The Gospel of John, chapter one, is one the the most exciting passages of all of scripture to me. It's like a great story where you're not sure what's going on until part way through, but when you go back and read it again you see all the details were there from the beginning. You just didn't understand the story enough yet to see them.
Starting in the cosmos John explains Jesus to be the Word of God through whom all creation came into existence. Light explodes everywhere in creation and from Him. It's like the beginning of an action movie where the camera starts back near Pluto, rockets past the planets, cuts our atmosphere, and lands on a street corner in Brooklyn. Or in this case, a middle eastern wilderness. Zooming into focus we see this guy named John (not the author) who came to tell about this cosmic Light. Crazy John (as his friends called him) starts telling everyone about this Light that is coming, and is here already, and that this Light can make you a child of God because the Light is God. The onlookers aren't so sure about this guy.
Jesus walks into the group and John flips out in excitement, "This is the Light I've been telling you about! Your Messiah is here!" The Holy Spirit descends like a dove from the sky, confirming that this guy is the Son of God. Something tells me we're not done with the cosmic perspective in this book.
But then things get personal. Jesus starts talking with people. John's disciples leave him and follow Jesus. And the first recorded words of Jesus in the book are to these men: "What are you seeking?" It's clear they don't quite know what they want, except to be with him. "Come and you will see." So they followed.
Jesus comes across this guy Philip, "Follow Me." Philip had a personal encounter with Jesus and there was nothing he could do, but be changed. He ran home and told his buddy Nathanael. "We found our Messiah! He's Joseph's son from Nazareth!" Nathanael seriously questions him. "Oh come on, how could the Messiah be the son of a carpenter from a hick town?" Philip could have argued this point for awhile, with prophecies from the Old Testament, with what Jesus did and said already, but Philip just replies, "Come and see."
When Nathanael goes and meets Jesus face to face, Jesus is able to tell Nathanael where he was sitting when Philip found him. Nathanael replies in awe, "You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" I almost think I can see Jesus laughing at Nathanael when he says, "You believe in me because I could see where you were? You will see greater things than these! You will see heaven itself!" This man who is calling people to follow can also control the cosmos!
The rest of the gospel of John goes on to tell about the Jesus' life, but the message is the same. Jesus Christ is God of the universe, creator of all things, and he is the one who sees Nathanael lounging in his shady backyard. He left his throne where the earth was his footstool, and came down to save us sinners. He has complete sovereignty and he wants to rescue us from our mess.
The best witness Philip had was to invite Nathanael to come and have the same face-to-face experience that he had. I could make brilliant arguments that prove Jesus is God, but until you or I have a personal encounter with Him, it makes no difference. When Jesus says "Come and see. Follow Me," can we do anything but follow? There is no other adventure like it.
Look him in the face and see for yourself.
