John 1:43-51 Dear Partner in Preaching, There’s a lot of “finding” in John’s quirky account of the calling of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus finds Philip. Philip finds Nathaniel. Philip then tells Nathaniel that they have found Jesus. And then Nathaniel finds (although the word isn’t used here) that Jesus knows a lot more about him than he’d imagined. This has all gotten me to thinking that one of the best feelings in the world is when you are found. Do you know what I mean? Maybe it’s the delight of the child playing hide and seek who, though having put some thought and effort into his or her hiding place, is nevertheless...

John 1:43-51 Dear Partner in Preaching, What struck me in this week’s passage is the degree to which Nathaniel’s first reaction to Jesus feels rather tinged by sarcasm. I say “feels” only because sarcasm seems more frequent in our media than in our Scriptures. We are used to talk radio hosts, media pundits, cultural commentators, or sports analysts employing sarcasm from time to time to make a point. (And lately, perhaps, more than “from time to time”!) But rarely do you hear something sarcastic in Scripture, and that caught my attention. While I first found Nathaniel’s reaction – and John’s reporting of it, for that matter...