Christmas Weekday, Thursday – 05th January 2022 — Gospel: John 1,43-51
Drawing others to Cherished Treasure
In this encounter, Jesus invites Philip to discipleship. As a result, Philip discovers in himself a great treasure of which he cannot remain silent. He wants another to know and encounter Jesus. Thus, he finds Nathanael and bears witness about Jesus. He knows that personal experience is more powerful than words, so he brings Nathanael to meet Jesus. This he does in two ways. He first points out Jesus as the fulfillment of all scripture and then he refers to him as “Jesus, son of Joseph from Nazareth.” This witness seems to bring out both divine and human origins of Jesus and once again reminds us of the mystery that Jesus is and continues to be. When Nathanael reacts skeptically, Philip doesn’t give up. He doesn’t argue about Nathanael’s resistance, but responds in the words that Jesus had used to invite the first two disciples, “Come and see.”
