In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
I have, dear brothers and sisters, clever arguments proving the existence of God. I have logical, clear, unambiguous proofs, incontrovertible truths, undeniable facts. I can meet an atheist and demonstrate the existence of God, I can meet a Protestant and make clear the folly of Sola Scriptura, I can meet a Catholic and explain in great detail the irrationality of the papacy and the filioque, I can meet a Copt and confirm the Council of Chalcedon. I can do all these things and yet they remain unmoved; “They’re just not able to understand as I do,” I proclaim proudly to myself, “I need to make it clearer, easier, more intelligible: then they will be converted to the true fullness of Orthodoxy.” But they never are.
They never come to Christ because, despite my many words, I have not introduced them to Christ. I am here arguing theology and have not once mentioned Him, except in passing to explain my clever and refined points. Christ, Who is the very centre of our lives as Christians, barely gets a look in when I speak: my preaching is of my own cleverness, my own superiority, my own brilliance at finding the true Church, the original Church, the Church from where I may look down at all others. I have transformed the Gospel into an excuse to show off, Christ as a mere afterthought.
And [Jesus] found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and he 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.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’
And to some Christ comes directly and to others He sends an intermediary, but in both cases it is a simple calling and a personal experience. Christ says to one, “Follow me,” and Philip could choose whether to follow or not, and Philip says to the other, “We have found Him … Come and see.” And all my words, and all my arguments, and all my sophistries, and all my debates, count as nothing. My words, despite their truth, are as lies because I have failed to speak with love, (compare Ephesians 4:15) I have failed to introduce Christ.
And so I must change, I must repent. When I speak—if I speak!—it must be to bring Christ into the conversation: not to complicate but to simplify, not to demonstrate my superiority but out of desire to do the Master’s will. And the other person may walk on by, may ignore my words, yet it is not my position to argue nor to berate.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, how may in our society, sitting under their fig trees, have been seen by Christ, are known by Christ, and by our desires to complicate have not come to Him? How many have not come into contact with His love through the Church because I have prevented them? There is much for which I must repent. Let us, therefore, change ourselves to bring Christ to the people and the people to Christ, trusting not in clever arguments but in the Lord Himself Who will bring us to the Father by the power and co-operation of the Holy Spirit. Let us make, dear brothers and sisters, our faith not a result of our correctness but a result of our desire to serve truly our families, our neighbours, our society, our world.
That we may offer true praise and glory to our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who desires all to come into contact with Him, together with His unoriginate Father and the All-holy, Good and Life-creating Spirit. Amen.
Brethren, by faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets — who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign enemies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated — of whom the world was not worthy — wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
— Hebrews 11:24–26, 32–40
At that time, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and he 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.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”
— John 1:43–51