John 1:43-51
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.”
“Faith - A Voyage Of Discovery”
Andrew says more then he knows. He is excited because of his discovery and gets carried away, which leads him to discover how right he is.
The questions which begin this text lead to the discovery as to who Jesus is.
It is a voyage of discovery, and there is a lot to be discovered about God, ourselves, and others.
There is a new school of theology (or an old school made new) - process theology. It is living with uncertainty yet daring to trust a promise given and live out that promise. It is finding our answers by ‘living into them’. This is not religious certainty which has no room for surprises. This is faith which lives with uncertainty in many things, yet certain of one thing. God is with me and God loves me.
As Anyita Bryan puts it, “I am looking for a voyage of discovery which continually opens up new possibilities to me; new joys, new discoveries of the meaning of being loved and of loving both humanly and with my God.”
“The quest for certainty is self-defeating, and that is true whether the certainty we seek is an assurance about God or about some person we love very much or about the significance of our own selves. In each case, I think, the more we seek certainty or assurance, the more uncertain we become. ... But the quest for understanding, as I see it, requires that we give up the search for certainty and go on a voyage of discovery. And there is a lot to discover about God, about other people and about ourselves.” John Dunne, Psychology Today, Jan 1978
Nathanael was too sure too soon. Jesus chides him a bit for his ease of believing, and reminds him that he hasn’t seen anything yet. He is going to see more than his certainty can be sure of! He is going to discover that faith is more than being sure: more than little miracles.
Faith is a power and passion in authority among the powers and passions of life and is always on a quest for understanding; a voyage of discovery.
And there is always more to be discovered than has been discovered.
This is the growing edge of faith and life.
The quest for certainty is self-defeating. It is sure to close up rather then open up the discovery of God, self, and others.
For me, the greatest expression of faith in the New Testament is the unknown man who said, “Lord I believe, help mine unbelief.”
Faith is a quest for understanding that which is too great to be understood.
The only certainty we need for this voyage of discovery, the only thing we need to be sure of, is that which Paul speaks of when he says, “I am sure that...nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus, my Lord!” Romans 8:38
I need to be sure someone loves me. That is all! Then I can be unsure of everything else. Then I can be open to discovery, to understanding, to changing my mind and my beliefs, to facing my prejudices, to seeing God where I least expect to see God, and to anything else which happens to me, around me, with me, in me, which helps me better understand and accept myself, others and Christ, in the voyage through life together.
No comments:
Post a Comment