13. Under the Fig Tree (John 1:43-51)
Posted by:
SeLahGirl on
October 25, 2007 at
2:25PM EST
Under the Fig Tree
(John 1:43-51)
43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.
45Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses
wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of
Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Once again we are reminded
that Jesus did not begin in a manger as a baby. Rather, he was before
even Moses, before the Law was carved into stone tablets. He was before
the beginning. And here, Philip makes the correlation between the One
Promised and Jesus of Nazareth. I don't know the history and the
timeline. I'm sure someone has an answer, but it makes me wonder how
this declaration of Philip is different from the declaration that Peter
makes later in the Gospels. That statement of faith that Jesus is the
Christ. Perhaps someone with more knowledge than me can enlighten us
:o)
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that when Peter
proclaimed it, it was the first time that Jesus acknowledged that it
was true. Or that it was the right time (God's Timing) for it to be
declared publicly as Truth rather than whispered quietly as a thought
or possibility.
Either way, it remains that Philip heard about Jesus and told Nathanael.
46"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.
"Come and see," said Philip.
47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."
48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
This is interesting to me, because upon hearing the news and excitement
of Philip -- Nathanael immediately responds with skepticism. For
whatever reason, he does not relate Nazareth with being an appropriate
place for a holy man to emerge from.
Here is what is funny... Jesus didn't hear Nathanael make that remark, yet he greets him as though he did.
Basically, as Nathanael approaches, Jesus describes him as a man that
speaks his mind, that is unafraid to voice his opinion because he
strives to only speak what is true and relevant. We all know people
like that. People that cause us to gasp at their boldness (not boldness
in a rude sense, but boldness spoken rightly and with wisdom). They
always manage to catch us off guard as they make comments seemingly
from left field. Comments that sometimes rub us the wrong way, but that
make sense after we painfully contemplate the depth of what they've
said. Then we just kind of grin as we reluctantly shake our head in
agreement, because we know that it's the Truth and needed to be said.
By the same token, Nathanael is quick to admit that Jesus has pegged
his personality to the Tee. He knows that he is an annoyingly blunt
man... BUT he wonders how Christ knew it.
1) First, he
agrees to go and see this Jesus because he is intrigued that a holy man
could come out of Nazareth and make such an impression on Philip, his
trusted friend -- a relatively sensible man.
2) Now, he is
almost stopped in his tracks as he approaches and is met with Jesus
telling him all about himself. You can almost see the wheels turning in
Nathanael's mind trying to figure out who this Jesus is and how He
knows his business. Being the transparent man that he is... unafraid to
inquire when a question comes to mind... Nathanael asks Jesus how he
knows him.
3) Jesus shocks Nathanael for a third time by
telling him that he saw him only moments earlier, even when Nathanael
had no idea that He was anywhere around -- that moment when Nathanael
thought he was all alone. Perhaps he sat under that tree in his
loneliness, or in his sin, or in his thankfulness... talking to God in
his thoughts about the things that were in his heart or weighing on his
mind.
Whatever the expression in the eyes of Jesus,
whatever the tone of His voice, as He told Nathanael that He saw him...
Nathanael knew that Jesus knew exactly what was on his mind as he sat
under that tree.
Nathanael was a man that spoke and lived
and breathed Truth. He recognized Truth when he heard it or saw it. In
that moment, he knew that Jesus was somehow there under that tree only
moments earlier -- there in his thoughts -- there in his heart. Only
God could have known what Jesus knew about him. It took Nathanael less
than an instant to put two and two together, and so he cried out,
"You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!"
50Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig
tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51He then added, "I tell
you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
What an amazing moment!
When we acknowledge the little things that God does, he pours out even
more. Just like a loving parent, he gets excited when he sees us get
excited. It's like he loves to fill us with awe and wonder, to bless us
beyond anything we could imagine, to not only let us drink in His
beauty and wonder, but to actually participate in the fulfillment of
it, to not just witness it, but to touch it and handle it for
ourselves. To live it.
God with us...
it's so
much more than what it seems. It's Truth, it's a dream come true, it's
the answer to every question and any question, the fulfillment of every
desire or need, it's being able to not just witness God but to
experience Him, to experience all the amazing and indescribable facets
of His nature, His personality, His love. To really know Him
... to be with Him.
