, for even our Lord has done the same, started small, and through His grace and presence enshrined and made holy even the smallest of endeavors.  Let us continue in all ways in our lives to seek to embody the things which Christ teaches us, acting and calling upon His name, His light, to guide us and help us.  Let us remain in His peace, and grow in patience and strength, as we are able (see also Galatians 5:22-23).  May the grace of our Lord inform all our endeavors, even those which don't always work the ways we wanted them to (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

 

 

 

 

We have found the Messiah

 

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard Jon speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone). 

 

- John 1:35–42 

 

Yesterday we were given the second day (paralleling the creation story of Genesis) of the beginning of Christ's ministry, the testimony of John the Baptist: John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that he should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

 

  Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard Jon speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  My study Bible comments that the Lord's first disciples had been followers of John the Baptist.  They were Andrew; Simon (also known as Peter), or Cephas;  Philip and Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew), both of whom we will read about in tomorrow's reading; and an unnamed disciple, whom some patristic commentary say was John, the author of the Gospel.  It was a common literary device for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13). 

 

Today's reading encompasses the third day of the beginning of the story of Christ's ministry.  Here in today's reading, John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ then gathers to be His own.  One of them He declares to be the foundation of the Church (see also Matthew 16:18).  As this Gospel began with the words, "In the beginning" (John 1:1), suggesting the creation story of Genesis (Genesis 1:1), so each day also parallels a day of that creation story.  Today's reading parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.  In the story of creation in Genesis, we find that God brings order out of chaos, and fills the world with good things, establishing both order and creativity.  Here John's ministry takes the shape of its fullness by John leading his disciples to Christ, following his testimony to Jesus as the Christ in yesterday's reading (the second day in the unfolding of Christ's ministry).  We could suggest the parallel to the creation story gives us Logos Himself -- both the organizing and creative principle of existence -- as the center of all things.  John the Baptist plays his role by revealing Logos to the world, and also gathering his own disciples to the Christ, thus filling the world with good things, even children to the Lord.  In our own lives, we might consider this same pattern and how it can be set down for us -- and set into motion: a blessed and good way of life.  We first place the Lord at the center of all things in life, for He is the creative and organizing principle Himself in His Person.  He is the Logos.  In John 1:1, the Greek word Logos is translated as "Word" ("In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God").  This, of course, refers to Jesus Christ, whom we know is the eternal Son of God.  My study Bible commented on that verse that Logos can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word" -- all of these are attributes of the Son of God.  So, when we first place Jesus our Lord at the center of our lives, it is all of these properties of Logos that we are putting front and center in life, and as we pray and as we worship and structure our lives around Christ, so we are bringing the energies of those properties into our lives as well.  We participate in His life through prayer and worship practices and following the things He teaches (such as almsgiving, fasting, repentance, etc.) and in this way we ally with His energies.  This process is called "Theosis" in the Orthodox Christian tradition.  But by putting this principle of Logos first in our lives as the center of our focus, we bring organization, order, creativity, and all that Christ offers into our homes and our lives, into our families and relationships.  This is the story of the unfolding of Christ's ministry, where first John the Baptist serves Christ by revealing Him to the world, and then draws his own disciples to Jesus.  So we can do the same ourselves in our lives.  We can first put Christ in the center, knowing and learning and growing in our understanding of Him, and after that we seek to grow all things in our lives as things which serve Christ.  Whatever we do, whatever we choose, whatever steps we take, whatever we create in our lives, follows the pattern of creatively serving Christ and filling our lives with good things.  In our own practice of discipleship, we seek this constant pattern, so that we in turn are ordered, creative, and serving and enhancing the good with all we produce.  Christ has life in Himself, and the things that come from the Lord remain dynamic, creative, original, unique, and a constant marvel, such as the myriad saints that come from our faith, all of whom are unique and show us original ways in which their uniqueness is magnified in ways that serve God.  In this sense, we return the gift of our lives to our Creator, and in turn our Creator blesses us with ways to serve, to be a true part of this dynamic unfolding creation, and its salvation in Him.  Let us consider this pattern, and the growth of Christ's disciples and ministry, and how that pattern can work and unfold as well in our own lives.  In today's reading, Simon is brought to Christ, and he is revealed by Christ to be Cephas, or Peter (from the Greek Petros, meaning a Stone); that is, he is revealed by the Lord to be the foundation of the Church.  So we also may seek the Lord, and He in turn reveals to us who we are, giving us life and ministry and a way to lead our lives.

