Sermon(Jn 1:43-51): A true Israelite
The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025221254
Scripture reading - Jn 1:43-51
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (Jn 1:47)
In today's biblical text, Philip, who had met Jesus and been called a disciple, met Nathanael and introduced Jesus to him and asked him to come and see him. Philip met Jesus and preached him to Nathanael because he thought that he was the promised Messiah in the books of Moses and the books of prophets. The whole books of New Testament and Old Testament tell about Jesus. Of the two, the Old Testament refers to Jesus who will come. The Messiah prophesied in the Bible was the Savior of mankind who would rule the world with love, peace and justice and defeat all the wicked. However, the Messiah ought to be an Israelite.
Nathanael in the text is also called Bartholomew, and the name means 'God's gift'. Of course, Bartholomew as an Israelite was also waiting for the Messiah. At that time, it was about 400 years after the last prophecy that predicted the appearance of Messiah, and Israel was a tributary of Rome, so all Israelites really longed for the Messiah who would win the independence of Israel and restore the country to the prosperity of the days of the David dynasty. God made people wait for the hero for 400 years, then at last he sent Jesus, the hero. God's time is really of extremely grand scale! Because of this, many people lose their hair, have dim eyes and a long neck. (Stress damages your hair. A delayed promise hurts the eyes that see it. You need a long neck to see someone come from afar.) (Lord, forgive me for these blasphemous words!) But God surely keeps his word. Then there will be twice as much joy as the pain you have suffered in the head, eyes and neck when the promise was delayed. Have you ever had such joy?
But Jesus, whom Philip claimed to be the Messiah, seemed to have a problem to Nathanael, because Jesus was a Nazarene, son of Joseph the carpenter. Nazareth has never been the focus of attention in Israel. It was Jerusalem and the temple therein that people paid attention to. Those days, most of people including Nathanael were expecting a Messiah from Jerusalem.
Here we see a false belief in the holy place among the Israelites. Some people thought that, even if they sinned, they could go unpunished if they were in Jerusalem, where there was the temple that God had chosen and protected. But God punished his sinful people, allowing the Gentiles to break into the temple. He permitted the Gentiles to slaughter the priests in the temple. Israelites' blind faith in the holy place is no more than a presumptuous attitude to limit God's free will. The idea that God's Messiah must come from Jerusalem is just a human expectation. God is the free one who is not confined by the power or the ideas of the world. God is free not to support those who form an exclusive religious faction in Jerusalem to monopolize God's blessings, who however do not pay attention to the justice and love of God. God can declare, "I am your God," to those who can't enjoy the blessings of God and the abundance of the world, and who nevertheless obey God's will. Jesus' other name, that is, Nazarene, speaks well of this freedom of God. The reason why God did not make the Messiah a citizen of Jerusalem might be that he could not join in the injustice of those in it.
God has a good reason not to make himself known as God to human beings when he appears to them. First, people will not believe him who, being the God, manifests himself to them. They will insult God if he appears in the shape of a man, and will say to him, "How dare you say that you are the God when you are a human being?" Most people will regard him as a mad man. Then God will not be able to do his work despite the fact that he is the God. And there's still a problem even when they believe he is the God. Anyone must die if he sees God and disobeys him. It is the same case as a man, who has seen the king and disobeyed him, must give up his life. Therefore God, knowing the weakness of men, says to them through his servants, God's agents, in order that he might spare their lives if they disobey him. Whether in dream or in reality, God meets a man and says to him while the man does not notice that he is the God. Later God let him know that it was God himself. Jesus' disciples, too, did not realize that he was the real God until Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven and they received the Holy Spirit. Because human beings can't stand the presence of God. And there are not so many human affairs in which God himself has to intervene. Quite exceptionally, God the Father, not in a vision but in reality came into the world, and revealed himself to several herdsmen to tell them about the birth of Jesus. >And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people. (Lk 2:9-10)< Here 'an angel of the Lord' and 'the angel' refer to the same angel. The angel told the shepherds the good news. By the way, we should not overlook 'the glory of the Lord'. It was the light that surrounded the substance of God. In other words, God himself came with his angel and showed himself to the shepherds. He gave the good news to all human beings through that angel. The appearance of the glory of God means the appearance of God himself. When God appears directly to humans, he sets a curtain (darkness or light) between him and them. Or he sends his servants. He so does that he may keep his glory and their (humans’) lives. Therefore, many mad men today who claim to be Jesus are 100% liars. God doesn't reveal himself like that. He meets humans while they do not notice him. This is the real encounter with the God or Jesus. The real God or Jesus does not tell his name when he is asked his name. Instead, he asks, "Why do you ask my name?" Look at the Bible to see whether I'm right or wrong. So don't try too much to meet Jesus with an awakened consciousness when praying. Jesus who is listening to your prayer does not want to be in a bad situation to refuse your request. What on earth are you going to say to him when you meet him? All the necessary words for all mankind are already in the Bible, so you are living as best Christian if you diligently read the Bible and honestly serve the God. So please be satisfied with that. Jesus will meet you if necessary even when you do not expect it. Leave the meeting to his decision. Do not make yourself a sacrifice of Satan or Satan's agent. You can become such if you force Jesus to meet you. And do not jump to a conclusion that you've met Jesus when you have seen someone who looked divine and holy in dream or fantasy thanks to your eager wishes. Furthermore, what is more important is not the meeting with Jesus itself but the great change in life after meeting him.
