Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

John 1:46

John 1:45-51

Reflection

Philip tells Nathanael they have found Christ, but Nathanael asks if anything good can come from Nazareth. Once they meet each other, Nathanael asks how Jesus knows him, and Jesus replies that he saw Nathanael under the fig tree. At this, Nathanael proclaims Jesus to be the Son of God; Jesus tells him he will see greater things than this.

Philip invites Nathanael to come and see Jesus. This invitation is one we should all imitate, especially to those who don’t know much about Christ or are far from him. An invitation can bring people in who otherwise might be hostile towards the Faith. Simply extending an invitation with no pressure is sometimes all a person needs.

Nathanel the Apostle (Bartholomew) was invited to see for himself who Jesus really was, and he discovered that Jesus is in fact the Son of God. This beautiful revelation changed Nathanael’s life – it continues to change people’s lives today. Jesus knows each of us intimately and desires that we come to know him as well. Perhaps you can be the catalyst for someone to discover Christ and his love – are you open to this?

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Saint of the Day

St. Bartholomew: 1st century AD

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.” John 1:45-47