The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathaniel 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.” Nathaniel said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said of him, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit! Nathaniel 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.” Nathaniel answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered 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, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Galilee was a region inhabited mostly by faithful Jews. It was well north of Jerusalem, which was located in a region called Judea. Between these two regions lay the region of Samaria, a place inhabited largely by Jews who had strayed from Jewish teachings on a number of matters, and who had freely intermarried with gentiles. A strict Jew would have considered the Samaritans heretics and racially spoiled. Rather than pollute his feet with Samaritan soil when traveling between Judea and Galilee, he would travel well out of his way to the east, circling Samaria, before returning west to his destination. It was about 80 miles from Jerusalem to Galilee if a direct route was taken. All this helps explain how Galilee was somewhat remote from Jerusalem, the center of Jewish worship. The Galileans, therefore, were considered to be something like hicks. It could be compared to how someone from Manhattan might think of an Iowan. Galileans could even be recognized by their accent…so perhaps a better analogy would be that they were like West Virginians.
John was baptizing in the Jordan River, roughly 21 miles east of Jerusalem, so Jesus’s decision to go there was a commitment to at least 6 days of walking. John makes a point of identifying Bethsaida as the home town of Philip, Andrew and Peter. These three were therefore also Galileans. When Jesus said to Philip, “Follow me,” this is understood as more than an invitation to travel with him back to Galilee. It was an invitation for Philip to serve as a disciple. More particularly, Philip was called to be one of Jesus’ twelve Apostles.
Nathaniel is Philip’s friend and, just as Andrew, in his excitement about Jesus, introduced his brother Peter to him, Philip introduces his friend, Nathaniel to Jesus. Philip approached Nathaniel with a strong endorsement of Jesus: he is the one that Moses and the prophets prophesied about. The phrase, “Moses in the Law, and also the prophets” is another way of saying, “the Old Testament writings”. There are many such prophetic writings. Here are a few examples:
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2).
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1).
Nathaniel’s response to Philip is, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathaniel is likely making a joke here. He is making fun of Nazareth for being a one stop-light town in a hick region. His joke is self-effacing, though, because he is from Cana, also in Galilee. Cana is about 4 miles up the road from Nazareth. Whatever scorn could be placed on Jesus for his lowly origins, the same scorn can be applied to Nathaniel. So while Nathaniel is laughing at Jesus, he is also identifying with him.
The more prevalent view of Nathaniel’s remark is that, of all the prophecies about the Messiah, none mention Nazareth. So while Philip is claiming Jesus is the one the Old Testament has promised, Nathaniel is countering that his Nazareth origins contradict Philip’s claim. Philip doesn’t try to argue the point. He simply says, “Come see for yourself.” Jesus may not meet people’s expectations for a Messiah, but there are aspects to him—the power of his preaching; the depth of his moral insight; his wondrous miracles—are all evidences that Philip finds convincing.
When Jesus saw Nathaniel coming towards him he exclaimed, “Behold a true Israelite in whom their is no deceit!” Nathaniel had his joke; now it is Jesus’ turn. Israelite indicates a person of the nation of Israel. The origin of the name is from the man, Israel, who was father to twelve sons who were the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. But Israel’s name had not always been Israel. His original name had been Jacob.
Jacob, his given name, means, “supplanter,” or one who treacherously dispossesses another. The root of this name comes from a couple events. The first is when Jacob and his brother, Esau, were born as twins. Their mother was anxious about them because they seemed to be wrestling with each other in the womb. She was given a message from God that the two would be at enmity with each other but that eventually the older would serve the younger. Esau was born first but Jacob was holding onto Esau’s heel. Interestingly, “supplant” comes from sub (beneath) + planta (sole of the foot). It was the custom for the elder son to be the primary inheritor of the father’s wealth, so there was a profound difference between being born first or second, even as twins.
