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 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 to 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 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the second day of Christ's earthly ministry in St. John's Gospel, 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 [the third day given in the Gospel], John the Baptist 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, 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.  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."  In yesterday's reading, we read about the calling of the first disciples, Simon (whom Jesus named Cephas, an Aramaic word meaning A Stone; Petros/Πετρος in the Greek, from which we derive the English name Peter); and then Andrew Simon Peter's brother.  There was another disciple led to Jesus by John the Baptist who was unnamed, and that is often surmised to be St. John, the author of this Gospel (as it was a custom for authors not to speak of themselves).  Here, Jesus calls Philip ("Follow Me") to become His disciple, and Philip found Nathanael.  Nathanael is also known to us as Bartholomew.  

 

  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  My study Bible comments that no deceit means both having a pure heart and also being straightforward with others.  

 

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."   My study Bible points out that what exactly occurred under the fig tree is not stated.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, this was the meeting place of Philip and Nathanael, and Jesus was praising Nathanael for being so diligent and careful in his seeking of the Messiah.  Christ's foreknowledge and His ability to see into Nathanael's heart stir this confession of faith.  This is the fourth day given in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael.  My study Bible comments that they now see Christ as the true Light; the One revealed in the Old Testament, a lesser light.  This parallels the establishment of the lesser and greater lights governing the night and the day respectively on the fourth day in Genesis 1:14-19.

 

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."  This title, Son of Man, is a title of the Messiah that, according to my study Bible, had a level of mystery in its meaning.  It indicated a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7:13-14).  In an Old Testament prophecy, 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).  Jesus is the "ladder" who unites earth to heaven, and therefore is this Son of Man.  

 

 In yesterday's reading and commentary we remarked on the building up of Christ's body of disciples, and of His Church.  This is not something that happens overnight, or in some seemingly miraculous or instantaneous way.  In keeping with the reality of Christ's Incarnation, Jesus builds His Church as human beings must build organizations and communities.  These first disciples, in fact, come one by one, and not as an entire group.  They are first called in a way that is distinctly personal.  That is, Christ's first disciples come by way of John the Baptist, and they were first disciples of the Baptist.  In yesterday's reading (see above), this is made clear as John twice refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God and testifies to his disciples about Him.  John the Baptist explicitly directs two of his disciples to Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God!" making it clear that He is the Christ.  These first two were Andrew and an unnamed disciple, often understood to be the Evangelist John himself.  From there Andrew found his brother Simon, whom we know as Peter after the name given him by Christ.  Following this (the next day) Jesus Himself found Philip, and called him, saying "Follow Me."  At this juncture, let us note the connections that happen one by one in this story.  There is John the Baptist, who teaches his own disciples about Jesus as the Lamb of God; one of these is Simon Peter.  Simon then finds his brother, Andrew.  From there Jesus finds Philip who has another kind of connection to this first set of brothers; he's from Bethsaida, the same city as Andrew and Simon.  Then Philip himself finds Nathanael and calls him to meet Jesus, saying, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  All of these so far are individual actions, pulling people together one by one.  They are personal in nature.  There are connections between these people besides their discipleship to John the Baptist:  two are brothers, another is from the same town as the brothers, and clearly Nathanael is a friend already known to Philip.  Then there is a kind of an interesting snag:  Nathanael is skeptical.  What good thing can come out of Nazareth?  Nazareth, the town in Galilee in which Jesus was brought up, was not known for any prophecies regarding holy people, or having a particularly special identity in terms of the spiritual history of Israel.  So Nathanael asks, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"   And Philip responds in an equally level-headed and down to earth way, "Come and see."  He's to find out for himself.  And, of course, Christ responds in a phenomenally positive way to all of this level-headed skepticism:  "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  All of this so far contains within it the most distinctively human elements we can find, of a sort of level-headed honesty we might even call "dull" in others, and a Messiah who praises that very quality for it possesses "no deceit."  There's no flight of fancy or fantasy for Nathanael.  We really cannot get less like the seeming mysterious or miraculous than such a story of gathering these particular people together.  This beginning of Jesus' ministry is as down to earth as it can get.  But then Nathanael immediately comprehends something about Jesus, that Jesus knows him, knows his heart.  Jesus tells him that He saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him, and Nathanael is convinced:  "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."  But Jesus assures him, He will see much, much greater things than this.  He tells 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."  This is a far more profound understanding of the Messiah than even the popular expectations of the Jewish people at the time, far greater than a King of Israel.  But Nathanael is rewarded for precisely his down to earth honesty, his complete lack of pretense.  It's a humbly human story, with disciples called one by one, not a mass of people convinced by something miraculous and stupendous in its effect, and a story that is built through a very personal faith which acts in the heart, a knowing of the soul, a recognition.  All of these very human elements in this story are a necessary part of the Incarnation, God's chosen way to make Himself know to His people.  And yet, hidden in plain sight, so to speak, is the very Ladder dreamt of by Joseph, upon whom the angels of God ascend and descend.  Jesus does not come into the world with great fanfare, with huge displays of power, with an overwhelming compulsion for people to follow Him or to do what He says.  He comes out of Nazareth relatively "unknown," but identified by the Holy Spirit to John the Baptist -- and from there, in this intimate personal way, his followers grow one by one, as called by Him, and led by the Baptist who prepared the way.  For this is our very human story, which contains the Creator, the Son of Man and Lord of all that is, Whom we also may carry with us in our human hearts (Revelation 3:20).

