After Philip responded to Jesus’ invitation to follow Him (John 1:43), he found Nathanael to tell him about Jesus: “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45).
Philip’s statement to Nathanael indicated that both men had been anticipating the coming of the Messiah, so there was already an interest on Nathanael’s part in finding the one who would fulfill these prophecies. Yet he was skeptical at first when he heard the news. He replied to Philip, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).
Rather than argue about how probable or improbable it was for “any good thing to come out of Nazareth,” or whether Nathanael was being unfair about his assessment of the residents of that town, Philip offered a simple invitation: “Come and see” (John 1:46). This was what led to Nathanael believing that Jesus was the Son of God (John 1:47- 49).
As we try to teach people and lead them to the truth today, we cannot answer every question they may have (relevant or not). We also cannot accept the truth for them. We can only lead them to the truth (the word of God) and to Jesus Himself; they need to see for themselves and accept it.
So let people see for themselves. Faith is personal, and they must be personally convinced of what is right. Let us strive to point people to Jesus and to what His word teaches so that they have the opportunity to believe and obey it.