More on Nathaniel

John 1:45-50

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 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 there is no deceit!" 48 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." 49 Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 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."

More concerning our friend, Nathaniel.

Nathaniel, oh how I identify with him! Cynic that he is, skeptic and someone who’s heard it all before, is Nathaniel. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth, he says? What do I doubt, what do you doubt? What are you cynical about? Can anything good come out of the political landscape today? What about different dynamics of church, and home life? Promises, promises-broken-I’ve heard it all before. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Can Jesus really be for real?

Jesus’ remark here is astounding. He says-“Behold, an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.” Jesus knows Nathaniel’s weakness and his strengths, and they are all summed up in that one statement. At first glance, we might think that Jesus is praising him, which He is, and He is affirming, validating, even his sarcasm, but Jesus also tells him that he saw him under the fig tree-that He saw him, that he knows him. Nathaniel knew then that the Son of God looked right through him, right deep down into his sarcastic, cynical soul, knew him, and loved him. At that point Nathaniel must have seen a mirror pointing at his face-the games he had seen played out all around him, he had played as well. He had hidden. He had not been completely truthful when it came to himself. It is all well and good to be truthful about others sin, but not about his own. Jesus, tongue in cheek, was saying –“Oh, Nathaniel, you are a man who doesn’t think anyone tells the truth anymore-except you. So you think you tell the truth, right out there, say what you mean, but, I saw you, I know you, you are just as deceitful as all the rest. Jesus says He saw Nathaniel hiding, or maybe he was pulling a fast deal under that fig tree. Whatever Nathaniel was doing, hiding or doing something unsavory, Jesus saw Him and He knew him, and He called him to follow Him, in spite of knowing all about him. Amazing!