"Come and See!" - An Epiphany Calling

And he (Jesus) said to him (Nathaniel), “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51 ESV) In the Gospel lesson for today, Nathaniel gets a personal view of the Epiphany of our Lord and what it means for him and all people. This glimpse of heaven open is also an invitation for us “to come and see!”

Sometimes we can be a little skeptical and rightly so. Claims of an instant cure or the promise of “get rich quick” are truly too good to be true. I suppose that Nathaniel had an experience in his life that taught him not to believe everything you hear. So, we probably should consider his skeptical remark at Philip’s enthusiastic “We have found the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth!” Nathaniel knew better that the law and prophets pointed to a Messiah, but not from Nazareth of Galilee! The Messiah was David’s Son yet David’s Lord. He would be from Bethlehem. He would be the very gate and house of Heaven! Galilee was barely on the margins! Hardly the place to expect the Messiah.

So, while Nathaniel cools Philip’s enthusiasm, we might even wonder if his pessimism wasn’t born of many disappointments from the past or a realism that overwhelmed his ability to see the possibilities of the future. But instead of giving Nathaniel a cool reception over his wrong thinking – Jesus points to the very truth of His coming and the heart of Nathaniel’s longing for something true. More than an ability to see around corners and under fig trees, Jesus’ Epiphany means the very opening of Heaven. This Epiphany would be shown on the cross as the Son of Man who is the Son of God becomes the very gate of Heaven. Jesus’ Epiphany would mean a new beginning and an open door for all.

Just as Philip and Nathaniel were graced to hear the voice of God, today you and I are invited to “come and see.” While we may be in the midst of broken expectations or the challenges of cooled relationships, we are invited to see how God can even work through these challenges to bring us to Himself. Jesus’ brokenness on the cross transforms even the worst “can anything good come from…” situation and open to us Heaven as we receive the forgiveness of our sins in Jesus that we so desperately need. In and through Baptism into Jesus, we get a new vision of God’s activity in our world today. Even our own identity is changed as we know that we are no longer all alone. We can even see how through our own brokenness He makes us His very dwelling.

We often picture Heaven as being a place far above the pain and suffering, the sin and sadness all around, but Jesus’ Epiphany to Nathaniel and to you and me is that He has opened Heaven to us and us to Heaven with His own Body given for us. As we pick up the many tasks and challenges of everyday life, we are encouraged in His Epiphany to see again that Heaven is open for you and me.

Pastor Carl