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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, hereinafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
- John 1:43-51
So far in John's Gospel, after the Prologue, we've been given the events of three successive days. The first day John the Baptist witnessed about his own ministry in expectation of the One to come to members of the leadership, on the second day the Baptist gives us his witness to Jesus, and in yesterday's reading we were told what happened on a third day: Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).
The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." On this fourth day, Jesus decides He wishes to go to Galilee, where we know He will spend the majority of His ministry. Philip is another follower of John the Baptist, as were the disciples in yesterday's reading. "Follow Me" is the call to discipleship. My study bible says that "Philip immediately obeys, perhaps because he already knows about Jesus, or beholds the divine presence in Him."
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." What we notice about these first few who are called is that first of all they were disciples of John the Baptist to begin with. But perhaps even more strikingly they all are connected in some way. They're Galileans. Two of them are brothers. As Jesus calls one, that one brings another. Throughout the Gospels we get many more hints of relatedness and acquaintance before becoming disciples; it tells us something about the ways in which spiritual life works, its "connectedness" (in events, places and people) as part of its inherent quality. The spiritual life shapes and forms connections of its own, building on whatever is at hand. Nathanael will also be known in future as Bartholomew.
And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" We can read this statement in many ways. Perhaps it's most likely that Nathanael is referring to prophecy. What is expected of Nazareth? It certainly reflects a popular kind of understanding, where expectation is focused elsewhere.
Philip said to him, "Come and see." "Come and see" is an echo from yesterday's reading. They are the words Jesus used when the first disciples asked where He was staying. "Come and see" is an invitation to real discipleship; to live and dwell with the Teacher, to find by experience for oneself.
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" My study bible says that "no deceit implies a pure heart which is capable of recognizing Christ." And we also have to remark on the quality of straightforwardness. Nathanael obviously says what he thinks! Jesus' greatest criticism will come to hypocrites, who outwardly appear moral but aren't honest about their inner life, or what is done in hidden ways. Those hypocrites care more for the praise of men than the praise of God. Nathanael, the one who wondered if anything good could come from Nazareth, is "an Israelite indeed" -- not because of where he may come from, but because in him there is no deceit. His faith will be sure, because it will come of experience.
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." Nathanael has been invited to "come and see." And so, he has experienced Jesus and His "sight" for himself. My study bible says, "Jesus' foreknowledge stirs Nathanael to a joyous confession of faith."
And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereinafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." There's a long note here: "In ancient Jewish thought, the Son of Man is a mysterious being of heavenly origin who is to usher in the Kingdom of God (see Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus is this One. In Old Testament prophecy, Jacob dreamed of a ladder connecting earth and heaven, upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (see Gen. 28:12-15). 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 exultation 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."
Let's consider again the quality of character in Nathanael, and also Jesus' words about him: "an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit." These words can even be meant ironically, although with great humor, and truly complementary. Nathanael speaks his mind, and he has to "come and see" for himself. I think the "come and see" quality is what's important to focus on. Nathanael doesn't just go along to curry favor. He says what he thinks. He needs to come and see, just as Jesus invited the disciples in yesterday's reading to "come and see" where He was staying. Discipleship takes experience, experience of faith and of God's love. It comes of a heart that is transformed in that place, transfigured, where the events of our lives go into the hands of the One who can show us how to look at life, how to serve, how to grow. All of that takes a heart that's willing to be open and true, and implies the reality of finding out for oneself, truly "coming and seeing." In the Old Testament, Jacob - whose "ladder" is indirectly referenced by Jesus, as my study bible notes, in His phrase about angels ascending and descending - wrestled all night long for his blessing. Jacob was then called "Israel." In light of Nathanael's question about Nazareth, we can read Jesus' humor, good cheer, and love - as this "struggle" makes him "an Israelite indeed." This encounter and engagement, this struggle with God, is an important aspect of faith. Engagement, experience is a key to a heart that is pure and capable of recognition; it also implies a basic trust and faith in truth. Let us consider the heart that desires to "come and see" -- one in which there is no deceit.
