REFLECTION ON THE READINGS - Second Sunday of Epiphany
by Rev'd Trish
Today is the second Sunday of Epiphany; Epiphany means “revelation”.
The Epiphany is a single celebration but Epiphany is more than that – it is a season covering four Sundays during which time we recount the ways in which Jesus was revealed to the world as Christ, the Son of God; as God incarnate / God made man.
The Epiphany when Christ was revealed to the Wise men is clear.
The revelation of Jesus as the Son of God during his baptism is clear. The revelation will be clear when we see Jesus perform his first miracle and when he is recognised by Simeon in the temple. But this little story that we have just heard isn’t quite such an obvious revelation about who Jesus is.
At first it looks quite the opposite of a revelation to Nathanael who says can any good come out of Nazareth?! He doesn’t see Jesus for who he is.
But then Jesus tells Nathanael that he knows him and saw him sitting under a fig tree.
That sort of insight is not like a magician who seems to know what you have in your pockets / or a clairvoyant who can see your history of foretell your future – supposedly??! Jesus simply declares that Nathanael was sitting under a fig tree – well that’s not too bad a guess since fig trees were common enough in the country and offer good shade from a canopy of thick dense leaves.
Yet it is sufficient to draw Nathanael to recognise Jesus as the “Son of God; King of Israel” At that moment through those words Jesus is revealed to Nathanael as the Son of God; King of Israel”.
However, Jesus has a bigger & better revelation for Nathanael.
Now – do you remember the story of Jacob when he was running away from his twin brother Esau, having stolen his inheritance; on the first night Jacob had a close encounter with God through a dream of a ladder between heaven and earth – with angels ascending and descending from earth to heaven bridging the gap and connecting the two.
Jesus reveals to Nathanael that he himself bridges the gap between heaven and earth; that in himself heaven and earth become one; that when we are in the presence of Jesus we are in the presence of God. Heaven and earth are in unity in Christ.
This little story from John’s gospel tells us of Philip who has met Jesus and responded to the call “Follow me”; and Philip doesn’t keep that to himself instead Philip passes that news on his friend Nathanael – “we have found him” he says; but Nathanael is sceptical – surely you must have experienced that when passing on the news about Jesus – haven’t you? But instead of giving up Philip says “Come and see” and Nathanael does come and see and Jesus is revealed to him as the one who reveals the nature of God so that when you are alongside Jesus you are in the very presence of God.
It’s a story repeated through the generations – that of passing on the good news and revealing the nature of Jesus.
I wonder:
How has Jesus been revealed to you? Was it someone whose life made him feel real to you?
Was it someone who explained the stories about Jesus?
Was it someone who helped you to learn to pray and know Jesus close to you?
It may have been all of these and others that I haven’t mentioned.
But someone has helped to reveal to you that Jesus is God incarnate / God made man.
Prophets like Samuel in our OT reading had for many years been revealing the words of God, his intentions and his actions but Jesus was very far from this. Jesus was showing us the very nature of God because, as John tells us in the opening words of his gospel, Jesus was one with God in the very beginning.
And all of you listening today have had that nature revealed to you in Jesus Christ – not by chance or accident but because someone took the trouble to reveal it to you.
In this season of Epiphany, the revelation of who Christ is, we should take time to think how we can reveal him to others.
A friend gave me an epiphyllum (orchid cactus) just before Christmas. When it came it was just a bulb - yet hidden inside was all that was needed to create these beautiful flowers; but in order that they could be revealed to the world it needed a little care and encouragement; some water, light and warmth – otherwise the beauty of this flower would not have been revealed; it would have remained hidden.
Each of us has Jesus Christ within us / in our hearts; but we need to allow him to flourish within us and then become visible to the world. We have to nurture the presence of Christ in us so that it flourishes and becomes visible in our lives and revealed to the world around us.
How are you going to reveal Christ to the world around you? Perhaps it will help if - first of all - you look back on who revealed him to you and how that happened and allow that to lead you into revealing Christ to the world.
