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 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

We have begun reading the Gospel of John this week.   First came its theological Prologue, and then we were introduced to John the Baptist, as the Gospel begins to tell of a foundational week in Jesus' ministry.  Yesterday, we read about its second and third days, in which 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 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.

 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 and His first disciples are Galileans, and this is where His ministry will begin.  Nathanael disparages Nazareth as a place from where someone of such significance could come; this is not the place from which the Messiah was to originate, nor figured in any prophecy.  But Jesus sees right into Nathanael.  To have no deceit, says my study bible, means both having a pure heart and being straightforward with others.  That, indeed, is plainspoken Nathanael.  And what impresses Nathanael, who speaks directly what is in his heart, is that Jesus knows what is in his heart.  My study bible cites Chrysostom as saying that Jesus was praising Nathanael for being so diligent and careful in His search for the Messiah.  The text also indicates that Christ was aware of Nathanael before Philip called him, another clear indication that He is the "heart-knower." 

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."  The title Son of Man is one from the Old Testament.  My study bible tells us that it had a level of mystery in its meaning, as it indicated a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God (see Daniel 7:13).  In the Old Testament, Jacob dreamed of a ladder which connected earth to heaven, and upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12-15).  This was a prophecy given to Jacob, of which Jesus is fulfillment.  He is the "ladder" who unites earth to heaven, and therefore He is the Son of Man.   This is the fourth day given in John's Gospel.  Paralleling the fourth Day of Creation, in which God established the greater and lesser lights governing day and night, Jesus reveals Himself to be the "greater light" as fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

When Jesus claims that Nathanael is "an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit," he's not merely speaking of something good in the national character of Israel.  He's getting down to the heart of what the name Israel means and conveys.  It was Jacob, whose memory Jesus suggests to Nathanael in the reference to the ladder, who was renamed "Israel" (Genesis 35:10).  It was Jacob who "struggled with God" in wrestling for a blessing (Genesis 32:22-31).  And this is an aspect of the word "Israel," meaning to struggle, contend, or prevail (with God).   Nathanael is one pure in heart, in the sense that there is no deceit, as Christ says.  Ironically, and importantly, this is in some contrast with the character of Jacob before his blessing and his name-change to Israel.  But Nathanael speaks his mind, he struggles with his faith, he contends and does not simply interpret prophecy in ways that would be convenient.  He asks questions, and he "comes and sees" for himself.  Of course none of this would be meaningful without the relationship to Christ.  It is Christ who recognizes the heart of Nathanael.  And Nathanael's full-hearted response to Christ also indicates something about him.  The character of Nathanael (who is also called Bartholomew) is not "lukewarm" (see Revelation 3:16).  He is not someone to take deep issues lightly, but with the seriousness they merit, and the struggle in the heart that entails.   He's not going to put his trust in something or someone without the struggle of discernment.  Ultimately, as with the example of Jacob, everything comes in the struggle for faith.  It will take faith for Nathanael to realize the promise in Jesus' description of Himself as the ladder in the vision given to Jacob.  It will take the struggle and journey of faith for Nathanael to come to more fully realize what "good" can come out of Nazareth.  Like Jacob, it will be in the long struggle for faith that the promise of the descendant of David of Bethlehem will be revealed.  Nathanael or Bartholomew himself will end his earthly struggle as disciple in martyrdom for Christ.  None of this can be truly realized in Nathanael's declaration of Christ as Son of God and King of Israel in this first meeting.  But the promise is there, and as with Jacob, it is in the long struggle of faith that grace fulfills what is promised to us.  It is grace that makes us who we might become.