John 1:47-51 When you were under the fig tree I saw you

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."

 

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  Jesus declared, "Behold," indicating that Jesus was meeting Nathanael for the first time.  Yet Jesus spoke from His divine omniscience that He already knew Nathanael's devoted and honest character.  "An Israelite indeed," that is; a true Israelite - a Jew who was conscientiously adhering to the faith of his fathers. "In whom is no deceit."  Nathanael (also called Bartholomew in the synoptic gospels) is not reported to have ever questioned the Lord's words or intentions.  He was a genuine man with the childlike faith, which enabled him to apply his wholehearted trust toward Jesus once he had obtained reasonable assurance that the Nazarene was truly the Christ.

 

Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  The direct answer might have been stated by Jesus, "I know you because I am the Son of God."  But rather than offering an unproven reply, Jesus answers the question by exhibiting His supernatural perception, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Jesus allows His work to speak for itself.  Later in John's gospel Jesus says, "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  - John 10:38,39

 

Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus had proven His deity by His foreknowledge of Nathanael's unique identity; and, by His knowledge of Nathanael's private activity.  Because Nathanael's integrity had already been lauded by Jesus, many have supposed that he was in prayer or spiritual meditation beneath the fig tree.  But the fact remains that Nathanael stood before the Rabbi utterly transparent to the One who could see to the core of his being; the One from whom no action could be hidden; the One who could only be God incarnate.  With childlike faith Nathanael professed with solemn conviction, "You are the Son of God!"  And as the true Israelite, he immediately showed his homage by recognizing his King.

 

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."  Far be it from Jesus to belittle the faith of a true believer.  Rather, Jesus assured Nathanael that, as a result of his faith, he would also be granted the ability to perceive the hidden activities of the spiritual realm.  "For whoever has, to him more will be given."  Nathanael would indeed have the opportunity to see angels ministering to Jesus, and standing by for His command.

 

Perhaps Nathanael's determination to be the Israelite with no deceit prepared, or even enabled him, to be drawn to the One from whom nothing can be concealed.  We read in the Psalms; Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy. - Psalms 33:18  And from Psalms 139:

 

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me,"
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

 

To be honest with ourselves we must realize the truth about God.  He knows us!  For those who think they are living a secret life of sin, the wisest solution is to seek peace with God through His Son Jesus Christ.  Jesus knew both the sinners and their sins when He died for us on the cross to take away our sins.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. - Proverbs 9:10

John 1:43-46 Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

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." 

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Jesus had spent the prior days in the area of Bethabara where John was baptizing.  Now Jesus departed from the Jordan and traveled north along the shores of Galilee.  John's disciples, Andrew and John, had followed Jesus upon the Baptist's declaration that Jesus was the Christ; and Andrew had informed his brother Simon, "We have found the Messiah."  But now as Jesus journeyed around the lake, instead of being found by others, this time Jesus did the seeking; and He found Philip.

Philip was selected from among the thousands of residents of Israel to be one of Jesus' disciples.  Jesus told all of His disciples on the night of His betrayal, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . "  Jesus also said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him." - John 6:44a  So we must conclude that Philip had already been spiritually prepared for this moment.  Just as Jesus knew Simon's identity before he was introduced by Andrew, Jesus knew the heart and constitution of Philip in advance.  Therefore, with perfect foreknowledge of Philip's readiness to follow, Jesus commanded him, "Follow Me."

Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  We now see that five of the twelve Disciples were well acquainted before their calling.  The fishing business partnership of Jonah (the father of Andrew and Peter), and Zebedee (the father of James and John) was stationed in the small town of Bethsaida, which was also the home of Philip.  And shortly we will be introduced to Philip's brother, Nathanael; bringing to six the number of young men who grew up together in the same small fishing village.





Map of Galilee showing Bethsaida, Nazareth, and the Jordan River



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."  It can be deduced from Philip's reference to "we", that his hometown friends John, Andrew, and perhaps Peter, had accompanied Jesus on His walk around the lake.  It would also stand to reason that they traversed the eastern shores and may have reached the vicinity of Bethsaida, since Nathanael is fetched speedily to meet the Savior.

