Many have never even heard of Nathanael. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story or heard a message about Nathanael, outside the six short verses in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. And before things even got going good in Jesus’ ministry, we never even hear about Nathanael again!
But Nathanael is super-awesome. He was one of those rare people who was looking for the Messiah, and recognized him immediately. But, I’m spoiling the story. Here’s a teaser… I’m going to tell you HOW I think Nathanael recognized Jesus so quickly. And you’re going to think Nathanael is super-awesome too!
You probably guessed that Nathanael was Jewish. He lived in Cana, a village west of the Sea of Galilee, and Capernaum, Jesus’ home base.
From what I have learned from Nathanael’s story, I’m going to make some educated guesses, so we can imagine what it was like to be him. Nathanael was a true believer… not just a “religious” man. He walked with the Lord every day, and loved him with all of his heart, mind, soul, and strength. He knew Scripture by heart, and meditated on it all the time. He didn’t memorize Scripture because he was required to. He didn’t do it to impress others. God’s words went straight from the Lord to Nathanael’s heart. To Nathanael, God’s Word was more than just words on a page or some religious exercise. God’s Word spoke life to him. Each word was a lamp to his feet and a light to his path. Walking with the Lord was his delight; it was his greatest joy to spend time with God. The Lord had become more to Nathanael than his God. The Lord was his friend and confidant.
This particular morning, Nathanael sat in his usual spot under the fig tree near his home. This was a very old fig tree with low branches, making it cool and quiet, and very secluded, so he could just enjoy talking with his Heavenly Father. Nathanael’s family knew how important his time alone with God was, so they were careful not to disturb him. He always came back so refreshed, with a huge smile on his face. Many times whistling a happy tune, and sometimes sharing with them some golden nugget of wisdom that God had impressed on his heart.
For the past days Nathanael had been dwelling on these verses from Psalms 32 and 139.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
I will instruct you and teach you
in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Search
me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Nathanael wanted with all of his heart to be one of those blessed ones, who is forgiven, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. He didn’t only want to be saved from hell. He wanted to be saved from himself! Saved from all the deceitful, prideful, sinful, selfish ways out to destroy him. He wanted to be as clean as a whistle, even in the deepest places of his heart, where nobody but God saw. He wanted to be a man after God’s own heart, like the one who wrote those verses. To have truth in his inmost parts, just as the writer had prayed for. Nathanael asked the Lord to search him and help him to be that kind of man. “Do you see me, Lord? Nobody else can see me under this fig tree. Do you see my ways? Do you see deep inside my heart? No one but you can see what is in there. Do you see any deceitful wicked way in me? If you do, remove it so I can walk with a clean conscience in all of your ways. I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I know that any sin in my heart is emptiness and darkness. I want to be a true Israelite, who has no deceit at all. And I sure don’t want to miss the Messiah. I want to walk in truth, so I will recognize him when I see him.
I trust your promise to instruct me and teach me in the way I should go, with your loving eye on me. Oh, how I long for the day in heaven when I will see you face-to-face. Until then, keep watch over me every minute, so I will be safe and walk in your ways faithfully.
Before Nathanael knew it, it was time to leave the fig tree, and get to his daily work. But he knew the Lord was working right beside him. It made Nathanael so happy to be forgiven and to have a clear conscience. He experienced joy and peace that many can’t even imagine.
What Nathanael didn’t know was that on that very day, something remarkable had happened that would change his life forever! You see, when Nathanael went to hear John the Baptist, he had become close friends with a man named Philip. On this very day, Philip was in Bethany listening to John the Baptist, and John had identified Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Chosen One, whose sandals he was not worthy to untie. And Jesus had asked Philip to be one of his disciples! Philip had made his heart ready for the Messiah, just as John the Baptist had instructed. So he jumped at the opportunity to be on Jesus’ team!
Whenever Jesus told someone to follow him, they always just dropped whatever they were doing, and followed. Jesus wasn’t even well known at this point. He hadn’t even done his first miracle yet. But Philip was already convinced and ready to go! Of course, he had John the Baptist’s testimony. And, two of his hometown buddies, Andrew and Peter, were already Jesus’ disciples. But there was something more that caused these men to drop everything, and follow Jesus everywhere he went for three years. What was it? Well, the story about Nathanael gives us some insight.
Here’s what happened. Philip was on his way back toward Galilee with Jesus and the disciples. Philip must have told Jesus he just had to take a detour to Cana, to tell his buddy Nathanael the good news! Of course, Jesus thought that was a great idea. Why hadn’t he thought of that?! So Philip raced off to Cana as fast as his legs could carry him. As Philip arrived at Nathanael’s place, he was calling out, “Nathanael! Nathanael!” Nathanael wondered, “What in the world is up with Philip?” He came running to see. Philip was so excited, the words poured out of him, “We’ve found the one that Moses and the prophets talked about! His name is Jesus! He’s from Nazareth. And he wants me to follow him! Me! I’m going to be a disciple for the Messiah!” Philip added that Jesus was the son of Joseph. (Isn’t it funny how everybody wants to know “Who’s your daddy?” I know, I know… everybody was expecting the Messiah to come from King David’s family, and Nathanael would want authentication that Jesus in fact was from King David’s family. But did Philip actually expect Nathanael to know of Joseph? Maybe so. King David likely had hundreds of grandsons, so keeping up with them all would have taken a lot of papyrus! Anyway… back to the story.)
