What Would it Take for You to Believe?

John 1:47-50 (ESV) Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”

A friend and I had some conversations about Jesus. I could tell this was not his favorite topic, but, fortunately, our friendship was strong enough that we could deal with the uncomfortable topics as well as the easy ones and still look forward to our next time together. One day in the midst of one of these talks I realized something. He had decided he would not consider believing in Jesus no matter how persuasive an argument I or anyone else presented. I asked him, “What would it take for you to believe?”

He replied, “I cannot believe. There is nothing you can say or do that would change that.”

He was correct in his statement. If he had made the decision beforehand, he closed himself off to the possibility of any other consideration. Yet, think of the implications. Suppose you were the chief account of a multinational bank who started in your role in the late 1960s, but you still (in 2015) refuse to allow any of your staff to use computers for any activities because you “do not trust them.” Instead, you demand all your accountants all over the world to make hand written notations and mail them to the head office. Think how inefficient and risk-prone your methods would be. Your entire company would be at a competitive disadvantage because you were unwilling to even consider the possibility that a computer could improve your work.

Nathanael started off hardened toward considering Jesus to be anything other than an ordinary man. He was not inclined to believe. Note his response when Phillip invited him to check Jesus out: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (vs 46) Yet it took just three verses for Nathanael to become a believer. Jesus’ accurate foreknowledge of Nathanael sitting under a tree was all it took for him to decide Jesus was the Son of God. You might need more than that. Jesus even gives allowance for those who need a little more: “You will see greater things than these.” The real question is are you willing to consider who Jesus is. We have to be willing to believe.

If you have not yet fully trusted Christ, I sincerely ask you today to answer the question for yourself, “What would it take for you to believe?” Be willing to ask for it and look for it. He sure beats a pen and paper.

Come and See

John 1:38-41 (ESV) Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).

Have you ever been lost for words because of your awe of the person you just met? I wonder how many celebrities are greeted by, “You’re Lebron James!” (or whatever celebrity it happens to be). Do they always reply, “Yes, I am!”? I think of the stupid things I said to the girls I had crushes on as a teen but were too scared of to say anything coherent in their presence. Perhaps that’s what prompted Andrew and his friend to ask Jesus a crazy question.

They did not know Jesus yet, but they had been following John the Baptist for quite a while. They had heard John say over and over he was not the Christ but that he was preparing the way for Him. They were there the day that Jesus first came and John identified Him as, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” When Jesus came by again the next day, Andrew and his friend followed Jesus, perhaps out of curiosity of what made this person so amazing that their hero John felt unworthy to even untie His sandals. Maybe they were whispering to one another, not sure what to do, when Jesus turned and caught them following Him. He asked them, “What are you seeking?”

Perhaps, being caught, they said the first thing they could think of: “Where are you staying?” Maybe it was just a point of conversation. Whatever they meant by their question, Jesus took it as a request for an invitation He was very glad to give: “Come and see.” They spent the whole day with Jesus at the place he was seeing. If they were simply curious to know what kind of room the proclaimed Messiah rented, I am sure they got their answer. In reality, though, they got much more than that. They did not come back to the rest of their traveling companions talking about accommodations. They returned convinced of the identity of their Host. Andrew told his brother Simon (later called Peter), “We have found the Messiah!”

Notice what it took to convince Andrew. It was not arguments. It was relationship. Even if Andrew’s question was rash, Jesus’ invitation to come and see was not. It was all Andrew needed. Jesus extends the invitation to you and me, as well. Spend a day with Him and see for yourself.

Witness

John 1:6-7 (ESV) There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

If a crime is committed and a suspect identified, he will not be (or at least should not be) condemned without a fair trial. That will usually involve a judge, likely a jury and a prosecuting attorney, and unless the suspect serves as his own counsel, a defense attorney. Yet, no decision can be rendered without evidence. Physical evidence may be presented, but the most common kind of evidence presented in courts throughout history is testimony, usually of eyewitnesses – those who saw the crime personally or have some personal knowledge of what had happened. The guilty are convicted and the innocent set free (it is hoped) on the basis of these witnesses. This is the way the Greek legal system worked centuries before Jesus’ incarnation, and it is the original core meaning and use of the Greek word, martyr.

In his Gospel, John the Apostle uses this word of another John – John the Baptist. It describes his mission in verse seven: “He came as a witness…” His whole purpose in life was to take the stand in the world’s courtroom about what he knew and had seen concerning the Light of the World (Jesus Christ). Seven times in this one chapter, the noun or verb form of witness is used about John the Baptist’s role. Two other times he uses the similar legal term confess (vs 20) – not the confession of guilt, but a swearing of certainty and truth.

John the Baptist was not expected to talk about what he had not experienced or seen. He did not come as a philosopher. He spoke as an honest witness, and that was enough. People came to hear him. People changed their lives because of what he said and were willing to be baptized as a public “confession” of their commitment to change. The first century Jewish world was ready for Jesus’ arrival because one man had the courage to talk about what he had experienced.

Even today, advertisers love to use “testimonials” because one person’s bearing witness to their personal experience is usually more persuasive than reams of scientific data. Your story of what you have experienced is powerful. Don’t be afraid to talk about it.

Word

John 1:1-3 (ESV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In English the word “word” has a relatively simple meaning. It is one verbal thought; the most basic part of speech. You are reading several right now; letters together separated from others by a space. Sometimes we give word a metaphorical use, such as a “message,” like “Like what’s the word from the boss?” In the 1980’s urban slang began the expression “word up,” later shortened to “word,” to express agreement with others. Yet all of these pale to what John sought to express in the opening of his Gospel. I believe there are no words to adequately express what John means by “word” (logos in Greek).

To the secular Greek and Roman world of John’s day, logos was loaded with meaning. The great scholar Gerhard Kittel said to the Greeks (and the Romans who, although they controlled the political and military power of the First Century Mediterranean World were dominated by Greek though and culture) the word logos was “symbolic of the Greek understanding of the world and existence.” It represented so much more than just a saying. It encompassed understanding things as they are. It represented the goal of philosophy: the ultimate understanding of existence and its meaning.

John chose this powerful word to personify Christ to connect with the most deeply held values of the secular word of his day, but it also connected deeply into the heart of his Jewish readers. The Hebrew word for “word,” dabar, and its many synonyms, occurs thousands of times in the Old Testament. The Word of the LORD was to be the guide for life, the passionate pursuit of every heart. In the biggest connection with John 1, it was the word of God that created the universe. (“God said, ‘Let there be light, and there was light.’” Genesis 1:3)

Yet as powerful and meaning laden as the Greek logos and Hebrew dabar were, John took logos much farther. The Word was not just the spoken revelation of the deity. The Word was not just philosophical understanding. The Word was a person. The Word became flesh. The Word is and was God. The Word was the agent of creation. The Word existed and exists forever, yet “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)

The Apostle John, who saw and walked with Jesus, took the most powerful word he could to communicate the unprecedented, preexistent glory of Jesus Christ to open his story of this Word, who alone in all history was creator yet lived among us (John 1:14). He is the ultimate goal of life for everyone, those with religious backgrounds and those with no religion. He encompasses the greatest need of mankind and our greatest joy. He came. He lives. He loves you.