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.