Post by M.R. Hagerty on Feb 25, 2023 14:20:38 GMT -7
Christ’s Ministry - Year of Favor
John 1:45-51
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 any good thing
come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to 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 and said to 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 and said to him, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you
believe? You will see greater things than these." 51 And He said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will
see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (John 1:45-
51)
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Commentary
John 1:45-47
45 Philip found Nathanael . . . "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth . . Nathanael said to him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"
”of whom Moses . . wrote”
Philip is referring to Deuteronomy 18:15 in which a Prophet is to rise from among God’s people. This came rather early to be understood as Messianic. Philip had concluded in his meeting with Jesus that He fulfilled not only Moses but the other Messianic prophecies as well.
Now this is somewhat difficult because there was a definite political aspect to Messiah that was customarily more emphasized in these times (and a reason for disappointment in the leaders with respect to Jesus as Messiah). Jesus could not have provided indicators in this regard for Philip because He made it clear that He was not fulfilling this aspect. (This will be made clearer when we get to the synagogue in Nazareth where Jesus reads from Isaiah – Luke 4:17ff.) So Philip had to have been especially keen on seeing Messiah fulfilled in the peaceful attributes that marked Israel’s Messiah – proclaiming freedom to captives, healing the lame, etc.)
Matthew 2:23
Philip makes a point of mentioning Nazareth and we see that Nathaniel essentially asks why this could ever be significant. This implies that Philip is stressing it, as in Jesus of Nazareth! When we were discussing Joseph settling in Nazareth after returning from Egypt, Matthew states that this fulfilled what was said – that He would be called a Nazarene.
Search as we might in the OT, we cannot find a statement to this effect applying to Israel’s Messiah. The only reference is that of Isaiah 11:1, ”Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.” Nazareth was named after the idea of an insignificant twig in mind – netzer – and
both Matthew and Philip have picked up on this as being Messianic. Some two thousand years later, we find it hard to see this as the light of understanding suddenly coming on. But to those closer to these prophecies and full-fledged Jews, we must defer to their insight.
Nathaniel’s quip – ”Can anything good come from Nazareth?” – was a byword among the Jews, here a derogatory jibe. It would be said in the mouth of a less informed Jew, compared to Philip, who saw the connection to Messiah.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming . . and said . . "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael said . . "How do You know me?" . . . "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel."
Notice that Jesus does not call Nathaniel a Jew, but an Israelite. This is the more ancient and native term for the people of God. ‘Jew’ is short for a citizen of Judah, meaning the half-nation from the dividing of former Israel into two nations in the OT. After the death of Solomon, ten tribes split into Israel in the N and Judah and Benjamin in the S (called collectively Judah). After the Assyrian captivity, Judah (and Benjamin) remained the only lasting representative of what was once united Israel. They too were judged by Babylon, but returned under Nehemiah. As such they remained the only continuing nation, even in Jesus’ time.
But Jesus prefers to harken back to their true origin. God’s people may now be reduced to Judah, but they are still essentially seen in the Father’s eyes as Israel – the people “governed by God.”
That Nathaniel was without guile means that he was not typical of men in those days who often made their way in the world by adopting a sort of cynical and clever way to secure some measure of living among cheats and connivers. In many ways they had to become such men to survive. To adopt a life not based on deceiving people in order to make your living was notable.
This does not mean that Nathaniel was a well-educated, well-versed Jewish believer, as we saw above in taking up the common phrase about Nazareth.
His acknowledgement of Jesus as King of Israel is based in part on Philip’s testimony but also on something that just happened. He asks how Jesus knows him and Jesus answers that He saw Nathaniel under a tree before Philip brought him.
Now there’s nothing significant about noticing someone under a tree as you’re approaching a particular place. This is not an extraordinary thing to recall. What impressed Nathaniel was not that Jesus saw him earlier, but that He knew that Nathaniel was a man without guile without “knowing” him in the normal sense. You don’t get that by observing a man merely standing under a tree.
Nathaniel puts the pieces together – this and Philip’s testimony – and quickly concludes Jesus is this King. As we said earlier in John 1:1 (“and the Word was God”), the Greek construction shows essence – the Word was the very essence of God. (The noun for ‘king’ is in the predicate position and without the article.) So we have exactly the same Greek construction, hence the technical rendering would be: ”You are the essence of kingship over Israel”, which would be equivalent to calling Jesus the Messiah.
John 1:48-51
Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these." 51 And He said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Jesus then proceeds to give this man and everyone standing around an incredible blessing, perfectly in line with someone coming as the real deal, the genuine Messiah. He comments that knowing Nathaniel from just seeing him under the tree will be paltry compared to what they are yet to see.
”angels ascending and descending.” We are somewhat perplexed here because there is no event where this is seen in Jesus ministry. The baptism was the closest thing and that was now past. The Transfiguration was the next closest, but Nathaniel would not be present, nor would the others, except Peter. So when would Nathaniel and the others addressed see the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man?
This phrase comes from Genesis where Jacob saw this very image in a dream. The object on which the angels moved was a ladder into Heaven. When we begin to entertain the possibility of a connection, we can see Jesus’ words applying to Himself as being the “Ladder” – the only true and permanent Way of access between Heaven and earth, and that His work and ministry would occasion a host of angelic business to and from.
This may seem to some like a stretch, so we might ask what other purpose the vision had for Jacob? What did it actually inform him about?
He was being shown a picture of access between earth and Heaven. He did not understand its meaning clearly at all, did not relate it to any particular event in his life or surroundings, but took it as a gift of revelation, a touch of God given to him, about something pertaining to earth and Heaven. We can see now that Jacob was being given insight - that God was establishing a channel of access between man and God; and the history that would unfold was a long preparation for it. But its ultimate fulfillment (which Jacob could not fully perceive at the time) was Jesus, the Son, coming to earth and finally putting in place the very means for personal access by every man.
As for Nathaniel, the key is ”upon the Son of Man.” As an observer and follower of Jesus, he would see the light of Heaven coming upon Jesus in the form of His power, authority and instruction. Heaven will have been opened for man to perceive directly in the Person of Christ. It is as though Heaven was shining a light and it was focused on Jesus wherever He went.