John 1:43-51

43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 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.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” 48 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.” 49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 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.” 51 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 news of Jesus is spreading as Jesus gathers His disciples. He finds Philip, and tells him, “Follow Me.” Philip was from Bethsaida, the same city as Andrew and Peter. Then, Philip went and found Nathanael, and told him that he, Andrew, and Peter, had found the Messiah. It is Him, Nathanael! You know…..“Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Like Andrew, Philip wanted to share the good news of finding the Messiah with those closest to him. We can infer that Philip and Nathanael were good friends, since Philip went to him with this news first. Then, Nathanael pops off with an offensive comment. He says, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael is clearly showing prejudice against anyone who comes from Nazareth! His tone jumps right off the page! He’s poking fun at Philip for even suggesting that the Messiah would come from there. In Nathanael’s eyes, no one who mattered could come from Nazareth. Nazareth was a small, poor town. The people were a little rough around the edges as we might call them today. I even found one commentator who described it as a backwater town.This is a lesson in itself for us. Have we ever judged someone by what side of town they lived on, or what area of the country they lived in? Or by their family name? We should never judge anyone because of where they are from, whether it’s a rich neighborhood (ex. Everyone from there is a snob.) or a poor or crime-ridden area (ex. Thugs and low-lifes live there.) No one can help where they are born or who they are born to. We are all the same to God. (Romans 2:11) Then comes Philip’s response! I love it! No arguing. No getting defensive. Just three simple words, “Come and see.” This is how we need to respond when people are condescending to us about our beliefs. “Come and see. Let’s discuss it. Let’s look in the Bible, and see what God says about it.” Philip is such a great example to us. I love how Jesus was ready for Nathanael! He knew Nathanael’s heart. Nathanael thought a little too highly of himself, and Jesus brought him down a few notches. Here is the statement from Jesus to Nathanael in verse 47 in today’s language, “Oh look, here is someone from ______(wherever), how perfect you must be!” Nathanael is like….. “How do You know me?” Then Jesus said, paraphrasing, “I saw you before Phillip told you about Me, when you were standing under a fig tree.” Jesus let Nathanael know in no uncertain terms that He knew him before ever meeting Him, but more importantly Jesus knew Nathanael’s heart, and his spiritual condition. Jesus knew Nathanael was holding on to some thoughts of a prejudiced nature. He knows our spiritual condition as well…..every second that we live. He knows if we hold these types of prejudices in our hearts as well. 

And then…..in verse 49, we see Nathanael do a complete 180! He went from scoffing at his friend Philip for following this man from Nazareth, to confessing Him as God’s Son and the King of Israel! But what l love is Jesus’ response! Paraphrasing in my own words, “You think me seeing you under the fig tree was big? Just wait! This is nothing compared to what you will see later on.” Nathanael thinks he has seen something great, but he hasn’t seen anything yet! 

Verse 51 is packed full of Old Testament prophecy. Jesus calling Himself the Son of Man comes from Daniel 7:13-14, “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” This is a prophecy about the coming of the Messiah, and the kingdom that will never be destroyed is the Church. When Jesus spoke of the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man, He was referring back to Jacob’s vision where he saw a ladder reaching to Heaven with angels ascending and descending on it (Genesis 28:12). All the while, God was at the top of the ladder promising Jacob that His family would be blessed (Genesis 28:13-15). Symbolically, Jesus is that ladder that connects earth and Heaven. He is our connection to God. He is the ladder between us and God. Without Jesus, we would have no hope of heaven, because we would have no ladder to get there. It is through Jesus that we can be saved. God gave us Jesus for that reason, because He knew that our sin would keep us out of heaven. God wants us to have the opportunity to be with Him, so He provided the way through His Son. God doesn’t want any of us to miss out on heaven. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us this, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” So He gave us Jesus, our ladder to an eternity with Him. In Genesis 28:16:17, Jacob says, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” Jesus was the “house of God” when He came in the flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) And Jesus is the only gate that we can go through to gain eternal salvation. Have you walked through the gate yet? 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)