Philip portrayed Jesus to Nathanael as someone who met the criteria of Christ, which had been prophesied in the Old Testament writings.  The Scriptures contain many such references to Christ, among which include: the Seed of woman who would crush the head of the serpent - Genesis 3:15, the wielder of the scepter of Judah - Genesis 49:10, the Prophet - Deuteronomy 18:15-19, the Son of the Virgin - Isaiah 7:14, the heir of David's throne - Isaiah 9:7, the bearer of light to the Galilees - Isaiah 9:1-2.

And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Nathanael may have objected to Nazareth because of Micah's prophecy that the Christ would come from Bethlehem.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting. - Micah 5:2

Matthew's gospel does, however, indicate that Christ was expected to be a Deliverer of Israel according to the type of Samson.  And that He would be called a Nazarene.  So perhaps Nathanael had momentarily forgotten this particular prophecy about the Messiah.  But we simply do not know the basis for Nathanael's rebuttal.  Some have conjectured that Nazareth's proximity to Bethsaida induced in Nathanael a youthful sense of hometown rivalry.  Or perhaps Nazareth seemed too remote, or too unimportant.  The Galileans were, in fact, considered by the Judeans to be only slightly less corrupted by the Greeks and Romans than the detestable Samaritans, who had been assimilated by the Assyrians.  The reality remained, whatever the underlying reservation, that Nathanael had an objection to this Christ who was being described to him by his brother.

"Come and see."  Rather than addressing Nathanael's seemingly skeptical remark, Philip invited him to see the living Word of God for himself.  Then Nathanael would be able to draw his own personal determination regarding the qualifications of Jesus.  Philip was willing to trust that a personal encounter with Jesus would be sufficient to resolve the Nazareth issue, as well as any other objection Nathanael might raise.  Philip provides us a wonderful example of how we ought to deal with people's doubts, objections, and fears regarding the deity of Jesus and His authority as Savior.

 

Our natural tendency is to admonish, to correct, and to argue over the misconceptions held by the uninformed.  Instead we should follow Philip's example by affirming the simple truth's about Jesus which are easily and clearly communicated through God's holy Word.  As Paul tells us in Romans, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."  The path that leads to embracing and loving Jesus was paved by the blood of His cross.  It is the saving love of Jesus that beckons us to come to Him, to know Him, and to love Him.  The Apostle John has stated this truth most concisely; "We love Him because He first loved us." - 1st John 4:19

 

Bethsaida is situated on the northeast slope of the lake at such an angle that when one stands on the ancient excavations, the town of Tiberias appears across the lake as if it were framed within the center of a picture window.  Now let me explain how this fact might have helped prepare these six young men for the Master's ministry.

 

The town of Tiberias grew up during the younger days of Jonah and Zebedee.  It became the Roman capital of the entire inland region of lower Syria, which included northern Israel.  The site was tainted by the fact that it was once a cemetery, so the premises were completely shunned by the Jews.  The capital city of Tiberias stood across the shore from Bethsaida as a looming monument to the Roman occupation of Israel.

 

Tiberias Ruins - 1862

Now consider that it is often the rural land-workers (or in this case the local fisherman) who most tenaciously cling with personal endearment to their homeland, and to tradition.  Each day of their lives the fishermen of Bethsaida would have walked down to their boats with the reflection of Tiberias glaring before them like an unwelcomed intruder.  During the idealism of youth, could it have been this daily confrontation that drove these young fishermen away from the Roman culture so that they might rediscover their true purpose as God's chosen people?  It may have been such a pursuit of their true identity; of their Jewish roots; that compelled John and Andrew to become disciples of John the Baptist.  However the Father drew them, all six were chosen to be Apostles; whose names are not only written in heaven, but are also inscribed upon the foundations of New Jerusalem.

 

 

John 1:40-42 We have found the Messiah

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).

 

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  Before discussing Andrew, the one who is identified for us, remember from our commentary on the introductory passages that John the Baptist's unidentified disciple was none other than John, the writer of this gospel.  John never records his own personal discovery of Jesus outside of this indirect reference as the silent "other" of the two.  And John only reveals his identity throughout the rest of his gospel as "the disciple who Jesus loved."

