The Call of Nathanael

Today's Reflections

 

The Call of Nathanael 

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Jn 1:43-51

⁴³The next day [Jesus] decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” ⁴⁶But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.” ⁴⁸Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” ⁴⁹Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” ⁵⁰Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” ⁵¹And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Reflection:

Come and see. We know little of Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. But we see what a great thing he did: he brought 

 his brother Simon to Jesus (Jn 1:42).

In Galilee, Jesus finds and calls Philip to follow him. Philip in turn invites Nathanael to come and see Jesus. Andrew and Philip bring to Jesus future disciples who will shape the history of Christianity. They bring them to Jesus because they have experienced staying with Jesus for a day.

 When you truly come into contact with Jesus and experience what it is to live with him, you will also be eager to bring people to him. Pope Paul VI writes in his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Nuntiandi, “It is unthinkable that a person should believe the word and submit himself to the Kingdom without becoming a person who bears witness to it and proclaims it in his turn.”

Introduce people to Jesus or to draw them

into greater intimacy with him.