Reflection on the Gospel of the Wednesday In The Twenty-Sixth Week In Ordinary Time |
John 1:47-51 (Feast: The Archangels) |
In this passage there are two interesting things to note.
1) Nathanael has reservations about Jesus when Phillip tells about him. Indeed what good can come from the land of the former Kingdom of the Israel (the separated Northern Kingdom of 10 Tribes). It does not boast of any good kings, or of any promises, except that the Christ would reach out to them in their exile (dispersed as they are all over), and bring them back. Yet, Nathanael is not satisfied with history, he is reading the signs of the time, one of whom is John the Baptist – the herald of the Messiah. Nathanael goes to confirm and make sure, least he miss the Messiah. This makes sense in the fact that Jesus accepts his sincerity and blesses him.
2) Jesus reacts to Nathanael. He affirms his sincerity, proceeds to give him convictions to the questions in his heart by telling him of Nathanael’s own search of scripture for the Messiah and the Messiahs coming. And the remarkable part is that he tells Nathanael, just as he believed and opened his heart to God, God has blessed him and now will show him God’s Kingdom inaugurating on Earth, through the Messiah-Jesus’ Ministry.
This Promise is true for all of us. We have doubts, we are not certain, we have differing views. All that is okay. To ascertain the truth, go to Jesus, and tell Jesus about them. And as dew vanishes at sunrise, so shall your doubts and confusion in the the presence of Jesus. To be in Jesus’ presence is to be in Heaven itself.
