Has anybody here seen the recent series on Netflix, called, Messiah? It is a story set in the present time about a Middle Eastern man who mysteriously comes on the scene and seems to be extraordinary.

This man preaches to enthusiastic crowds. In his sermons he claims to be a spokesperson God. He does some incredible things which folks label “miracles.”

He attracts many followers who are convinced that he is the Messiah. Still many others doubt him, and question his motives. It is revealed that many of these cynics have dubious reasons for their doubt.

It is a fascinating show in that it leads its viewers to engage the question, “What if someone who claims to be sent from God shows up now. How ready or how hesitant are you to respond?

Which leads to the question, “Would I, if I had been there, recognized Jesus as the Messiah or would I have shrugged him off as a hoax?”

Let’s turn to the first century. It is a time in which there are a plethora of Messiahs coming out of the Middle East. The subjugation of the Jewish people to a one conquering empire after another had created an atmosphere of yearning for Messiah, understood as a religious warrior who would thwart the the enemy and would set up a messianic kingdom resistant to future enemies.

In that atmosphere of messianic ethos and a desire for liberation came Jesus.

In the early days of his journey, he summons people to join his messianic movement. While the Bible tells us stories of people who respond almost immediately, it wold be appropriate to think that many others might reject Jesus’ call to them- just one more Messiah coming down the road.

He has been joined by two sets of brother, Peter and Andrew, and James and John.

Peter and Andrew, it appears, suggest to Jesus that their good friend Philip might be a possible recruit.

Peter and Andrew and Philip grew up in the same fishing village on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee. The vicinity of the small village of Bethsaida would be the location for a couple of Jesus’ works of wonder that made it into the gospels. Just outside of town, Jesus healed a blind man. And again, just out of town, Jesus had fed thousands of hungry people with what seemed to be a child’s snack.

So, Jesus and his new followers approach Philip. My assumption is that after a lengthy conversation containing lots of back of forth, Jesus invites him to join the movement.

Philip not only responds, but excitedly finds a good friend to see if he might be interested as well.

Philip’s friend Nathanael is not so excited. He notes that this new Messiah comes from the backwater town of Nazareth and nobody of consequence has ever come from that insignificant, broken down village.

Philip listens to his friend, smiles at him, and simply says “come and see.”

For Philip, there is no need to explain or defend or argue. He knows, or at least he believes, that if Nathanael will meet Jesus, he will come around. “Come and see.”

And Nathanael does. He comes and sees. He has an encounter with Jesus, and responds as one of the first followers of this new Messiah. Recognize that each of these people, by saying yes to Jesus, puts themselves in position to be the subject of the backlash that would inevitably come from the Roman occupiers. History taught them that.

This is one of just two mentions of Nathanael in the New Testament. The other mention comes 20 chapters later in John. Two or three weeks after the resurrection, Nathanael is listed along with Peter, Thomas, James, John and a couple unnamed disciples. They are hanging out by the beach- waiting.

They are waiting. Waiting for Jesus to show up.

He has appeared to them a couple of times in his risen form but now it has been awhile, and they are antsy, bored, apprehensive. They are wondering what is next.

Finally, Peter, tired of sitting on his hands, says, “I’m going fishing” because that is what you do when you are a fisherman in the first century and you need to pass some time- you fish.

You might choose to watch TV, or take a hike, or hit some baseballs or surf social media, but for Peter and these guys, its fishing.

They fish late into the evening, maybe all night and come up empty.

In the morning, they discover Jesus on the beach, cooking fish for breakfast.

A few years back, when Jesus first met Nathanael he had told him, “You will see greater things.”

Now, the one who had originally doubted if anything good could come from Nazareth, is eating fish and bread for breakfast with the Nazarene who lived, and taught, and performed miracles and died and came back to life.

The words of Philip should be our words,

“Come and See!”

To be the church we are called to be, it is imperative that we invite people to meet Jesus. But not just any o’ Jesus- It is imperative that the Jesus we espouse is the Jesus of the gospels,

Not the Jesus of American religion,

Not the Jesus of culture,

Not the politically conservative Jesus,

Not the politically liberal Jesus,

Not the macho Jesus;

The Jesus of the gospels-

The love your neighbor, pray for your enemies, turn the other cheek, seek the kingdom, serve one another Jesus

I paraphrase a post I read online,

“The metamorphosis of Jesus Christ from Lord of unconditional love and unmerited grace, from sacrificing Savior, from the one who said, the last shall be first and the first shall be last, who said in order to be great, you must become a servant to all, from that to a symbol that stands for political power, for nationalism, for prosperity theology, for tribalism, for hate and bigotry, is truly the strangest transformation in human history.”

It behooves us to reject this Jesus and to embrace the Jesus who loves us, and calls us to join him in the process of building the peaceable kingdom.

Doctor King preached a sermon in February, 1968 in which he said,

‘Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness.

If you want to be important—wonderful.

If you want to be recognized—wonderful.

If you want to be great—wonderful.

But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness…. It means that everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.”

May our hearts, our words, and our action continually say “Come and See!”

Amen.