 

 

 

Rejoice with me!

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

- Luke 15:1-10

Yesterday we read that, at this point in Jesus' ministry, great multitudes went with Him.  And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish'?  Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.  Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men through it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.   Here at the beginning of chapter 15, Jesus gives three parables regarding God's love for all His Creation.  This is an answer to the Pharisees and scribes who complain that Jesus receives sinners and eats with them.  In today's reading, we're given two of the parables, and the story of the Prodigal Son will follow in tomorrow's reading.  In this first parable the man is seen as representing Christ Himself.  The one hundred sheep are traditionally seen as representing all rational creation.  The one that goes astray is mankind, while the ninety-nine represent the angelic realm.

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."  Ten silver coins, says my study bible, comprise a single necklace worn by a married woman, a bride, which is an image of the Church (Ephesians 5:32).  The lost coin (drachma in the Greek) bore the image of the king.  It symbolizes mankind, who although bearing the image of God, fell from grace.  Through the Church, Christ enlightens the world, sweeps away sin, and finds His lost creation.

Rejoice with me! (Greek Συνχάρητέ μοι) is the phrase Jesus uses in both of these parables.  We notice, it's not just an expression or exclamation, but it is a command.  Jesus is once again giving us a clear picture of the feelings of God.  God suffers with us when we suffer, and suffers for us, and suffers without us.  But finding one lost, the command comes out to all the rest of creation, Rejoice with me!  What was lost has been found.  It speaks of the full unity of life and all that lives, that the whole of creation is a community.  We are to rejoice together as God rejoices over even a single one that was lost to God, and lost to this community of the Kingdom.  The word in Greek, Συνχάρητέ, is not only a command addressed to all, but it means "with (συν) rejoice (χαίρω)."  And this word rejoice, is linked to both joy (χαρα) and grace (χαρις).  In the reflected meanings of these words, we rejoice not only over the one who is lost and now found, but all of us rejoice together in the grace that makes all of this possible, that permeates and commands all things.  It is only our own free will that keeps us lost; grace (and joy) always await our return.  Each of us may imagine our own feelings (or know them perfectly well through experience) should we lose a friend and then finding them, or more poignantly -- and which will be included in tomorrow's reading -- losing a child and then being reunited.  In the humblest times of our lives, we know and understand what this is.  We are invited to imagine what it is for God to rejoice and to command all of creation to "rejoice with me."  This is the very fabric of the connection we have with others, and with life itself, all living things.  It is this grace, this joy, this love.  It is found in this command.  We can't help but be glad -- no matter what our conflicting feelings -- when one is restored to a good place, right thinking, right-relationship, a righteous life.  This is inseparable from true place in community, and in the grander scheme of the community of all of creation.  It is impossible to imagine the grandeur that rejoices at the least of us returning to the fullness of this community, participating, reunited in the fullness of the promise of the image within us.  This is restoration not only to true place, but to true identity, the fullness of self found in this place of belonging.  Let us remember the joy and the grace, for it permeates every command of God, and the whole of the search for spiritual life and belonging, the true substance of discipleship.  It is the fullness of love.