The Saturday after the Festival of the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 11, 2025 by under
Scripture: St. John 1:43-51 (NKJV)
1:43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael 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 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Devotion
Yesterday, we heard about the calling of Sts. Andrew and Peter. Today, St. Philip, who was from the same city as Andrew and Peter, Bethsaida, is also called. What is his first response to having been called by the Lord Jesus to be His Apostle and follow Him? He went and found someone else, Nathanael. St. Nathanael is also known as St. Bartholomew.
Like the other Apostles who preached to all nations, St. Nathanael preached in India and the greater part of Armenia. St. Philip preached in Greece, Syria, and Asia Minor. It was also St. Philip, who along with St. Andrew, was approached by certain Greeks who wanted to see Jesus during His final days before His crucifixion. The Lord had told them after hearing this that the hour had come for Him to be glorified. His crucifixion and death would draw all men to Him.
We who are Gentiles by birth look upon our Lord’s sacrifice, for it is how our Lord secured victory over sin and death for us. His death and resurrection opens up heaven to all those who cling to Him in faith. We have heard the preaching of the Apostles taught by our ministers, and from them we receive the Lord’s means which create faith in us to cling to Him. And we look for that Day when, with Nathanael and all the Apostles, we shall see the angels ascending and descending to the Son of Man in heaven.
Collect: O God, Who by the leading of a star didst manifest Thine Only-begotten Son to the Gentiles: Mercifully grant, that we, who know Thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of Thy glorious Godhead; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