 

He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  Andrew would have found his brother either involved in their family fishing trade, or in their hometown of Bethsaida on the north shore of Lake Galilee.  John does not provide the details about the Disciples which were already available in other gospels at the time of John's writing.  Matthew's gospel reveals that the two sets of brothers; James and John, and, Andrew and Simon, were the sons of two Galilean fishing families.

 

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. - Matthew 4:18-22

 

We find in Luke's account of this same day of the Disciples' calling, that the two families were in partnership with one another.  And we also find that Peter still had some last minute issues to deal with before leaving all to follow Christ.

 

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.

 

So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."  So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. - Luke 5:1-11

 

John's gospel provides us with the additional information that both sets of these brothers were already acquainted with Jesus before the day recorded above by Matthew and Luke.

 

"We have found the Messiah"  It has been said that God doesn't have any grandchildren.  Each person is called to son-ship with the Father through Christ.  John and Andrew had witnessed the Baptist's testimony that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.  And they were witnesses the next day when John the Baptist introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God.  But after spending the previous evening alone with Jesus, they had come to their own conviction that Jesus was indeed their Savior.  The Baptist had pointed them to Christ; but they found Jesus to be everything the Baptist professed.  After getting to know Jesus personally they stated quite honestly; "We have found the Messiah."

 

And he brought him to Jesus.  Andrew brought his brother to Jesus.  It was not enough for Andrew to inform Peter that Christ had come into the world, and that Andrew had found Christ for himself.  Andrew wanted Peter to experience Christ personally just like he and John had done.

 

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).  Jesus not only saw who Simon was, He also saw who he would become in Him.  Jesus assured Peter that He already knew his family background (son of Jonah) and his old identity - Simon.  But Jesus also saw the new man that Simon would become - Cephas, or Peter.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2nd Corinthians 5:17

 

On that day when these four disciples were called, Jesus knew the weight of sin and guilt that Peter thought would certainly disqualify him from following Christ.  Jesus even knew that Peter would deny Him on the night of His arrest.  And when Simon was confronted with the power of God by their great catch of fish, all he could see was his sin.  But Jesus answered, "Do not be afraid."

 

Herein we have the normal progression of Christian salvation:

• Someone who knows Jesus is compelled to profess that He is the Christ.
• The hearer seeks Jesus hoping to find Christ to be true.
• In getting to know Jesus they are confronted with the wretchedness of their sin.
• The love of God expressed by the cross persuades them, "Do not be afraid."
• They come to know personally that Jesus is the Christ.
• And the process is repeated for this - two thousand years!

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. - Matthew 24:14

John 1:9-13 The right to become children of God

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  The Son came into the world that every one would be effected by His incarnation.  And there is only one true Light who is capable of projecting the true image of God, and impressing that true image upon our hearts.  As Isaiah records in Chapter 43:

Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
I, even I, am the Lord,
And besides Me there is no savior.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  John further develops the irony of the fifth verse that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  The created world did not recognize its own Creator.  The heart of fallen man was so alienated from the will of God, and God's own image was so far removed from man's resemblance to God, that the world's inhabitants were unable to perceive the perfect Model after which they were copied.

 

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  Romans 11:36 affirms, For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.  The world, including mankind, belongs to God. 

 

You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created - Revelation 4:11

 

Man's alienation is made manifest by his denial of God as the source and purpose for life.  Man was created with a free will after the image of God.  But by choosing to ignore God, mankind has mistaken this gift of free will for a false sense of complete autonomy and independence from his Maker.  Yet even though man is born of blood into the material world, he is nevertheless born because it so pleases God.  Thus Jesus came unto His own when He came into this world.

 

But to be more specific, Jesus came to His own ethnicity - the Jews.  He was born in Bethlehem of Judea through the lineage of David the son of Jesse.  The Hope of Israel walked among His own people - unacknowledged by most, and even despised by many; fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy.

