High IQ Land.

That’s where a man named David Garrett lives. In his early 20s, he found himself with some time on his hands, so he borrowed books on musical composition and wrote a symphony. Not a song, but a symphony.

The 16-page work was no Beethoven or Mozart. But this fully instrumented “Overture in D Minor” was pretty impressive for a first effort -- especially given the fact that Garrett had no formal training in musical composition.

David Garrett is a high IQ guy who is a member of the “Triple Nine Society,” a group that gets its name from the fact that it has just one requirement for membership: an intelligence test score in the 99.9th percentile. It’s harder to get into Triple Nine than Mensa, the other brainiac association, which requires only the 98th percentile.

Yes, that’s right: only the 98th percentile. What a bunch of dummies.

Triple Nines love to learn, and they tend to be really good at a variety of things — but masters of none. They are not happy unless they can learn everything about whatever interests them at a particular time. According to The Denver Post, David Garrett is into Eastern philosophy, classical guitar, chess, reality theory, freehand drawing, and the origins of the U.S. Constitution. He knows Japanese and Spanish, writes short horror stories, and teaches martial arts. And, oh yes, he’s also married with three children.

I wonder what he lists as his New Year’s resolutions.

In today’s passage of Scripture, when Jesus is walking around Galilee looking for disciples, he is searching for a particular kind of person. Not a Triple Nine or a member of Mensa, not a writer of symphonies or master of Eastern philosophy. Instead, Jesus is looking for people with an equally rare and valuable gift: the ability to step forward in faith.

At first it is unclear if Jesus has found such a person in Nathanael. When Nathanael hears Jesus described as the “son of Joseph from Nazareth” (John 1:45), he sneers and asks the question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (v. 46).

Nazareth is the sticks, you see. It’s a small town without power or prestige, and there probably weren’t more than a couple thousand residents at the time of Jesus. It’s located in Galilee, which comes from the Hebrew word meaning “boundary” or “territory.” Jesus is not coming from an impressive city like Jerusalem; instead, he’s coming from the middle of nowhere.

I don’t think there was a Nazareth chapter of the “Triple Nine Society.”

But hold on, there’s something special about Jesus, this son of Joseph from Nowhere-ville. When Jesus sees Nathanael coming toward him, Jesus says of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit” (v. 47). Jesus gives credit to Nathanael for stepping forward in faith, even though Nathanael has expressed some doubt and skepticism. Jesus gives him a high compliment, because Nathanael has been willing to overcome his reservations enough to come and see what Jesus is all about.

This willingness to step forward in faith is a commendable quality, one that is every bit as impressive as an IQ in the 99.9th percentile. Nathanael could easily walk away, given his feelings about Nazareth. He could focus his efforts on finding a mentor more promising than Jesus.

But he doesn’t. He takes a chance. And his willingness to do this moves him from “High IQ Land” to “High Faith Land.”

“Rabbi, you are the Son of God!” says Nathanael, after Jesus reveals a superhuman knowledge of Nathanael’s identity, having spotted him under a fig tree. “You are the king of Israel!” (v. 49).

And Jesus answers, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these” (v. 50). Jesus invites Nathanael to continue to follow him in faith, and he promises that he will see even more amazing things, including the opening of heaven, and the ascending and descending of the angels of God (v. 51).

It is clear to Jesus that Nathanael is only at the beginning of his journey of faith. But if he continues to step forward, he will see things that will make him even more faithful.

I want to invite each of you to make the move that Nathanael did, in spite of your reservations, your doubts, your skepticism. You and I are a lot like this disciple in our questions and concerns — in fact Nathanael can be a stand-in for each of us. You may not know it, but Nathanael makes this brief appearance, and then he disappears completely — except for one brief mention in chapter 21. He does not appear in any of the other Gospels, and he is missing from their lists of the Twelve Disciples.

So Nathanael is a kind of everyman … or everywoman. He’s a model for every one of us. He’s not a Triple Nine, he’s a “Twelve Plus.” He’s a good and faithful disciple, one who does his work beyond the ranks of the twelve disciples, just as we do.

If you want to join the Twelve Plus Society and walk in Nathanael’s footsteps, you’ll need to take a step toward Jesus. This kind of faith-walk is a journey into an uncertain future, but it is one that trusts Jesus to be leading us in the right direction. Membership in the Twelve Plus Society is seen when …

- People take the time to come to worship, listen for the word of God, and receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. When you come forward for Communion, you are taking an important step toward Jesus. You are trusting Jesus to give you the spiritual nourishment you need.

- Churches show a commitment and desire to meet the needs of the community, as we did with our Homeless Hypothermia program in December. You’ll have another opportunity this month, in a training event for people who want to take positive public action on issues such as affordable housing, immigration, and public health. Check out your Sunday bulletin — the training event is Monday, January 23rd.

- Communities put their energy into doing what Jesus instructed his followers to do. This means being mission-minded in all our activities — always caring for the least, the lost, and the left out — and making the discovery that we grow inwardly as we look outwardly.

So let’s follow in the footsteps of Nathanael, and make a faith-step toward Jesus. We can do this as individuals, as a church, and as a community, always setting a positive example for others who want to be part of the Twelve Plus Society. Our goal is not to exclude 99.9 percent of the population, it’s to include them – include them in the community of Christians who are actively committed to following Christ.

That’s a society that deserves our support, both in 2006 and all the years to come. Amen.

Sources:

Jack Cox, “Smarter than 99.9% of the rest of us,” The Denver Post, June 20, 2005, DenverPost.com.