The Vine: May 5, 2025
“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing”
This is a weekly reflection on the previous week’s sermon text. Each week there will be a devotional related to the scripture for the week, along with questions for reflection/discussion, as well as prayer. Feel free to make this a part of your individual spiritual growth throughout the week or utilize in small group settings (growth groups, Sunday school, etc.)
“43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
The passage preceding our text today is similar in that it described how Andrew and Simon (Peter) came to follow Jesus. John shares with us that John the Baptist was standing with two of his disciples, Andrew and an unnamed disciple, when Jesus walked by them. John said to them, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?”
What a great question: “What are you looking for?” Most of us do not begin our day asking the question, “What am I looking for?” We simply go about our daily routine as best we are able, and if we are honest, some days it’s enough just to get through the challenges of the day, let alone asking what we are looking for in life. Jesus continued the conversation by asking the two followers to, “Come and see.” In other words, it was Jesus’ way of saying come and spend some time with me and perhaps you will find what should have been looking for all along.
The “come and see” phrase shows up again in our text for today. Philip found Nathanael and told him that he had found the Messiah. Nathanael was obviously skeptical, but instead of trying to debate or talk Nathanael into believing, Philip said three simple words, “Come and see.” So, in this longer narrative both Jesus and one of his followers say the same thing: “Come and see.”
The essence of evangelism (sharing the good news of Christ) is not “talking people into believing”, rather, it is simply inviting others to experience Christ in their lives – come and see for yourself. When we experience Christ, we then know what we are looking for because it has found us. Christ bids us to come and see and asks us to share that same message with others.
Interesting note – the only three times Andrew is the center of attention in John’s gospel are when he is bringing people to Jesus. This story in John 1, the feeding of the 5,000 (Andrew is the one who brings the boy to Jesus), and when he invited inquiring Greeks to come meet Jesus.
Prayer:
Loving God, help us to ask ourselves the question, “What are we looking for?” May we listen to your Holy Spirit to help us know what is worth looking for today. We pray that we can humbly say to others, “Come and see,” trusting that you are already at work in their lives and can accomplish far more than we can imagine. Amen.
Questions for Reflection:
Can you recall a time when someone introduced you to Jesus?
We are in the midst of the 50-day season of Easter. In the post-resurrection stories, people believed and received the risen Christ not based on what people said about Christ being risen, but through experiencing Christ for themselves. How do you introduce others to experience the risen Christ? What has been your experience of Christ?
The Holy Spirit is already at work in the world and through individuals. A big part of sharing Christ with others involves helping them identify the work of the Spirit in their lives (helping them name for the first time what has been at work all along). What are some ways we can do that for others? What was that process like for you when you realized God had already initiated the relationship with you?
Jesus invited his followers to “Come and see”. They would see many things along the way with Jesus, especially many unexpected experiences and teachings. What have you “seen” in your life following Jesus and how has the journey shaped you?
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