Nathanael knew another prophecy about the Messiah - the one that said the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, so he was a little confused, asking Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Sounds like Nathanael was a bit skeptical, but Philip was very convincing and enthusiastic, telling Nathanael to come and see for himself. So he did. I wonder if Nathanael really thought this could be the Messiah, or if he was mainly trying to make sure his buddy Philip didn’t get taken in by a deceiver!
Philip and Nathanael were just approaching Jesus, when Jesus smiled and stretched out his arm to welcome Nathanael, as he told the other disciples, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Nathanael was completely taken back. That’s what he had just been praying about! He asked, “How do you know me?”
“I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you,” Jesus replied, knowingly. He could have added, “Of course”. Now Nathanael was in complete shock. I can just imagine Nathanael looking into Jesus’ eyes with his mouth wide open, realizing Jesus was the very one he always talked with under the fig tree! Nathanael didn’t need any more convincing. He declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel!”
“I saw you.”
That was all Nathanael needed to hear. Jesus was answering, in person, the very prayer he had prayed just a few hours earlier! “Lord, do you see me?” Jesus’ answer was yes, I see you. I have my loving eye on you all the time.
Nathanael knew immediately, that this was his dearest friend! Jesus was the God he always talked to, the God he loved with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength. The one he had just told how he longed to see him face-to-face, and now he was actually seeing him face-to-face!
Jesus not only saw him, he also heard his prayer. Nathanael had asked him to search inside his heart and to remove any deceit, and now Jesus was telling him, “I saw you. I have searched you. And I am saying that you are an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Nathanael was overwhelmed. His greatest desire was to do what pleased his Lord! And now he was hearing from Jesus’ very lips, that he was proud of him. Nathanael was flabbergasted. From the depths of his heart he cried out, “You are the Son of God! You are my king!” I’m so happy for Nathanael! He got to hear what we all long to hear, and will one day hear from Jesus, as we remain steadfast, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” And one day, we will see our most faithful friend, face-to-face! But Nathanael didn’t have to wait one second longer. His faith was made sight on this earth. Hurray for Nathanael!
Of course, I wasn’t there to interview Nathanael, and I don’t know that this is exactly how it happened, but I just can’t imagine any other explanation. Jesus had obviously seen Nathanael under the fig tree. With that, Nathanael immediately recognized Jesus as the Son of God. The connection was undeniable.
Can you just see Philip standing there with a huge grin on his face? See, I told ya so! Nathanael looked at Jesus… then looked at Philip… then back at Jesus. These men had asked God to help them recognize the Messiah when they saw him, and that prayer was answered big-time! It was not merely an academic recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. It was a personal recognition of Jesus as their friend and their Lord, from getting to know him through his Word and prayer. Beautiful!
Of course, Jesus knew that when he said, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit,” and “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you,” that he would knock Nathanael’s socks right off. Jesus loves to do that. He loves to surprise us with little whispers of his love. Many times he takes us completely off guard. We’re reading along in the Word, or meditating on a verse, when out of the clear blue, he will impress something to us so powerfully that we are completely overwhelmed. Oh… Wow, Lord. Thank You for seeing me. Thank You for talking to me. Thank You for loving me in a very real… and a very personal way.
Remember the hymn, “He Lives!”? I sang that song for years, belting out the chorus, “You ask me how I know he lives, he LIVES WITHIN my heart.” All of a sudden, when I came to know the Lord personally, that song knocked my socks right off! I know he lives because HE LIVES WITHIN MY HEART!! I might not necessarily be able to “convince” someone why Jesus lives from a historical, a prophetical, and an archaeological standpoint. This knowledge surpasses intellectual knowledge of merely knowing about him, to knowing him personally, in a very real relationship. I know he lives, because he lives within my heart. He lives with me. All the time. That’s what happened to Nathanael. He recognized Jesus as the Son of God, because he already knew the Son of God, personally.
Isn’t Jesus funny? He was acting like he was just having a typical conversion, but you know Jesus was just waiting to see Nathanael’s reaction. He knew Nathanael would be in shock! He knew that Nathanael would be so surprised to see him face-to-face!