The only way for those who have a prejudice against Jesus to believe in him is to meet him. Nathanael believed in Jesus just after he met him. Philip told Nathanael to come and see when Nathanael, after hearing Philip's words, replied, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Jesus, seeing Nathanael approaching himself, said, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Nathanael was surprised at his words and asked how he could know that. (He would have been disappointed if Jesus had not said like that!) Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." In this brief meeting, Nathanael came to believe in Jesus as Messiah. What did Nathanael know about Jesus in this brief encounter? Nathanael knew that Jesus was a true Israelite. Nathanael knew who he himself was. He thought himself to be a man not cunning but honest, and he tried to live as such. And Jesus who recognized him was right in front of him. A good man (or a hero) knows his like. Nathanael was certain that Jesus, who knew about himself (Nathanael), was a true Israelite having no cunning heart. Nathanael thought that Jesus was a loving man, for he, covering up all the transgressions of Nathanael, spoke only words of praises about him. Some Christians deliberately invent others' sins and condemn and persecute them. They are not Jesus' disciples. Such liars as like condemning others having no sins will lose all good friends. Those who praise others well like Jesus will receive love, respect, and trust from others. If you speak ill of someone in his absence, you'll lose all your good friends, esteem and trust. A pastor I know speaks such gentle and nice words before others, but, they having gone, he slanders them. I thought, 'I can't trust this man. I'm sure he will revile me in front of others if I'm not there!' Who is as true an Israelite as Jesus who has no guile? A true Israelite honestly fears God and loves his neighbors like himself. Nathanael thought that Jesus had the divinity. He called Jesus from '(a good) thing' to 'teacher (Rabbi)' , and finally 'Son of God'. What stage are you at now? Seeing Jesus' majesty and insight, he confesses that Jesus is the promised Messiah and the Son of God. Who can deny Jesus' divinity after actually meeting him? Many people and Christians of little faith have problems about Jesus if they do not meet Jesus like Nathanael. Everyone who meets Jesus like Nathanael confesses him to be the Messiah. We need to be like Philip. We should bring them to Jesus to change them.
Was Nathanael saved? Did Jesus say to him, "You are saved"? I think so, considering the biblical verses today. Jesus said to Nathanael who was coming to him, "You are a true Israelite!" only true Israelites are saved. Toward Nathanael approaching him, Jesus declared that he was a true Israelite, and covered all his transgressions. This is a declaration of forgiveness of sins and a declaration of salvation. Everyone who comes to Jesus like Nathanael is told to be a true Israelite. However, Israelites only in flesh are excluded here. He who cunningly serves God is not a true Israelite even though he is a Israelite in blood.
Legend says that Nathanael, after the resurrection of Jesus, went to Arabia and India to preach the gospel and was beaten to death by people there. For the sake of him who recognized him (Nathanael) as a true Israelite and for the sake of his gospel, Nathanael became a faithful apostle and servant of Jesus to the end as Jesus believed. My brethren! Today Jesus comes to you and calls you a true Israelite without cunningness. Please respond to this calling with open heart, and be his loyal disciple.
Chong Tack Kim
- Dongtoma Sunshine Church -