John 1:43-51

Epiphany 2 - Year B

John 1:43-51

You want to buy a field? Can anything good come from that sort of investment. Invest, instead, in a bank too big to fail.

You found the fulfillment of Moses and the Prophets in Nazareth? Really, Nazareth!

How easy it would have been for Philip to walk away from Nathanael, but he took his conversation all the way to Missouri - “Come and see.”

How easy is it for you to walk away from a discouraging word? Do you have a next step in a conversation that will eventually lead to such an invitation as Philip’s?

Beyond this example of persistent evangelism, it is instructive to reflect on Nathanael as we do upon Thomas, another doubter. You might be interested in a book by Jennifer Michael Hecht Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson.

What is the basis of your belief? If not your friend Philip, why this Jesus claiming to have seen you under the symbol of a fig tree (any good magician could come up with this little praise of being honest, straight-forward, and patriotic)?

Another key ability to participate in life has to do with being able to move our belief as new occasions come along. One tendency is to keep believing the same thing in a new setting and failing to come to grips with a significant variation that would deepen or modify first impressions or beliefs. Blessings on keeping your beliefs up-to-date with your experiences.