It's Still Person to Person
A reading for Thursday, January 16, 2014: John 1:43-51
Philip and Andrew, Peter and Nathaniel, Jesus of Nazareth... lots of names to keep up with. Why does the story even mention Andrew and Peter since they have no part in the story yet? Why did Jesus want Philip to tell Nathaniel, if He was just going to talk with him anyway? This seems like a pretty messy way to spread the word. This is almost like the old game of telephone, where one person tells someone and then they tell someone else, and so on and so on. Isn't this just too confusing?
Right from the beginning of His ministry, there is one thing that is really clear about Jesus. His ministry involves people, and people sharing with other people what they know to be truth. There is just no way of getting around that. Perhaps God could do it another way. God could have painted the sky in colors, or sent more miracles to communicate the good news. God chose to send a person, who would work through other persons, telling even other people what they know to be truth.
Even today it is the same. God could send everybody a text message, or an email letting them know the good news. There could be an infomercial or a worldwide broadcast of a message from satellite to satellite, nation to nation. But God still uses the ancient method. Person to person, one disciple to another, spreading the good news of truth. It's the most effective way.
Today, I will almost guarantee you will interact with another person. Maybe it will be someone you know well, and maybe a stranger. Will you share your truth? I don't mean beating them over the head with an unwelcome testimony of salvation. Nobody likes to be intruded upon in such a way. I simply mean will you share your life, a life grounded in the truth of Jesus Christ, with another person? Will you take the time to listen to them? Will you slow down long enough to notice their concerns? Will you share just a little of yourself with another person?
If you do, Jesus said "You will see greater things than these." That's the good news according to the gospel for this day and many more to come.
Philip and Andrew, Peter and Nathaniel, Jesus of Nazareth... lots of names to keep up with. Why does the story even mention Andrew and Peter since they have no part in the story yet? Why did Jesus want Philip to tell Nathaniel, if He was just going to talk with him anyway? This seems like a pretty messy way to spread the word. This is almost like the old game of telephone, where one person tells someone and then they tell someone else, and so on and so on. Isn't this just too confusing?
Right from the beginning of His ministry, there is one thing that is really clear about Jesus. His ministry involves people, and people sharing with other people what they know to be truth. There is just no way of getting around that. Perhaps God could do it another way. God could have painted the sky in colors, or sent more miracles to communicate the good news. God chose to send a person, who would work through other persons, telling even other people what they know to be truth.
Even today it is the same. God could send everybody a text message, or an email letting them know the good news. There could be an infomercial or a worldwide broadcast of a message from satellite to satellite, nation to nation. But God still uses the ancient method. Person to person, one disciple to another, spreading the good news of truth. It's the most effective way.
Today, I will almost guarantee you will interact with another person. Maybe it will be someone you know well, and maybe a stranger. Will you share your truth? I don't mean beating them over the head with an unwelcome testimony of salvation. Nobody likes to be intruded upon in such a way. I simply mean will you share your life, a life grounded in the truth of Jesus Christ, with another person? Will you take the time to listen to them? Will you slow down long enough to notice their concerns? Will you share just a little of yourself with another person?
If you do, Jesus said "You will see greater things than these." That's the good news according to the gospel for this day and many more to come.
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