Second Sunday of Epiphany
“Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see”
Summary
“The truth will set you free” (Jesus), “but first it will piss you off” (Gloria Steinem). The season of epiphany is all about truth being revealed, the truth of who Christ was and the truth of who we really are. In our gospel this morning, John 1:43-51, Nathanel is initially unprepared to hear the truth. He cannot accept that God would choose someone from Nazareth: “can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He accepts it only when Jesus speaks truth to him and truly sees him as he is. For Eli, in 1 Samuel 3:1-10, the truth that God speaks to Samuel will be hard to hear. Yet he knows that, however uncomfortable or unpleasant, the word of God will bring renewal. He has the humility to recognise that God’s truth is often given to the overlooked and the undervalued and so graciously helps Samuel open his ears to God’s call. He models for us the work of the community of faith: nurturing, encouraging and listening deeply to the experiences of those who are often overlooked that we might receive the truth God is speaking to us.
FIRST READING
1 Samuel 3:1-10
Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.
At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ and he said, ‘Here I am!’ and ran to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call; lie down again.’ So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, ‘Samuel!’ Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call, my son; lie down again.’ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’
GOSPEL
John 1.43-51
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’