Amen
Today is the second Sunday of Epiphany; Epiphany means “revelation”.
The Epiphany is a single celebration but Epiphany is more than that – it is a season covering four Sundays during which time we recount the ways in which Jesus was revealed to the world as Christ, the Son of God; as God incarnate / God made man.
The Epiphany when Christ was revealed to the Wise men is clear.
The revelation of Jesus as the Son of God during his baptism is clear. The revelation will be clear when we see Jesus perform his first miracle and when he is recognised by Simeon in the temple. But this little story that we have just heard isn’t quite such an obvious revelation about who Jesus is.
At first it looks quite the opposite of a revelation to Nathanael who says can any good come out of Nazareth?! He doesn’t see Jesus for who he is.
But then Jesus tells Nathanael that he knows him and saw him sitting under a fig tree.
That sort of insight is not like a magician who seems to know what you have in your pockets / or a clairvoyant who can see your history of foretell your future – supposedly??! Jesus simply declares that Nathanael was sitting under a fig tree – well that’s not too bad a guess since fig trees were common enough in the country and offer good shade from a canopy of thick dense leaves.
Yet it is sufficient to draw Nathanael to recognise Jesus as the “Son of God; King of Israel” At that moment through those words Jesus is revealed to Nathanael as the Son of God; King of Israel”.
However, Jesus has a bigger & better revelation for Nathanael.
Now – do you remember the story of Jacob when he was running away from his twin brother Esau, having stolen his inheritance; on the first night Jacob had a close encounter with God through a dream of a ladder between heaven and earth – with angels ascending and descending from earth to heaven bridging the gap and connecting the two.
Jesus reveals to Nathanael that he himself bridges the gap between heaven and earth; that in himself heaven and earth become one; that when we are in the presence of Jesus we are in the presence of God. Heaven and earth are in unity in Christ.
This little story from John’s gospel tells us of Philip who has met Jesus and responded to the call “Follow me”; and Philip doesn’t keep that to himself instead Philip passes that news on his friend Nathanael – “we have found him” he says; but Nathanael is sceptical – surely you must have experienced that when passing on the news about Jesus – haven’t you? But instead of giving up Philip says “Come and see” and Nathanael does come and see and Jesus is revealed to him as the one who reveals the nature of God so that when you are alongside Jesus you are in the very presence of God.
It’s a story repeated through the generations – that of passing on the good news and revealing the nature of Jesus.
I wonder:
How has Jesus been revealed to you? Was it someone whose life made him feel real to you?
Was it someone who explained the stories about Jesus?
Was it someone who helped you to learn to pray and know Jesus close to you?
It may have been all of these and others that I haven’t mentioned.
But someone has helped to reveal to you that Jesus is God incarnate / God made man.
Prophets like Samuel in our OT reading had for many years been revealing the words of God, his intentions and his actions but Jesus was very far from this. Jesus was showing us the very nature of God because, as John tells us in the opening words of his gospel, Jesus was one with God in the very beginning.
And all of you listening today have had that nature revealed to you in Jesus Christ – not by chance or accident but because someone took the trouble to reveal it to you.
In this season of Epiphany, the revelation of who Christ is, we should take time to think how we can reveal him to others.
A friend gave me an epiphyllum (orchid cactus) just before Christmas. When it came it was just a bulb - yet hidden inside was all that was needed to create these beautiful flowers; but in order that they could be revealed to the world it needed a little care and encouragement; some water, light and warmth – otherwise the beauty of this flower would not have been revealed; it would have remained hidden.
Each of us has Jesus Christ within us / in our hearts; but we need to allow him to flourish within us and then become visible to the world. We have to nurture the presence of Christ in us so that it flourishes and becomes visible in our lives and revealed to the world around us.
How are you going to reveal Christ to the world around you? Perhaps it will help if - first of all - you look back on who revealed him to you and how that happened and allow that to lead you into revealing Christ to the world.
Amen
