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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 there 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, we were told that John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." 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." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Here is something interesting. The first thing Jesus wants to do is to go to Galilee, a place far away from the center of the faith and its leadership in Jerusalem. Galilee is a "mixed" place, with both Jewish and Gentile population. Yet these early disciples are from there, and it is to Galilee Jesus wants to return. "Follow Me" is the call to discipleship; these early disciples were first disciples of John the Baptist. John has already taught that Jesus is the Son of God.
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." "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" echoes common expectations regarding prophecies of the Messiah. Nazareth is not known as a place out of which the Holy One would come. (We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but these disciples do not.) It again reflects expectations and prejudices regarding the places "holiness" is considered more pure; it is another city of Galilee. The response, "Come and see," is a particularly important one for Christians. Our faith is about participation and relationship; one must experience grace for oneself. Nathanael is also known as Bartholomew.
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" My study bible tells us that no deceit means both having a pure heart and being straightforward with others. Nathanael is neither impressed because another person told him about Jesus, and at the same time has asked an honest question about Nazareth and prophesies regarding the Holy One.
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." What went on "under the fig tree" we don't know. My study bible cites Chrysostom as commenting that this was the meeting place of Philip and Nathanael, and that Jesus is praising Nathanael for being diligent and careful in his search for the Messiah. The fig tree, as we know, is symbolic of Israel; its fruits signifying spiritual fruits. Near the end of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus curses an unfruitful fig tree, symbolic of the lack of faith He has found among the leadership in Jerusalem.
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." My study bible says that the title Son of Man is a messianic title that had a level of mystery in its meaning. It indicates a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God (see Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus' words hearken to the Old Testament prophecy in the vision of Jacob, who dreamed of a ladder which connected earth to heaven, and upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12-15). Jesus clearly indicates that He is that ladder, giving us a clue to the meaning of the title Son of Man, the unification of earth to heaven, and the power and meaning of His mission and ministry.
If we examine the vision of Jacob, in which Jesus places Himself in the center, with the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man, we may gain some insights or clues to our reading. There is first the "honesty" of Nathanael, in whom there is no deceit, and for which he is declared by Jesus to be "an Israelite indeed," we come to understand something about humility. Humility is a "what you see is what you get" kind of a thing, so to speak. To be a Israelite is to be one of the "people of God." There is nothing extraneous in one in whom there is no deceit, and certainly the "praise of men" is not going to impress. This is a person whose heart is pure and without guile, who doesn't count personal one-upmanship to be worth something in and of itself. Someone capable of independent thinking within a framework of what is truly good, the things of God. It takes such a person to know Christ, to see what is there. But it is Christ Himself who reveals all there is, and more, who leads us into mystery and the grace of God. It is Christ, Son of Man, who is the ladder between heaven and earth, upon whom the angels of God ascend and descend. What does the vision of angels teach us but about ministry to mankind? These are the functions of the angels, to act as messengers between God and man, and to minister. It is a clue about Christ and what He has come to bring to us, the grace of God. Nathanael's pure heart and immunity to pretense is a clue about the qualities of those who would truly see and come to know Christ, those who are "like children" not in immaturity but in humility. The one in whom there is no "deceit" is the one who doesn't trap others, who doesn't con others and play on their innocence or naivete; having lost his own naivete, does not seek to encumber others with a snare. It speaks of the individual who wants to be truly free of the burdens and chains of sin, the entrapments of the world. A kind of honesty that is capable of truly seeking out the Christ, the One who embraces us with love and grace, and not settling for anything less: that's what it means to be "an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit." That is, one who does not seek to deceive others, nor himself. Let us consider the angels of God ascending and descending upon this Ladder, the Son of Man, Christ, and His ministry of pure grace. None of us is capable of "deserving" what He offers. There is no hierarchy in mankind that ranks us as such; there is only the pure heart that truly desires what He has to give, and to be truly free of all the chains that can bind in a deceitful world.
