John 1:43-50 - Religion to Relationship

Closing down chapter 1 of John, we get to Jesus deciding to leave for Galilee. Jesus didn’t want to journey alone. 

“The next day, Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭1:43-44‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Here is where it gets interesting to me...or something really grabbed me this morning. 

“Philip 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.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭1:45-46‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Nathanael said, can anything good come from Nazareth? Here we read Nathanael has a serious prejudice against Nazareth. This is a significant bias against and judgmental spirit against this area. So, as this story plays out, we have to remember that prejudice Nathanael is carrying. In today’s day and age, we can think of the racial tensions we are facing...let your mind go there. Here is Jesus and Nathanael’s first interaction;

“When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”” - ‭‭John‬ ‭1:47‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus looked at him and said, here is a man with no deceit. What? Nathanael is carrying some serious prejudice and biases. Could Jesus here be seeing into his future, maybe this was seeing past his past, and seeing a change of heart? A commentary reference gave me this thought.

Deceit: “This last word is used in early Greek writers as a ‘bait’ (for catching fish). Hence it comes to signify ‘any cunning contrivance for deceiving or catching…It thus has the notion of ‘deceit’ or ‘craft’. It is used in the Bible of Jacob before his change of heart (Genesis 27:35, which is the point of Temple’s translation, ‘an Israelite in whom there is no Jacob!'” (Morris)

This is encouraging that Jesus can look past our junk, biases, and prejudices and see our transformation. Ok, now watch this. 

““How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”” - ‭‭John‬ ‭1:48‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Remember, yesterday I talked about not just reading on the surface of the Scripture, we need to peel the layers back. Here, under the fig tree, there is more. Under the fig tree is a phrase Rabbis used to describe meditation on the Scriptures. So, what might be happening here is Jesus telling Nathanael, when you were studying, meditating, and reading the Scriptures, I was there with you and saw you. 

Ok, ok. This is wild. Nathanael, the one who is a bit racist, prejudice, and carrying a chip against Nazareth, was studying the Scriptures and meditating, and Jesus was with him. There is some comfort in this for me knowing Jesus is with those of us who are not perfect, who are in the process of transformation, still trying to figure it out...even those who are prejudice. Jesus looks at this guy and sees his full transformation, sees his full potential, and sees him with no deceit. Praise God! 

This interaction, this moment with God for Nathanael did it;

“Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”” - ‭‭John‬ ‭1:49‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In a split second, all the racist thoughts, biases carried, prejudices of the past were gone, wiped clean, and the Son of God was Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Can anything good come from there, said Nathanael a few moments earlier - and now the answer is yes, God is from that place. 

This moment with God, this special interaction with the creator of the universe shifted Nathanael’s perspective. Nathanael spent time with God, meditating and studying Scripture, but when he met Jesus when this religion turned personal when it became a relationship, everything changed. We must meet Jesus through a relationship, a personal and communal experience. Here, in this interaction, there was a community of people, and Nathanael’s life was changed. 

I am so encouraged that Jesus was with Nathanael even when he was wrestling with the wrong types of thoughts. Jesus was walking with him and loved him through it all, and when Nathanael moved past a religious interaction with God, and it became a real relationship, that is when some true transformation happened. Yes!!! Jesus, this is what we desire. 

Let me close with how Jesus closed this interaction. Jesus basically said, brotha...you ain't seen nothing yet. 

“Jesus said, “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, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”” - ‭‭John‬ ‭1:50-51‬ ‭NIV‬‬