Daily Reflections ...

Philip had only very recently answered the call of Jesus to come and follow him. He then told his friend Nathaniel that Jesus was the one that Israel had been hoping and longing for – the long awaited Messiah. At first Nathaniel was very sceptical, especially, when he found out that Jesus came from Nazareth. This town was never mentioned in the Old Testament Messianic prophecies and was a rather small, non-descript place. Surely the Messiah would come from a more noble and godly town?

For me, today’s scripture invites us to consider two things. Firstly to be aware that we can, for various reasons and on different occasions, be sceptical and judgmental of people and situations; and secondly to ask ourselves how we can, like Philip, invite people in our lives to “come and see” who this Jesus is and how his love is active in our lives and the lives of others.

The Nathaniel in today’s scripture has been identified by biblical scholars as the apostle Bartholomew whose feast day we celebrate today.

May we, like St Bartholomew, overcome any scepticism or judgments and consciously decide to follow Jesus more deeply each day and may that daily decision be a witness to  others so that they too may come and see Jesus.

by Michael Bruynesteyn