Posted on 09/15/2022 5:52:59 AM PDT by metmom
“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to 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 and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel’” (John 1:47–49).
Of all the apostles, Nathanael had one of the more interesting first encounters with Jesus. After Philip told him he had found the Messiah—“Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph”—Nathanael was skeptical. His dubious reply, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” reflects his incredulity that the Messiah could come from such an insignificant town. Yet he followed Philip.
As he approached, “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’” Jesus recognized that Nathanael’s blunt, honest reply revealed his lack of duplicity and his willingness to examine Jesus’ claims for himself. Nathanael was “an Israelite indeed”—he was a genuine, true disciple from the beginning.
Taken aback by Jesus’ omniscient recognition of him, Nathanael was also surprised by Jesus’ supernatural knowledge of information known only to him. Not only did Jesus supernaturally see Nathanael’s physical location, but He also saw into his heart (cf. Ps. 139:1–4).
Whatever happened under the fig tree, Jesus’ supernatural knowledge of it removed Nathanael’s doubt. Overwhelmed, he acknowledged Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah.
Just think—Jesus knows you every bit as intimately as He knew Nathanael. The same acknowledgement of Christ’s deity ought to be on your lips as well.
Ask Yourself
Is Jesus’ intimate knowledge of you a source of fear and anxiety, or is it rather a source of comfort and security? If you’re living in the first state of mind, try putting into words why anything that keeps you from the latter could possibly be worth it.
From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.
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Yeah... I have to admit to having some anxiety!!
I would not be surprised if we all do.
Thank you, Metmom.
With Jesus saying to Nathanael, that he was a man without deceit, we can see he was being a bit sarcastic, because Nathanael would have realized then and there that Jesus knew of his disdain for all things Nazareth. Nathanael had been guilty of viewing himself as better person than anyone from that town. Therefore, a proud, self-righteous man.
Meeting Jesus humbled him greatly. It opened his eyes to his own dishonorable perceptions of others.
Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves! At least for me. I’m thankful for that.
Could this be translated literally, yet be some kind of euphemism in the original?
Nathanial must have been doing more than just sitting or walking under a fig tree - how common would that have been and could have been just a lucky guess?
If it was some behavior that was good would Jesus have commented on it more? “I saw you under the fig tree giving a coin to the beggar.”
But instead Jesus doesn’t go into detail. Hmm.
Probably something really simple a child could understand.
They didn't use punctuation, so now with people taking everything literally to the point that they get offended just on general principle, things could go horribly wrong through a misunderstanding of somebody being under a fig tree.
Now learn a parable of a fig tree...
“Just think—Jesus knows you every bit as intimately as He knew Nathanael. The same acknowledgement of Christ’s deity ought to be on your lips as well.”
How true, both sentences!
Thank you, metmom.
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