Title: God Small / John 1:43-51
Text: John 1:43-51; Psalm 139
1. Inevitability that seems like a coincidence: verses 43-46
Jesus, who was about to go to the Sea of Galilee, did not go directly to the lake, but went to Philip's house. Then he met Philip and called him, “Follow me,” and made him a disciple of Jesus. If Jesus had gone straight to the Sea of Galilee, Philip would not have been able to meet Jesus and would not have enjoyed the glory of becoming a disciple of Jesus. Philip, who became a disciple of Jesus through this seemingly coincidental encounter, went to Nathanael, whom he was very close to, and introduced Jesus. Philip introduced Jesus to Nathanael, saying, as rumored, that Jesus was the one the prophets foretold. Nathanael did not like it very much, but Philip persuaded him to visit Jesus. That meeting became an opportunity for Nathanael to become a person of Jesus and to be used in a glorious way in the history of the kingdom of heaven.
It seems like a coincidence that Jesus and Philip met, and that Philip met Nathanael and suggested that he must visit Jesus. It just feels like you've experienced what's happening in your daily life. However, although it seems so common and coincidental, there is an important meeting that our God has planned. It seems like a coincidence, but there is an encounter with God's intervention. Just as an architect draws a detailed blueprint, there are events that God has carefully planned in our lives, and encounters that God has guided meticulously.
Faith is realizing the hand of God that God has given us in the course of life that seems to be everyday. We must realize the encounter God has given us, the opportunity God has opened, and the seed of blessing God has given us. And you have to cherish them and take good care of them.
2. Jesus who knows Nathanael in detail: verses 47-49
The earth we live on is really big and vast. However, it is said that the size of the sun we experience every day is over 100 times that of the Earth. I can't imagine its size. The vast God created the earth, the sun, and the moon, and created the entire universe. Truly, God is vast. But God is not only vast, but God is small. When you see the microscopic actions of life in the earth, you realize how small God is.
God not only knows famous politicians like Caesar in Rome, but He is also a small person who knows very well even the most ordinary people living in the countryside. According to the text of the text, Jesus already knew before Nathanael went out to meet him. Nathanael was a very ordinary person. He was a very ordinary person who would not be known except by the locals who lived with him. But Jesus knew him. Jesus didn't just know Nathanael's name or his family. He knew that he was Nathanael's inner man. “You are a true Israeli. There is no deceit in him.” Jesus already knew that Nathanael was an honest man who knew no deception, and a man who tried to live according to the word.
Nathanael was surprised that Jesus knew him. Jesus also said, “Before Philip called you, I saw you while you were under the fig tree.” Perhaps Nathanael had a habit of resting under the fig tree. Jesus knew even the habits of Nathanael.
Jesus knows us ordinary. The Lord knows our habits. Jesus does not only know us outwardly, but he knows us in a small way. Jesus knows our strengths that we do not know, and He knows our weaknesses. Knowing our limitations, he trains us as much as we can bear. The Lord knows all of our inner circumstances and things that others do not know about. The Lord knows us so well that He understands us.
We become worshipers of the Lord only when we realize that Jesus really knows us. When Nathanael woke up to this fact, he confessed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, and you are the King of Israel” (49). He realized that the Lord was always watching him. When you open your eyes to this fact, you realize that the Lord is always with you and lead a godly life.
3. Jesus at work in small ways: verses 50-51
When we believe that God knows our circumstances in detail, we also experience the minute works of God that He works on us.
God, who knows us in a small way, works for us in a small way. He knows when to deal with us and when God has to work for us, and God works for us in a small way. You work in our lives in small ways with your small touch.
Conclusion:
Many of the events and encounters we encounter in our daily life seem like coincidences, but there is a plan and preparation of God. We need to realize that the encounters and events that the God who created us and knows all of us have a plan for us. When we confess that He is the Lord, who knows not only our outward appearance, but also our inner man and our soul, we become worshipers of the Lord. The Lord, who knows everything about us, is working small in our lives today, and He calls each of us to the work of God and blesses us to work together.