Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 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." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

- John 1:43-51

In yesterday's reading, John the Baptist brought two of his disciples to Jesus. "Behold the Lamb of God!" he said. When they followed, Jesus asked, "What do you seek?" The two disciples of John then asked Jesus where He was staying, and He replied, "Come and see." They spent the rest of the day with Him, and soon brought Him another. One of them was Andrew, who brought his brother Simon. Jesus told Simon, "You shall be called Cephas" (meaning A Stone or Rock) - in English, Peter from the Greek Petros. See What do you seek? Come and see.

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. The first disciples of Jesus were followers of John the Baptist. Andrew and Peter were brothers, as we read in yesterday's reading. Today, in Galilee, Jesus finds Philip, who is another. Most likely he heeds the call to "Follow Me," because he already knew of Jesus as a fellow follower of John the Baptist. But, we remember, God is always working through the characters in the Gospels - and before following in faith, there is a form of recognition in the disciple. Here we are introduced to the Galilean "flavor" of Jesus' ministry, where His early public teaching would be, and the place from which would come so many of His disciples.

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." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Here we have a kind of repetition of the pattern in yesterday's reading. This time, Nathanael is found by his friend, Philip, and brought to Jesus. Nathanael asks a direct question, coming out of the general perspective on Nazareth, with its mixture of populations, not considered purely a Jewish town, and not Bethlehem, the place of King David. How could the Messiah come from there? But Philip repeats Jesus' reply to the two disciples in yesterday's reading: "Come and see."

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." And again, as in yesterday's reading, the pattern is repeated. Yesterday, Jesus named Simon "Peter" or "Rock." And today, He peers into Nathanael's character. Nathanael is a straightforward type of person, he says what he thinks; a common translation here uses the phrase "in whom there is no guile." He's not a hypocrite or "actor." My study bible says "no deceit implies a pure heart which is capable of recognizing Christ." The knower-of-hearts peers into Nathanael - and even more importantly, knew him before Philip called him. However we come to Christ, once we arrive, to "come and see," it is Christ who already knows us, and teaches us about ourselves.

Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." Because of his "pure heart" or lack of deceit, Nathanael is able to cast away popular prejudice and receive Jesus in His true character. Jesus assures Nathanael that he will see much more than has been revealed to him on this day. The "Son of Man" is an messianic title from the book of Daniel, and refers to a being of heavenly origin who will usher in the kingdom of God. Jesus' words about angels ascending and descending comes from "Jacob's ladder" -- in Genesis, Jacob dreams of a ladder connecting heaven and earth. My study bible says, "Jesus--the Son of Man--is 'Jacob's Ladder,' man's access to God, the final and fullest revelation of God. In His Incarnation, God and man are united. In the teachings and miracles of His public ministry, the Kingdom of God on earth is inaugurated. His Cross, set up on earth like Jacob's ladder, reaches into heaven. Through His Resurrection, Ascension, and exaltation to the right hand of God, human nature is raised into heaven. And through His Second Coming, all things will be reconciled to God. In Christ, heaven and earth are joined."

Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew), despite his skepticism and the popular prejudice, comes to Jesus. And Jesus reveals to Nathanael who Nathanael is. This is the way it is with faith. What we are shown is not just a way into relationship with Christ, a mutual recognition, but we are also given the gift of the depths of ourselves, and the everlasting Way we are given to go forward in life with Christ. That is, we are to discover so much more. And here, Jesus teaches Nathanael about the "so much more." As we were reading from the Sermon on the Mount, we learned of Jesus' teaching, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." He was referring to the depths and heights of faith, the mysteries and understanding that will be opened to us. And so Jesus also promises Nathanael. The walk of faith is a journey together, in which we are given to understand and know our Creator as we are also called to walk in such a way that we are to know ourselves in His love, who we can be in that kingdom. It is a relationship of depth and growth. Can you be a part of that? It is the perfect thing to contemplate for Lent - and to understand this as the product of a pure heart, in which there is no deceit.