When they were much older, Jacob schemed to steal Esau’s birthright. Esau was a burly man and a hunter. One day Esau came home from the fields, utterly exhausted and famished. Jacob, who was a bit of a momma’s boy, was finishing up meal preparations of bread and red lentil stew. Esau, intoxicated with the wonderful smells, insisted that Jacob give him some of his cooking. Jacob, scheming, said he could have it if he would hand over his birthright. Esau said, “Fine. What do I care about a birthright! I’m starving!” This action has ever after been a knock on Esau, who failed to recognize the value of his birthright, trading it for a bowl of lentil soup. This event has been used to illustrate how people trade their right to be sons and daughters of the Creator God in order that they might freely enjoy earthly pleasures and ambitions (for a few short years).
Jacob finished his mission as supplanter by conspiring with his mother to receive the elder son’s blessing from his father, Isaac. Now Isaac, by the time of this event, had poor eyesight. Jacob disguised himself to appear to be Esau and, along with the sumptuous meal Isaac had requested, there can be little doubt that the alcohol flowed generously. Isaac was fooled and Jacob received the blessing, becoming the prime inheritor.
All this is to explain Jesus’ joke. Jacob means supplanter and, as can be seen by the story, includes a strong element of him being a deceiver. So Jesus’ play on words becomes something like this: “Here is a true deceiver in whom there is no deceit.” Aside from making a joke, though, Jesus was revealing that he knew Nathaniel to be a scrupulously honest man, something not only unusual in the nation of Israel but among all nations. Nathaniel, obviously intentional about his honesty, was surprised that Jesus could recognize him in this way, especially since they had had no prior dealings. “How do you know me?”
Jesus’ response was that he had seen Nathaniel under a fig tree before Philip had come to him to tell him about Jesus. Nathaniel is astonished a second time: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!” What can we make of these proclamations by Nathaniel? Why would Jesus seeing him sitting under a fig tree be so amazing and convincing to Nathaniel? Isn’t it possible that Jesus had, as a man, literally seen Nathaniel sitting under a fig tree?
Nathaniel didn’t give this question any consideration. Because of this it is reasonable to infer that Nathaniel’s fig tree was in a private place where it would have been difficult for anyone to see him. It is also likely that Nathaniel was in prayer and meditation with God at that time. Nathaniel had been confessing and revealing himself without reservation to God, which explains why Jesus called him an honest man. The additional fact that Jesus saw him in a hidden place was enough to convince Nathaniel that Jesus had intimate, prophetic contact with the God of Israel. Philip had told Nathaniel to see for himself. Nathaniel was convinced quickly and in ways he had not imagined.
Finally, Jesus responds to Nathaniel’s amazement. He says, “What you have experienced today is a trivial proof. I’m telling you you’re going to witness God’s angels descending and ascending between me and heaven.” Well, that would be quite a show…but what does it mean?
Jesus’ remark is clearly a reference to a vision of the same Jacob we discussed above. In The IVP Bible Background Commentary to the Old Testament, we read: “The ladder or stairway that Jacob sees in his dream is the passageway between heaven and earth. The comparable word in Akkadian is used in Mesopotamian mythology to describe what the messenger of the gods uses when he wants to pass from one realm to another. It is this mythological stairway that the Babylonians sought to represent in the architecture of the ziggurats. These had been built to provide a way for the deity to descend to the temple and the town. Jacob’s background would have given him familiarity with this concept, and thus he would conclude that he was in a sacred spot where there was a portal opened between worlds.”
There is no biblical recording of a literal event as described by Jesus to Nathaniel. Because of this it is probably best to understand that Jesus was speaking figuratively. Later in his book John records Jesus saying, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14.6). Jesus claims for himself that he is the bridge between God and humanity. All authority has been given to him. He is the hope for life. He is the Savior.
Jesus said to Nathaniel, “Truly, truly,” you will see this happen. In other words, “I’m telling you this with absolute certainty.” Who can speak with such certainty about the future? Someone delusional, or a prophet from God, or God himself.
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