Jesus Pursues and Persuades
John 1:43-51
When Jesus Finds You: The Divine Pursuit That Changes Everything
Have you ever been truly lost? I remember as a teenage boy in Wisconsin, my brother and I would take our old rickety snowmobile out on frigid cold days when school was canceled. We’d be flying through fields and forests, having the time of our lives—until that dreaded moment when the engine would sputter and die. Suddenly, miles from home in subzero temperatures, surrounded by identical-looking trees, we’d realize we were in serious trouble. We were lost, and we hadn’t even known it until that moment.
That’s exactly where many of us find ourselves spiritually—lost without even realizing it, until Jesus steps in to find us.
Jesus Actively Pursues the Lost
In John 1:43, we read: “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.'”
That word “decided” means Jesus had a purpose. He intentionally went to find Philip. Do you realize that God and His Son Jesus don’t do anything by accident? If you look back on your faith journey, you’ll see that Jesus pursued you with purpose. He came after you just as He came after Philip in this passage.
“Jesus is the initiator of every relationship that he has with a human,” not the other way around. The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” Jesus didn’t pursue us when we were doing everything right. Romans 5:8 reminds us, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He initiated that relationship when we were His enemies, when we were rebelling against His authority, because He is love.
Sometimes those of us who have followed Christ for many years almost forget what that means—that Jesus cares about me personally. Unlike us, Jesus isn’t limited in His attention. “He can care about you and the person next to you and your child next to you all at the same time.” He cares about you personally, and at some point in your life, if you’re a believer, He pursued you and your heart was changed.
Jesus Uses Weak Followers to Reach Others
After Philip encounters Jesus, we read in John 1:45: “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.'”
Notice how God works here. First, Andrew and Peter (mentioned in verse 44 as being from the same city as Philip) likely had an indirect influence on Philip. Then Philip, immediately after meeting Jesus, goes to find Nathanael.
When you find something that excites you, when you discover a relationship that means something to you, what do you do? “When something exciting happens to you, are you like me? Where you’re like, who’s the first person I’m gonna call and tell them about it?” That’s exactly what Philip does—he shares the good news with Nathanael.
Interestingly, Philip didn’t have his theology completely worked out. He calls Jesus “the son of Joseph,” which technically isn’t theologically precise since Jesus didn’t have a human father. But the point is that “Philip didn’t even understand everything quite yet, but he could still share the good news of who Jesus was because he changed his life.”
God uses weak followers—which is all of us who follow Jesus—and He works through them. It’s not us; it’s Jesus working through us.
The Simple Yet Powerful Invitation: “Come and See”
When Nathanael responds skeptically—”Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)—Philip doesn’t engage in theological debate. Instead, he offers three simple but profound words: “Come and see.”
Philip didn’t have all the answers. He didn’t need them. “Philip didn’t have his theology completely in order. He hadn’t followed after Christ for a very long time at this point. He may have had some things that were off and misunderstandings, but all he knew is he knew Jesus and he could introduce another one to Jesus.”
Are we having relationships in our lives where we are simply saying to the lost—to our neighbors, co-workers, fellow students, teammates—”Would you just come and see?” That might mean inviting them to church to see what Jesus is doing in a body of followers of Christ. Or it might mean saying, “Would you be willing to go through scripture with me and come and see what Jesus is doing?”
“We don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to be smart enough and have a theology degree to know everything about God and everything he says.” You can just introduce them to Jesus. Just “come and see.” The Gospel is incredibly deep, but in God’s kindness, He has also made it incredibly simple.
How Jesus Persuades the Skeptic
When Nathanael approaches, Jesus immediately demonstrates supernatural knowledge: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you” (John 1:48).
This phrase “under the fig tree” was a common rabbinic expression meaning someone was meditating on the Old Testament and God’s prophecy. Jesus knew what Nathanael had been thinking about in private, and this Revelation immediately convinced the skeptic.
Nathanael’s response is dramatic: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49). Jesus had revealed Himself to Nathanael in a way that only God could do.
“Jesus reveals himself to the skeptic. He uses us as his followers. He uses us to work through us. But truly, it’s Jesus who has to reveal himself.” He has to make Himself clearly known, not just to the academic side of a person, but to their heart.
Have you ever led someone to Christ who had heard the gospel for a long time? Or perhaps in your own life, you remember this moment: “I heard that I knew who Jesus was. I grew up in maybe some Christianity to some degree, I knew who he was. But at one moment in my life, all of a sudden, it clicked and it made sense. And I was like, Jesus truly is the Messiah. Jesus truly is the Savior.”
The Son of Man: Our Bridge to Heaven
Jesus tells Nathanael he will see even greater things: “You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51).
This references Jacob’s vision in Genesis 28:12: “And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven, and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”
But notice what Jesus does—He removes the ladder from this picture and puts Himself in its place. The angels are now ascending and descending on “the Son of Man.” Jesus is saying, “I am the Son of God. I am all God, but I am also the Son of Man.” He is both fully divine and fully human.
“He was the perfect, as Hebrews tells us, the perfect high priest. Because in every way he lived as we did, but yet without sin. He understands what it means to live in all of the holiness of God. But he also understands how humans live in a broken world, in a desperate world.”
Jesus is declaring, “I am the one who’s bringing that connection, the separation between heaven and earth. Jesus is the ladder who brings God’s work to earth.” As John 14:6 tells us, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Putting It Into Practice: Our Response to Jesus’ Pursuit
How do we respond to this incredible truth that Jesus pursues and persuades the lost?
- Recognize your own story of being found by Jesus. Take time to reflect on how Jesus pursued you personally. Remember that “at one point in our lives, we were all lost. At one point in our lives, we were all skeptics.”
- Share the simple invitation. Like Philip, we don’t need perfect theology or all the answers to invite someone to “come and see” Jesus. We can simply introduce people to Him through His Word and through the community of believers.
- Trust Jesus to do the revealing work. “We don’t actually pursue and persuade people. We can’t do that. We can’t change their spiritual heart. Only Jesus can do that.” Our job is to faithfully plant and water seeds, while trusting Jesus to bring growth.
- See people as souls, not just neighbors or coworkers. “May we no longer look at people as just neighbors and co-workers and friends. But may we see them as souls, whether ones who are brothers and sisters in your family or ones who are still lost in their sin.”
If you’re reading this and you’re still lost—still a skeptic—Jesus is pursuing you right now. He wants to reveal Himself to you, not just as a historical figure or a good teacher, but as the Son of God who bridges the gap between heaven and earth. Will you respond to His simple invitation to “follow me”?
A True Disciple
Jesus Is Everything
Bearing Witness In A World Of Skeptics
Jesus Reveals God
Full of Grace And Truth
Point To Jesus
We hope you enjoyed the sermon and would love to see you in person. Plan your visit to Community Baptist Church in Spring Hill, Tennessee today!