John 1:43-51 – Spiritual realities

In John 1:43-52 we are introduced to two more persons whom Christ encountered. The first was Philip, who like Andrew and Peter, came from the city of Bethsaida. And the second was Nathanael whom Philip brought to Him. Verse 43 indicates to us that Jesus was purposeful in His journey. We are told that He purposed to go into Galilee. Being in Galilee was in His schedule for that day. He was not there by happenstance. Like Him we must also be purposeful in life. Let our life’s journey be objectively lived. And while in Galilee, Jesus sought Philip out. It was a deliberate effort on the part of the Lord, He found Philip. As always, He deployed His usual way of enlisting people into His movement, so He invited Philip to follow Him. The two words “follow me” literally mean “keep on following me." And that was exactly what Philip did zealously. Having followed Jesus, he was convinced that Jesus was none other than the Messiah. So he sought out Nathanael, and excitedly exclaimed, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 

  

Nathanael had not heard about Jesus, but he certainly knew his Old Testament. He was aware that the birthplace of our Savior was Bethlehem and not Nazareth. Nathanael’s hometown was Cana, a town just four miles from Nazareth. There was a little rivalry between the two places, so he challenged Philip. His immediate response was “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip gave him the wisest response. He knew that the best test of the pudding is in the eating, so he said to Nathanael “Come and see.” In our task of reaching people, don’t feel compelled to argue. Just invite people to come and taste, and see that the Lord is good.

Jesus’ remarks concerning Nathanael tell us that spiritual realities was at work. On seeing Nathanael approaching, Jesus spontaneously said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Taken by surprize that Jesus should know this about him, Nathanael asked, “How do you know me?” Jesus knew that he was a man of honesty and was very transparent. Though not there when he was approached, Jesus knew how Nathanael had responded to the invitation of Philip. Being straight forward, he expressed his doubt that Messiah could come from Nazareth. How he responded to Jesus’ remark reveals that he was indeed a guileless man.

Jesus’ indication of Nathanael was deliberate. He told him all that he was, an Israelite in whom there was no guile. In much the same way as the readers of John’s Gospel, what Jesus said of Nathanael would also bring our mind to Jacob, the Old Testament patriarch who was full of guile. God loved Jacob so much that He even gave him an important place in the history of Israel. But unlike Jacob, Nathanael was without guile. The way Jesus said of Nathanael implied that he, like Simeon and Anna recorded in Luke, was a believer looking for God. So Nathanael was surprised that the Lord knew his character even before he met Him.

And what Jesus said to him in verse 48 was even more intriguing. He said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” In saying that to Nathanael, Jesus was telling him that He was aware of his search for reality. Though no one saw his searching, Jesus saw Nathanael’s contemplation underneath the fig tree. It might well be that he was praying under a fig tree for God to reveal Himself to him, and Jesus knew all about it. Being an intelligent person, Nathanael immediately put two and two together. He became aware that as God, Jesus was all-knowing. He knew at once that Jesus has to be God. So spontaneously he exclaimed, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” What an incredible response indeed! He made a total commitment to Jesus that day. So Jesus promised that he would experience greater things. Jesus promised him that like Jacob of old, he would experience spiritual realities.

This passage leaves us with the truth that God is often closest when He seems to be the farthest. He is closer than our struggles in life. He is not far away from us, contrary to what we would often think when we are struggling. What hope we have in Him! In Christ this promise is also ours today. Like Nathanael we will be able to see the unseen spiritual realities when we trust Christ completely.