 

 

Behold the Lamb of God!

 

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

- John 1:35-42 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given the "second day" of Jesus' public ministry:   John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

 

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  My study Bible comments on today's reading by asking us to note that the Lord's first disciples had been followers of John the Baptist.  Here in today's reading are Andrew and Simon.  Simon was also known as Peter, or Cephas, as the text tells us.  In the next reading will be the calling of Philip and Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew).  Note that in today's reading there is also an unnamed disciple (John the Baptist stood with two of his disciples; yet only one of the two is named, and that is Andrew, Simon Peter's brother).  Some patristic sources say that this unnamed disciple was John, the author of the Gospel.  It was a common literary device for a writer not to give his own name.  See, for example, the story in Luke's Gospel of the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), in which it is said that two disciples were traveling but only Cleopas is named.  According to tradition, the unnamed disciple is Luke himself.  In this third day of seven given in John's Gospel, John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ gathers to be His own -- and one of them Jesus declares to be the foundation of the Church (see Matthew 16:18).  My study Bible says that this parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land in the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.

It's interesting to note once again how events unfold in Christ's ministry, in this beginning of the establishment of His public ministry, as reported by John the Evangelist.   Just as we have observed that John the Baptist operated solely through faith, relying on God to reveal the Messiah to him although his entire ministry was a preparation for this Messiah, so we observe events in John's Gospel that almost seem to be random happenstance that unfold Jesus' ministry.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus was revealed to John the Baptist as the Lamb of God, the Savior.  In today's reading, we're told that John was standing with two of his disciples as he observes Jesus walking.  John tells them, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  We don't know if others were present to overhear this, and we don't even know how those two disciples decided they would go follow Jesus.  But Jesus turns and responds, asking them, "What do you seek?"  Now all of this seems in some sense perfectly ordinary, except for the fact that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the Son, the Messiah as incarnate human being!  If we look at Christ the way the Bible looks at Christ -- as the very centerpiece of all of history -- we might find it a bit disconcerting to note how random things appear to be.  Two disciples just happen to be standing with the Baptist when they observe Jesus walking.  Then those two decide they will follow Jesus, and He turns to ask them what they're seeking.  This is a seemingly strange dichotomy, with two contradictory observations -- the seemingly random happenstances and human choices in the story, coupled with what is true "from the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4-5).  Somehow human cooperation and choice is known to God in a completely different sense of time than we understand it, and so the contradiction is a great dichotomy for us, a paradox and mystery.  Nevertheless, what appears seemingly random to us is how the Bible tells us these profound events unfold, and the mission of Christ takes its shape.   Without exploring every possibility and question here, let us take a pragmatic approach to this observation and simply use what we're taught in ways that help us in our own lives, and teaches us something about our own faith experiences.  There will be times in our faith lives when a type of personal revelation hits us like a ton of bricks.  We might be standing in church listening to a hymn when we realize how the words speak to us.  How common such an experience is in the reading of Scripture must be so myriad that it is impossible to put a number on it.  But the meanings and values of God, the recognition of some sort of a call or reflection to events in our own lives is what gives faith its shape and experience, and keeps calling us back, and has done so for all of the history of the Church.  And yet, there is a thread through such seemingly random encounters with faith and meaning that is recognized as a repeated call from God, a partial revelation of who we are found in this deep relationship that is beyond our fully knowing it.  I might be standing on a street corner when an overheard snip of conversation gives me a glimmer of God's word for something I'm concerned about.  Or maybe I'm worried about something and see a sign that gives me an answer printed on a person's t-shirt as I drive by in traffic.  Recently as I was walking home from the grocery store, I questioned in myself what community means, with concern about how it evolves, and silently prayed about it.  A moment later  I looked up and saw an old friend walking toward me who'd recently lost her husband.   I realized I was given an answer -- just like Christ telling the lawyer to "go and do likewise" in the story of the Good Samaritan, and Christ's response to his question of who was a neighbor.  Whatever comfort and support she needed, it was my call to offer, and find my community there.  How random was that really?  Whatever the case truly is, it was a profound answer resounding with meaning for me, even teaching me something about identity and mission.  We read in the Gospel today of meetings that will have meaning for all time -- but they don't happen in great announcements to the world at the moment.  Like so many such moments reported in the Bible, these events when they take place are intimate and personal.   In today's reading, such a moment is answered with two questions.  Jesus asks, "What do you seek?" and the future disciples ask, "Where are you staying?"  Christ's simple command to "Come and see" begins the journey and the entire future history of the Church and all that we associate with it.  Let us not look for fireworks and parades for our faith, but pay attention in the quiet moments, in our prayers, and in the "random" events and encounters that may unfold great meanings.  For God is at work and always with us.

