John 1:43-51 - HOW DO YOU KNOW ME?
“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 him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, YOU ARE THE SON GOD! You are the King of Israel!’”
After Jesus' encounter with Andrew and Simon Peter, Jesus found Philip and asked him to follow (v. 43). Philip followed Him and immediately sought for his friend Nathanael. By reading through the text, we can infer that these two men are very close and perhaps both students of the law. In verse 45, Philip described Jesus as the one "who Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote (about)." This statement made it evident that these two were zealously studying the Word and waiting for the Messiah. But just like any person who did not encounter Jesus, face-to-face or spiritually, it is hard to believe that this man could finally be the Savior of the world. Thus, I understand Nathanael's doubt in verse 46 because there was no direct mention in the Old Testament about the Messiah coming from Nazareth. However, his cunning remark "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" is a little too prejudicial.
With all His omniscience and tender grace, Jesus knew Nathanael's heart for being a seeker after the divine truth. Despite his prejudice, Jesus confronted him with a striking statement, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Like the rest of us, Nathanael was human who was flawed and maybe influenced by prejudice that was all over Israel at his time. Yet, the Lord gave him grace because He foreknew and foresaw Nathanael for who he really is.
Few Takeaway:
+ We should not judge people from where they come from.
+ We cannot love other people if we have prejudice or offense in our hearts.
+ Even in doubt or pure belief, God promises us to see GREATER THINGS.
+ Let us not be discouraged when a friend/family, whom we shared the Gospel with, is not immediately receptive. Sometimes, it takes time for them to process the Truth. But most of the time, it takes a real, life-changing ENCOUNTER with the One True God for all their doubts to fade away.
When Nathanael asked Jesus how He knew him, Jesus answered that He saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him (v. 48). There must be something special about Nathanael and THE fig tree that blew Nathanael's mind and caused him to believe that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. Throughout Scripture, sitting under the shade of a fig tree is a symbol of "safety, peace, and wellbeing" (One for Israel). But not only that, it can also be a place for prayer. We can assume that this could be Nathanael's secret communion place with God where he prayed fervently for the prompt coming of the Messiah. As we can see in Acts 1:7, the disciples' hearts are filled with anticipation for the restoration of the Kingdom of God to Israel.
Finally, Nathanael uttered with great astonishment, "Rabbi, you are the SON OF GOD! You are the KING OF ISRAEL!" In that moment, Nathanael believed with all of his heart that Jesus is the Messiah that he's been waiting for. And Jesus promised him that he "will see greater things than these," and that He will open up the heaven for the Son of Man to be glorified (v.51)!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, we humbly come before Your throne tonight. With our hearts fixed on You, we acknowledge that You are indeed the One True God, the Son of God, the King of Israel! Thank You for opening our eyes to see who You are and opening our hearts to believe the Truth. But most of all, thank You for loving us like how You loved Nathanael. That even in our doubt and disbelief, You looked at us for how and why You created us. Through Your knowledge of our hearts, You have seen past our mistakes and prejudice. You rather focused on our desires to know You and encounter You regardless how small our faith is. Above all, we are grateful that You met us where we are. We adore You and praise Your Holy Name! In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray! Amen.