Epiphany 2

May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

SEASON: Epiphany 2
PROPER: B
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: January 19, 2003


TEXT: John 1:43-51 – Call of Disciples
“Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

See also: I Samuel 3:1-20 – The Call of Samuel in the Temple.

ISSUE: The lessons of the day deal largely with the calling of the disciples. It appears in John a calling of Nathanael, as representative of Israel, to come out from under the fig tree and take on the discipleship that he is called to by Jesus. The church today can be comfortable under its ways and teachings, but also needs to be called for to work for justice in the world, and to proclaim and tell the story of Christ coming into the world. The world needs to see the greater things of the heavens of God’s love revealed through the ministry, love, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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For the next several weeks, the church around the world will celebrate the Epiphany Season. It is the season of making manifest the Jesus is Lord. In the earlier weeks of this season in this year, the scripture readings deal with the calling of the disciples who carry on with Jesus and his mission The season is intended to be our missionary season, or the time in which we recollect that we as the church are called to mission, proclamation of the love of God. The stories of the calls of some of the early prophets and disciples give us clues and instruction as to what it means to be a disciple of the Lord, and what we are to proclaim.
The Hebrew Scripture today address the call of Samuel to his prophetic mission. At the time Samuel is a small boy about 12 years old, whose mother had sent him to live in the temple at Shiloh with the priest Eli. In the middle of the night Samuel hears a voice calling him. He thinks that it is the priest Eli, and Samuel responds, “Here I am.” After this scene is repeated several times, Eli tells Samuel that the next time he hears the voice he should respond: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Samuel does has he is told, and God reveals to the boy all of the corruption of Eli and his sons, who are also priests. Reluctantly Samuel tells Eli what God has spoken to him. In time the leadership of the corrupt house of Eli is removed, and Samuel becomes the respected prophet for the nation. What seems important in this story is that Samuel becomes bold enough to speak out about the injustice plaguing the temple and the people’s worship. The story implies that the call to discipleship is related to making a call for justice in the world.
Luke’s Gospel account tells the story of Jesus at the age of 12 years staying at the Temple in Jerusalem, much to the dismay of his parents. Jesus, like Samuel, becomes a prophet and preacher of justice and a revealer of the injustices of priests in the Jerusalem temple in his own time of ministry.
In the gospel account of John, we have the story of calling of disciples by Jesus. John’s account is somewhat different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John is the last of the gospels to be written. It is inclined to be more symbolic, and addresses of period when eyewitnesses to Jesus have all died. There is a very definite demand and immediacy for faithfulness by John’s community. In John’s Gospel Jesus calls some of the disciples, and then by a process of networking, the disciples themselves call others. Even John the Baptist was supposed to have directed Andrew to follow Jesus, who in turn brings his own brother Simon (Peter the Rock.) Philip, called by Jesus, calls Nathanael. While Jesus did not call Nathanael, the main part of the passage for this morning centers around the relationship of Jesus and Nathanael.
Like in so many of the stories and miracles in the Gospel of John, there is a sparring that goes on that eventually leads to moments of decision and faith. Philip calls Nathanael to come and see Jesus whom he believes to be the long anticipated royal messiah, Son of God King of Israel! He is Jesus, Son of Joseph, from Nazareth. Nathanael responds with that skeptical and demeaning remark: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nazareth was a small town, buried in a valley, and hard to see. And there is no mention in Hebrew Scriptures of the town, much less than the anticipation of anything good or messianic coming from there. Philip says to Nathanel, “Come and see.” In the Gospel of John, the word “see” means to believe. Notice the urgency here. Come and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel.
Jesus’ exchange with Nathanael gives the clues that Nathanael is symbolic of something more than just a one particular person. The name Nathanael was a Jewish name, whereas Andrew and Philip had more Hellenistic names, even though they were themselves Jewish. “Here is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit,” says Jesus and continues, “I saw you under the fig tree.” You have to remember Jacob in the Old Testament that was one of the fathers of the nation Israel, but who himself was a rascal and a master of deceit stealing his brother’s birthright and blessing. Nathanael is seen as an Israelite who was better than old Father Jacob. It’s the paying of a real compliment. The fact that Jesus saw him under the fig tree is of even more importance. The expression, “under the fig tree” means “I saw you at home.” Jewish men studied the Law of Moses, and meditated under their fig trees. It is as if Jesus is calling Nathanael and all of Israel from out of their homes into follow him and being in his service. What you have here is a small miracle in which Nathanael immediately responds in faith, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus assures Nathanael that he will see great things. Just as Jacob, the father of Israel, had seen angels ascending and descending Jacob’s ladder in a dream, Nathanael and all the people of Israel will see the heavens opened, and angels of God along with the Son of Man will be aware of the descent of God in the Christ, his crucifixion on the cross, and the ascension of his resurrection to new life.
While this interpretation may seem a bit cumbersome, it is typical of John’s style. But lets look more deeply at what the calling of Nathanael means for us today, as we explore, and try to embrace what it means to have a mission and be a follower of Jesus Christ. One thing is clear to me no one called to be a disciple is forced or cajoled into it. It is always a person’s free trust in what they see of the work and ministry of Jesus. It is decision based on an act of personal faith. Nathanael says, “You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!” Much later in John’s Gospel, Thomas makes that great leap of faith at the resurrection, “My Lord, and my God!” It is important that the Christian community is well versed in the teachings and the story of Jesus and what it means as redeeming, renewing, resurrecting, and uplifting. It is of great concern to me that small children who are baptized continue in their teaching and instruction, in order that they can make their own decisive decision to follow a Lord who gives meaning and purpose to life. We all need time under the fig tree of study, meditation, and contemplation as legitimate followers of Jesus Christ.
What I think we also see in this event is the calling forth of Nathanael as a man, and as a part of a faithful Jewish community into the active participation of walking with Jesus Christ, the actual following of him through life, the best of times, and through times of ordeal. Nathanael is invited out and called and blessed by Jesus to be a follower in the mission, and living into the faith of love, forgiveness, and in the pursuit of justice for all.
One of the great witnesses of our time to following the Lord and living out the faith was the work of Martin Luther King. King was pretty content for the most part to be under the fig tree in his pastorate in Montgomery, Alabama, and in the safety of other family members. But he was called by God to move beyond the fig tree and into active servanthood in the cause of justice and respecting the dignity of all human beings. Without force or violence he pursued a determined path of non-violence and witness to the love of God and the call for justice.
The church today, can be very much like Israel of Jesus’ time relatively content under the fig tree. We can find our own consolation, our personal salvation and peace with God. We can be a very cozy and comfortable community. There’s nothing wrong with any of that. A community of people comfortable, accepting, friendly, and supportive of one another is also a powerful witness to the hatred and violence of the world. Lord knows we need places of consolation. Jesus had his own inner group. But it was an inner group with mission to the outside world: to the sick, the lonely, the suffering, to those suffering from injustice.
Many of us will never have the acclaim of the disciples in the Bible, many of the saints we know, or of the likes of Martin Luther King. But we are called to be disciples by our belief and loyal trust that Jesus is Lord. That he is the very expression of God revealing what makes sense and what will bring peace and understanding to the world. We embrace that and live it. Teaching and training our children, and living in a way that embraces the very heart of God’s Gospel of Jesus Christ by the way we drive, by the way we vote, by the way we interact with others, family, friends, and strangers, by the energies we expend in compassion and response to human need in the community and around the world. The light under the bushel will not enlighten the house. Living comfortably under the fig tree will not bring peace to the world. Only through the embracing of Jesus Christ and walking his way do we bring hope and light to the world.