 

 

"You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone)

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as he walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

- John 1:35-42

Yesterday we read that John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as he walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  In the parallel to Genesis, John gives the first week of Christ's earthly ministry.  This is the third day given in the Gospel, in which John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ.  Jesus takes them as His own disciples, and names one of them Rock or Stone, foundation of the Church (see Matthew 16:18).  This is echoes the gathering of the waters and the growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.   In the Synoptic Gospels, Peter is given this name by Christ in response to Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, but in John, Jesus' insight and recognition comes immediately when Peter is called as a disciple.  We may note also that Jesus calls him, Simon the son of Jonah.  Jonah was the prophet from Galilee, the one overlooked by the Pharisees when they scathingly reply to Nicodemus that "no prophet has arisen out of Galilee" (see John 7:45-52).

We note how Christ's ministry evolves:  First there is the declaration of the identity of John the Baptist, as the "voice of one crying in the wilderness" who declares the coming of the Messiah.  Then John testifies to what he witnesses when Jesus is baptized (the second day given in the Gospel, see above).  In today's reading, the third day, John leads his disciples to Jesus.  The first is Andrew, who then brings his brother, Peter -- whom Jesus reveals to be the "Rock" or "Stone" of the Church.  As noted above, this name is given to Peter in the Synoptic Gospels upon Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ.  Jesus calls this recognition or confession something inspired only by God the Father (Matthew 16:17).  Therefore the true rock upon which the Church is built is the communion and relatedness that is created by faith:  Peter's confession is inspired by the Father, according to Jesus.  What Jesus sees in Peter, in naming him in today's reading, is this true vision of communion in faith, and that rock or stone is something that can be a part of each one of us.  Peter may stand in for the Church, but in faith he speaks for all of us.  The chain of relatedness that we are to understand through today's reading is therefore at work in each one where faith is present.  We observe the Baptist and his disciples, and how the disciples come to Christ, and we observe a communion, a chain at work that links us all together through faith.  But the naming of Peter does something else for all of us, it teaches us about what strengths are present to us when we enter into this communion through faith.  It reminds us, as John's Gospel will report, that "others have labored, and you have entered into their labors" (John 4:38).  Faith is not the act of a single person making a decision in their hearts to love God.  It is not simply an existential choice of one person's conscience or awareness at work.  Instead, faith enters us into a communion, a linked chain in an entire field of links together -- a communion of strength and energy that supports an identity we find in that faith.  Therefore is the strength of faith something far greater than we can calculate, and through which even faith "as a grain of mustard seed" is capable of moving mountains, for which Jesus says "nothing will be impossible" (Matthew 17:20).  What we enter into through faith is a chain or building of stones, as Peter will put it in his Epistle, something into and through which the energies of incalculable numbers of beings, far greater than we are alone, flows and strengthens who we are and what we are capable of becoming.  Let us be reminded that these beings begin with the Father, and include all of Creation, visible and invisible.  Peter writes, "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4-5).  Today's reading gives us a glimpse of that spiritual house, whereby through the Baptist the disciples come to Christ -- first Andrew, who then brings his brother Peter.  Through faith, we become one more living stone in this great spiritual house, and we share in the strength created through the whole of the communion.  Can we calculate what is possible through such reality?  Let us consider what humility, through faith, can do through our lives as living stones.

Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

In the meantime, His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And may more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

- John 4:27-42

Yesterday we read that when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.  So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."  Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said, to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband.' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"   The disciples marveled not only that Jesus was speaking with a Samaritan, but also that she was an unaccompanied woman.  This was potentially scandalous.  They are apparently so stunned that they don't ask Him a thing.  For more instances of Christ's dealings with women, see, 7:53-8:11; 11:20-33; 20:11-18 (see also Luke 8:1-3).  As so many of these examples are in John's Gospel, we must once again pause to wonder about the relationship of the Evangelist John with the Mother of our Lord, Mary, and the insights gained through such closeness, particularly regarding Jesus' kindness toward and high regard for women.

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.   This woman becomes an early evangelist, by testifying to the advent of Christ and bringing others to Him.  My study bible notes that according to an early tradition, after the Resurrection she was baptized with the name Photini, meaning "the enlightened one."  Along with her two sons and five daughters, tradition tells us that she went to Carthage to spread the gospel.  Later she was martyred with her family under the emperor Nero, by being thrown into a well.  Her memory is celebrated on March 20, and the fourth Sunday of Easter in the Eastern Church.

In the meantime, His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."  Here is another occasion of misunderstandings, used to advantage in John's Gospel by Jesus to teach about the deeper realities of God.  They are occasions for which we must have "ears to hear" (Matthew 13:9).  Jesus fulfills His role as Christ by doing the will of the Father, and therefore this is His food.  This also teaches us that we are to perform the will of God in our lives without being distracted by earthly cares, my study bible tells us (6:27; see also Matthew 4:4, 6:25-33).

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  St. John Chrysostom comments that Jesus' command to the disciples to "Behold" comes to tell them to look as the townspeople were approaching, ready and eager to believe in Christ.   Jesus compares these foreigners (relative to the Jews) to fields ready for harvest.  My study bible notes that this command is also to all believers to look to those around us and to share the gospel with anyone who wants to hear it, regardless of race or ethnicity.

"And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  Again, turning to St. John Chrysostom, we are taught here that those who sow and those who reap are the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles, respectively.  The prophets sowed in preparation for the Messiah, although they did not see His coming and so, therefore, did not reap.  The apostles haven't done the preparation, although they would draw thousands to Christ in their lifetimes.  Whenever we bear fruit, in our own lives or with others, we also enter into others' labors;  even reading the Gospel we do so as well.  To recognize the great communion of saints is to know that we are part of a grand chain of faithful whose measure we cannot take, but the benefit of which we nevertheless reap and partake within.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And may more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  My study bible remarks upon the fact that these foreigners -- who are nominal enemies of the Jews -- are the first to recognize Jesus as the Savior of the world.  It truly shows that the gospel is for all people in every nation.

In today's reading, we are reminded of Christ's word to the disciples regarding the little children brought to Him for a blessing.  The disciples felt this was diminishing to Christ's honor.  But He told them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (see Matthew 19:13-15).  And earlier, Jesus had taught them, when giving teachings regarding the importance of humility in their positions in His Church, that "whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me" (see Matthew 18:1-7).   It seems that the greatest lesson the disciples of Christ need to learn will always be about humility.  And here in today's reading (as well as yesterday's) is an extraordinary account given by John about this first open and direct revelation by Jesus of His divine identity as Messiah and Son.  Jesus' teachings about little children apply to all who might be seen as diminutive in social stature, within any context.  It really matters not at all what social structure we speak of.  We don't know and cannot judge where believers will be found, where a pure heart ready to receive Christ is going to be.   In the few references Jesus has given us about practicing discernment, He has taught the disciples, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces"  (Matthew 7:6), given in the context of correcting others.  Also in Matthew's chapter 7, He teaches in the context of those who would be leaders of His Church, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."   He also goes on to condemn the hypocrisy of those whose appearance is devout, but who do not truly care for the will of God.  What we can infer from these teachings, and Christ's open expression of His identity to this Samaritan woman, is that His teachings extend only to discernment regarding the hearts of people, whether or not they truly are capable of receiving and loving and practicing the will of God.  All other nominal barriers do not exist for Christ, and they should not exist for us.  We note the great experiential emphasis here:  our faith is not theoretical, nor is it governed by legalistic boundaries.  It is rather dynamic and organic:  we know by evidential experience, we meet all who may come to Christ with particular boundaries of personal behavior relying above all on humility and a capacity for discernment.  He does not tell us that following His teachings amounts to a pretense that every person is pure of heart or well-intentioned.  Rather, His is a balanced mission, once again based in ongoing experience.  In Matthew chapter 10, He teaches the disciples as He sends them out on their first apostolic mission, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."   Our cultural prejudices have no place in this dynamic missionary picture, neither does social status one way or another (we have already been given the example of Nicodemus the Pharisee in chapter 3), nor even age.  What we glean from His teachings taken altogether is that our personal prejudices or social context do not inform us about mission and judgment.  Only His truth can really guide us, as we seek to fulfill the will of God, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in a communion which links to the spiritual depths within each of us.  As each is endowed with spirit, so each is capable of responding to Christ.  It is there we start, and remain -- and there the extraordinary action of today's reading is possible.  Living Christ's faith is an ongoing full-on dynamic engagement in life itself.   Each is to "come and see."  We remember His teaching that "with God, all things are possible," and we remain alert as He teaches us, always ready to be surprised by the action and will of the Spirit of God -- both in us and among us.

Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." 

- John 4:27-42

On Saturday we read that when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.  So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."  Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."   The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or "Why are You talking with her?"    The disciples marveled for several reasons.  Jesus spoke first of all with a Samaritan, and also with an unaccompanied woman -- which for the time, place, and culture was a potential scandal.  My study bible cites several other instances further on in John's Gospel in which Jesus' dealings with women are remarkable:  John 7:53-8:11; 11:20-33; 20:11-18 (see also Luke 8:1-3).

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.   This Samaritan woman becomes an early evangelist, says my study bible.  She testifies to the advent of Christ and also brings others to Him.  This woman is known in tradition as St. Photini.  According to early tradition in the Church, after the Resurrection she was baptized with this name Photini, which in Greek means "the enlightened one."  Along with two sons and five daughters, she went to Carthage to spread the gospel.  Later she was martyred with her family under the emperor Nero by being thrown into a well.

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."  Here is another example of a particular type of interaction which is notable in John's Gospel, a misunderstanding meant to illumine or enlighten.  He fulfills His role as Messiah by doing the will of the Father, and therefore this is His food.  But the example is for all of us; it teaches us not only about priorities and what we put first, but also the mysterious energies of God, God's grace (see also 6:27; Matthew 4:4, 6:25-33).  My study bible says it teaches us to do the will of God in our lives without being distracted by earthly cares.

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  According to St. Chrysostom, when Jesus says Behold to the disciples, He is looking at the approaching townspeople, who are ready and eager to believe in Him.  Jesus compares these foreigners (relative to the Jews) whose common dress was white, to fields ready for harvest.  My study bible tells us that this command is also to all believers to look to those around us and to share the gospel with anyone wanting to hear it, regardless of race or ethnicity. 

"And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  St. Chrysostom further comments that those who sow and those who reap are the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles, respectively.  The prophets sowed in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, but did not see His coming and thus did not reap.  The apostles didn't do the preparation, but they will draw thousands to Christ in their own lifetimes.  And we, too, build upon all these labors in our own lives.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." These foreigners and enemies of the Jews are the first to recognize Jesus as Savior of the world.  What it teaches us is just that the gospel is for all people in every nation.