 

He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. - Isaiah 53:3

 

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.  The question is often asked, "What does it mean to receive and believe?"  John has just previously documented the failure of humanity at-large to grasp or accept the identity of Christ.  Most were either spiritual blind or willingly unreceptive.  The world did not know Him.  His own did not receive Him.  The first step in receiving Jesus is the willingness to get to know Him; being open to Him, receptive.  The awareness of our own alienation from God, and the consequences of our own personal sins, together compel us to believe in the only Savior who can take away our sins.

 

Those who have received Christ are those who have determined that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  They are persuaded that Jesus of Nazareth is that anointed One who was to come into this world and be God with us - Emanuel.

 

Those who believe on His name are those who have put their trust in the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  They have decided to trust that the Son is able to save fallen man from sin and death, and to grant everlasting life to those who believe.  And the reward for receiving Jesus and believing in His name is the authority to become children of God.

 

who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  One might ask, "aren't we all God's children?"  Well just as sin caused mankind to be cut off from eternal life, man's rebellion resulted in our estrangement from God as His children.  Adam's fallen children were born into a fallen world controlled by Satan.   Children who are born of flesh and blood all enter this world with the innocence of a blank slate - free of any good or bad works.  But every parent becomes quickly aware that fallen children must be trained to be unselfish, to share, and to be nice.

 

However, the restoration of a right relationship with God the Father does not come through training.  Only the forgiveness of sins afforded by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross can resolve our separation from God.  And God the Father has ordained that mankind may only be reconciled through His Son.

 

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. - Colossians 1:19,20

 

Let us not be resistant to the work of God like those who choose to remain in their dark, ignorant, and unreceptive world.  Receive Christ!  Believe Christ!  Truly live as children of the Living God.

John 1:4,5 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

In Him was life.  The previous verses established that Jesus belongs to the Godhead of creation.  In the beginning of creation the Son was with the Father as the Spirit hovered over the face of the waters.  But here John introduces us to Christ's earthly mission as the source and bearer of a life that was cut off from mankind on account of sin.

The sin of Adam separated mankind from the life of God.  The Book of Genesis depicts this separation through Adam and Eve's banishment from the garden, lest they should continue to partake of the tree of life.  And so mankind has continued in this semi-lifeless condition.

From the time of Adam until the time of Christ, man has existed biologically - but cut off from the life of God.  Fallen man retained his created form in body, soul, and spirit; though in a corruptible and dying body, an ego-centric and sensual soul, and a spirit which is independent of the Holy Spirit of God.  Man retained his God-given qualities of conscience, reason, self-awareness, and creativity.  But his resemblance to the image and likeness of God was tarnished in every respect by sin.

and the life was the light of men.  The presence of the Son of God in bodily form marked the first time since the fall of man that a whole man (the God-man) occupied this fallen world.  Jesus was the hope of mankind fulfilled, the perfect standard restored and the untarnished image of God whose appearance radiated the glory of God.

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  Who is like unto the Lord?  The life of Christ presented God with us, Emanuel.  But because of mankind's fallen sleep-like state, few people were able to see with their eyes and hear with their ears.  Few were able to recognized that the only hope for men to once again lay hold of the eternal life of God now stood before them in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

As Jesus quoted the words of Isaiah:

For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them. - Matthew 13:15, Isaiah 6:9

Bible translators have used many English words to convey the thought represented by the NKJV as the darkness did not comprehend it.  Various translations use the English words comprehend, apprehended, understood, overcome, and even extinguish. The Greek word is katelaben; the root being katelabe, meaning to take, to seize, or to overtake.

But the most straightforward translation is obtained simply by applying the same usage as is commonly stated in English.  That is; to express the mental reception of an idea as, "I get it."  Get does not primarily express understanding, but rather, the laying hold or grasping of an object.  Katelaben is not being used to mean obtaining an object here in John.  So a very good translation of this verse in common English is the darkness didn't get it.  Get it?

The more important question though, is do you get it?  Do you understand that Jesus has shown the way, the truth, and the life to this dark world which has lost its meaning and purpose?  That Christ has come so that we might have life - that eternal, robust, God-life that was forfeited through man's careless disobedience.  And that we might receive the benefit of the Holy Spirit to be a helper, to empower, to commune with, and to uplift our weak spirits.  I pray that your eyes might be opened to behold the glory of Christ.