Today’s Gospel Text: Philip found Nathan'a-el,
and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the
prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 Nathan'a-el said to him,
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him,
"Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathan'a-el
coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is
no guile!" 48 Nathan'a-el 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." 49 Nathan'a-el answered him,
"Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered him,
"Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You
shall see greater things than these." 51 And
he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened,
and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." John 1:45-51
Reflection: Who
is it that Philip has found that he is so excited about to tell Nathanael about him?
What
is so special about the man that he has found and what differences will that
make to their lives?
Has
there been in history or have we heard of people, in history or in our
contemporary life situation, who have been in search of individuals who will make a
difference?
Yes,
I suppose, when people see the evil around, the frustration and pain of seeing
a corrupt world and growing sinfulness and wickedness all around then they begin to look out
for a savior.
This
look out is normally by way of a political figure, Many in Israel even looked
at Jesus from that angle.
But
the reality is this; every age and in every moment of history we see evil, sin
and wickedness growing and when it grows to the hilt then people either look to
religion or to some divine intervention or more so, the majority look for a political figure to bail
them out.
Many
dictators come to power on the basis of these needs of the individuals and
people who backed them up as saviors; whether it was Hitler or Stalin or Mussolini,
etc
Even
in a democratic set-up you could have such surreptitious dictators in power, who work by manipulate
norms and manipulating the minds of the gullible, with idealistic assurances but fortunately, they don’t
last long because of the democratic bind which prevent holding of power and position for long.
But
in the meanwhile they may do much and irretrievable damage to the society over
which they have influence over.
Can
humans hit right on the target when they keep looking for a savior?
If
they fail to see in Jesus and in his cross the time tested savior, for now and
for all eternity, then they are on their way to doom and will never be able to
see the insidious and surreptitious evil in the assurance that comes from these
individuals who pledge more than the God above.
Prayer: Lord, save your people from every deception and
not to be carried away by false assurances and promises.
DD = Dedicated
Discipleship: Come grow
in the Lord with us