John's Gospel has already repeatedly given us the action of faith:  some are told to "come and see."  (See also John 1:38-39, 1:46).  But their faith takes hold with experience, coming to know Christ for themselves.  This sense of personal experience is important.  By the time John's Gospel was written, John was an elderly man.  By tradition, it is said that he dictated his work to a disciple.  Therefore we infer that the experience of the early Church, and also of course his intimacy with Christ and with the Mother of Christ (see John 19:26) shape many of the understandings that we find in John's Gospel.  We've already read two previous examples of people who are told to "come and see" and who become Jesus' disciples.  Here in today's reading, St. Photini does the same with her own townspeople.  But they testify themselves that their faith takes hold "not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  They come and see for themselves, just as did Andrew and John the Evangelist, and Nathanael.  So the real question here for us becomes, how do we come and see?  Jesus is no longer in the world as incarnate human being.  His worldly ministry ended with His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  But it is precisely because of that "ending," which was not an ending at all, that we are capable of coming and seeing and experiencing Christ for ourselves.  We not only have the entire tradition of the Church which testifies to Christ, including the history of all the saints and the Gospels, Epistles and other books of the New Testament, but we have the entire history of Judaism in the Old Testament which testifies to who the Christ is.  As Christians, we understand Jesus as the fulfillment of all that is in the Old Testament.  We can study the Scriptures, as in this blog, and we find over and over again new insights that they tell us about.  John gives us the wonderful and repeated examples of "misunderstandings" that are intentional, in which Jesus uses figurative language designed to initiate those listening in concepts of the Kingdom.  Jesus also gives us parables to teach us about the Kingdom, which give repeated insights to listeners, regardless of how many times one may have heard the same parable before.  All these experiences are ways in which we, too, can "come and see" for ourselves.  But finally there is the greatest blessing of all, that which forms and shapes the Church and our worship, the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Regardless of where we are, who we are, when we live, God is with us.  God's presence leads and guides us.  We can call on the Spirit, on the Father, on the Son, and pray with the entire communion of saints for our help and true experience of faith, for which there is no substitute.  It is on this the Church rests, and builds, and grows.  Jesus has promised that "where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).  At the end of Matthew's Gospel, He gives His disciples what is known as the Great Commission, saying, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you."  He ends with this promise:  "And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  In all these things, and in the true worship of God in spirit and in truth, He is with us always.

Come and see

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and 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." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to 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, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

- John 1:43-51

In yesterday's reading, John the Baptist said of Jesus, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." The next day, he saw Jesus walking and said to two of his disciples: "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They stayed with Him that day. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah"And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. This is the fourth day given in John's Gospel. My study bible says that Philip immediately obeys Jesus' command to "Follow Me" - perhaps because he already knows about Jesus, "or beholds the divine presence in Him." We might assume also that Philip is another disciple of John the Baptist, as were Andrew, John and Peter (in yesterday's reading). Jesus is from Galilee, as are His earliest disciples. Again, we go back to relationship, relatedness, a theme we will always read in this Gospel.

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." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Just as we have already been introduced to the inquiries from Jerusalem about John the Baptist's ministry, so we are introduced now to the popular picture of Galilee and specifically Nazareth. It's not Jerusalem, not from the center of Jewish life. "Come and see" are the same words Jesus has said to His first disciples in yesterday's reading.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" My study bible says that "no deceit means a pure heart which is capable of recognizing Christ." Perhaps Nathanael's plain question to Philip teaches us about his character. He's someone who does not hide what he is thinking. He is capable of open encounter.

Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" My study bible says, "Jesus' foreknowledge stirs Nathanael to a joyous confession of faith." The fig tree is a traditional symbol of Israel, which figures elsewhere in the Gospels.

Jesus answered and said to 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, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." Again, there is a note here that is extensive and very helpful. Among other things, it teaches us, "In ancient Jewish thought, the Son of Man is a mysterious being of heavenly origin who is to usher in the Kingdom of God (see Dan. 7:13-14). Jesus is this One. In Old Testament prophecy, Jacob dreamed of a ladder connecting earth and heaven, upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (see Gen. 28:12-15). Jesus--the Son of Man--is 'Jacob's Ladder,' man's access to God, the final and fullest revelation of God. In His Incarnation, God and man are united." It adds that in His public ministry, the Kingdom of God on earth is inaugurated. His Cross, set up on earth like Jacob's ladder, reaches into heaven. Through His Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension, human nature is also raised into heaven. At His Second Coming, all things will be reconciled to God. "In Christ," it says, "heaven and earth are joined." They are joined for us.

I keep coming back to Jesus', and subsequently, Philip's phrase, "Come and see." We need an encounter with Christ. Experience means everything. We can talk about theory and philosophy, we can make a presentation of Jesus' teachings and values, but in the Son of Man (as my study bible points out) we have an encounter, a Person, a relationship. Jesus invites them into encounter, to "Come and see," and then the disciples extend the same invitation about Christ to one another. So when we involve ourselves with His Church, we are to "Come and see" for ourselves. Like Nathanael, we'd best come with an open heart, one without guile, that isn't two-faced, or hiding anything, with a plain respect for truth and honesty. Let us go as ourselves to Christ, just as we are. John's Gospel opens to us the Son of Man, and His relationships with others. We are all invited to Come and See.