As if that wasn’t enough, Jesus had even more exciting news for his friend. “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, youwill see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
What Jesus was telling Nathanael was something like this: “When I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, that was only a little taste of my power that I revealed. If that blew you away, just wait and see, my friend! You ain’t seen nothing yet! It is going to be awesome! Very soon, you and Philip and the other disciples will be eye-witnesses as I do amazing miracles. It will be like heaven coming down to earth, and you’ll get to experience a bit of heaven for yourself! So get ready, Nathanael. This is only the beginning. Buckle your seatbelt tight! If you were knocked out by knowing that I saw you and heard you, even when I was miles away, your heart might not be able to take it when you see me reveal my power and glory, with my angels!” I’m sure the disciples looked at each other and at Jesus, ecstatic to be at the threshold of the greatest adventure of all time. Living day-to-day with the Messiah as he fulfilled his mission!
Nathanael was beside himself with joy. Jesus asked him to be on his team too! He not only was getting to see the Messiah face-to-face, he was getting to be one of his disciples! I’m sure he thought to himself, “Of all times, I get to live during the time of the Messiah’s coming! Of all the people in Israel, I get to be one of his disciples!” You know Nathanael went on and on, thanking Philip for hiking all that way to Cana to tell him about Jesus! Can’t you just see these two guys, shaking their heads at how blessed they were?
There was a lot to get ready, so the disciples likely all went home to pack their bags for the most excellent adventure! Nathanael’s feet barely touched the ground as he sped back to Cana to tell his family the wonderful news, and get ready to go with Jesus. I wish I could have heard his conversation with his family. He probably gushed just like Philip had, and told them how Jesus had seen him under the fig tree, and said he was an Israelite with no deceit, and how Jesus was always with them… for real! They probably asked him to slow down and tell them the whole story again from the beginning, very slowly. After they took in the impact of what was happening, that the Messiah had come, and that Nathanael was getting to be one of his disciples, I’m sure they were beside themselves with joy, just as Nathanael was. He told them he didn’t know exactly when he would be back, but Jesus had promised him that his family would be safe and provided for. Nathanael was confident that the Lord, who saw him under the fig tree, would have his loving eye on his family the whole time.
Nathanael kissed his loved ones goodbye and headed to Capernaum to join the group. The men visited, getting to know each other a bit, sharing eager anticipation for what lay ahead. After some preparation, Jesus told them all, “Let’s go! We’re headed to Cana to celebrate a wedding!” And off they went. I bet Nathanael’s family was surprised to see him back in Cana so soon! Surely they all went to the wedding, and experienced Jesus’ first miracle, turning the water into wine. I think Nathanael realized they weren’t only celebrating the wedding in Cana. They were celebrating the greatest wedding ever… marrying the eternal King of Israel, Jesus, to his eternal bride… us! Now that’s a marriage made in heaven!
And do you think lots of wine makes for a great party? Ha! Jesus can top that! One of his names is “The New Wine”. He brings more joy and laughter than wine ever could! And there’s no hangover!
You have given me greater joy
than
those who have abundant new wine.
(Psalm 4:7)
As Nathanael followed, Jesus turned ordinary days into extraordinary days, filled with joy and laughter everywhere they went! Each day Nathanael and Philip marveled at Jesus’ miracles, and the great lessons he taught. They saw his tender compassion for each person, as lives were restored right before their very eyes. They witnessed his patient strength as he reached out even to those who opposed him. But they marveled most of all as they watched his love and devotion for his heavenly Father.
At the end of each long day, they all rested around a campfire, or in someone’s home. Jesus would answer their questions, and they would share with each other about the amazing things they had seen and heard. And then Jesus would spend time with each one, blessing them individually, encouraging them to keep up the good work. Nathanael treasured these moments most of all, because it was just like old times under the fig tree, only better. Nathanael could ask Jesus anything, and get the answer straight from his lips. Sometimes though, Jesus told Nathanael there were things that were not for him to know, but to patiently wait for. Nathanael learned that even with the Son of God physically right by his side, he still had to walk by faith. After everyone was settled in for the evening, Jesus would slip away to a quiet place to spend time with his Heavenly Father.
Jesus and Nathanael still visited under the fig tree, so to speak…
Nathanael, it means so much to me for you to be on my team. Your heart is good soil for my words to grow in. My words, treasured in your heart, will keep you safe, walking in my ways. It is wise for you to be so watchful and to pray, because you know how easy it is to slip into deceitful ways. The enemy is always lurking about, seeking someone to devour. But I promise I will deliver you from the evil one. I am stronger than he is, and I will protect you. I have made many more promises to you, and I will keep each one. I will lead you in the everlasting way, and guide you with my loving eye on you. I began the good work in you and I will be faithful to complete it. I will never leave you or forsake you. I will guard your coming and your going from this time and forever. Just stay close to me. I am your shield and your protector.
As close as we were all those years when you met me under the fig tree, we’ve grown even closer over these past few years. You’ve seen angels ascending and descending on me, just as I told you, with countless wonders, as I brought a bit of heaven down to earth.
Yes, you’ve seen some amazing wonders, but there’s even more! You can’t even imagine it, but the best is yet to come. Keep your seatbelt buckled tight and I will show you joy inexpressible and full of glory, both now and in eternity!
I love you, Nathanael.
JESUS