“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.  As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!” John 1:46-49 NLT

No one comes to love Jesus merely by borrowing another person’s encounter with Him. The stories of faith may awaken hunger. But eventually, every soul must meet Christ for itself. Philip knew that Nathaniel would only be convinced about the Messiah if he saw Him personally.  That’s why he urged, “Come and see.”

Grace had just upended Philip’s ordinary life. The long-awaited Messiah had found him, and nothing in the future would eclipse the memory. As Philip hurried to Nathanael, he must have wondered what would happen when the eyes of Jesus rested upon his friend. Soon, Nathanael’s assumptions would give way beneath him. He would discover that before he ever saw Jesus, Jesus had already seen him.

Are such defining encounters still possible for those who ask Christ to reveal Himself? Yes. There are moments that become mountaintops; encounters that become a Bethel. These are not limited to unbelievers seeking to be saved.  They are also for believers who have settled for monotony, who are trying to live on yesterday’s manna. We are to seek, listen, and pursue God relentlessly.  The glory of Jesus will surprise us again and again at unsuspecting times. An ordinary day will be turned upside down as the eternal penetrates the temporal.  God’s glory will fill our field of vision and Earth’s trinkets will not satisfy a heart that has glimpsed the beauty of God.

Others may not understand what happened. They may see nothing unusual about the day or the place. But we know that Christ drew near. Even in remembering, we tread softly. We’ll take our shoes off even as we remember it. We are left humbled by the mystery of being fully seen and yet deeply loved.

Words often fail us afterward. How can we explain the moment when Jesus became more real than everything around us? We cannot give another person our encounter, but we can point them toward the One who met us there.

We know it’s hard to capture it in words and tell someone else what happened.  That’s why we join Philip and the countless witnesses who have followed him. “Come and see.”

Come to the ones we’ve been praying for who haven’t seen You yet. Let them discover that while they are still searching for You, Your eyes are already upon them. Amen