John 1:43-51; Genesis 28:10-19

January 17, 2021

Gospel                                                                            John 1:43-51

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵ 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.” ⁴⁶ “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. ⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” ⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” ⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” ⁵⁰ Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” ⁵¹ 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.”

Title: The Glory of Jesus Knows Us

I always find it impressive when people remember your name, or things about you, especially if you haven’t told them many times or it’s been awhile. Some people you may have only meet once, and yet they remember. That certainly is a gift I do not have.

But here, Jesus demonstrates something greater. He displays a knowledge of us that was not humanly possible. He displayed His glory to Nathanael by showing Jesus not only knew where Nathanael had been, but Jesus knew his character as well as his thoughts. And further, Jesus promised to continue to demonstrate His glory by letting Nathanael and the disciples get to know Him better as well.

1. Knows Where to Find Us

First, we see that Jesus displays His glory by showing that He knows exactly where we are, and He knows where to find us. At the start of our passage, Jesus was looking for the disciples. In verse 43 it says of Jesus, “finding Philip.” Then, Philip goes to find Nathanael. And it seems that after visiting with Philip, Nathanael went immediately to Jesus. Now Nathanael probably though he was looking for Jesus, but it seems to be the opposite,  for verse 47, “When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching…” shows us that Jesus was looking and waiting for him.

This is a great reminder that we can’t hide from God; He always knows where we are, and He is closer than we think. He is always right at hand, even if we aren’t always aware of His presence.

We see this in the account of Jacob in our Old Testament lesson from Genesis 28:16-17, “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

How true is that for us. For surely the Lord is with us, even when we are not aware of it. The Lord was with Nathanael under the fig tree, even though he was not aware of it. But when God does reveal His glory to us, when we are made aware of His presence, there really are only two responses. We should either try to flee, or we must fall in worship. However, Scripture shows us in Psalm 139:7-8 that trying to run and hide from God is a pointless endeavor, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”

And this truth is a comfort for those who know God as Savior, but it certainly is a terror for those who will only face Him as Judge. For those who try to hide from God will not be successful, for all will one day answer to Him.

However, for those who have come to know God as Savior, this promise is a great comfort. The reality of God’s continual presence should cause us to fall in worship. And that was Nathanael’s reaction. And the testimony he gives is remarkable, for this is right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and yet he was willing to confess, in v. 49, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

1. Knows about Us

But even though Nathanael’s confession was an immediate response to Jesus revealing that He knew that Nathanael had been under the fig tree, the revelation of location came after Jesus revealed insight into his character as well.

For as soon as Nathanael came up to Him, Jesus proclaimed in v. 47, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” This statement is not only a character assessment, but it is also a play on words. For Jesus is making a bigger point here, one that will be seen at the end of our passage. For the word that is used for deceit, comes from the same word as the name Jacob. Now Jacob was later renamed by God, Israel, after Jacob wrestled with God. So Jesus basically says to Nathanael, here is an Israelite (meaning a descendant of Jacob) in whom there is no Jacob (deception). And then, when Nathanael questions how Jesus knew His character, Jesus reveals He also knew His location.

And no doubt, these revelations and their connection to Jacob seemed to impact Nathanael in ways that we are not made aware of. Perhaps, he too, had a dream under the fig tree; maybe he was part of a discussion, or maybe he had been praying to the Lord, a prayer that was answered when Philip found him and he found Jesus. Whatever the case, it was obvious to Nathanael that there was something remarkable about Jesus. He immediately saw His glory.

He witnessed the same glory of God that is expressed at the start of today’s Psalm, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.”

And what makes Nathanael’s confession of faith even more remarkable is the doubt he expressed earlier to Philip, when he exclaimed in verse 46, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael was not one to hide his true feelings, as Jesus said, there is not guile or pretense with him, and so when he made his confession of faith, he meant it. And he quickly realized that with Jesus, there was no reason to try – for Jesus truly knew Him.

And that is true for us as well. God knows us perfectly. He knows our all our words and deeds, and He knows our character and innermost thoughts as well. There is no need or possibility to deceive Him. And, again, this quality of God is both a comfort to His people and should be a terror to those who reject Him.

It is a terror because you can’t hide anything from God. In the end, everything will be revealed. No one, no matter how cunning or deceptive they were on earth, will be able to trick God.

But that same trait is a comfort to us. For we know that not only can we not trick God, but we don’t have to. For the promises God makes to us were given with His full knowledge of who were are and what we have done. When you first meet people, you usually don’t tell them everything about yourself, you try to highlight the good and minimize or completely ignore the bad. No one on a first date lists the worst things they’ve done or thought about. And maybe even after years of marriage, there may be things you’d rather not have your spouse know, why? Because we might be afraid that if people, even those who love us the most, knew everything we’ve done, said, or thought about, that they might not accept us anymore. But we don’t have that worry with God. He knows everything, and He still desires that you would come to Him. For He will accept you just as you are; however, He loves you too much to leave you in the same way He found you. For the presence of God will always change us.

III. Makes Him Known to Us

And Jesus promises that to Nathanael as well. For at the end of our passage Jesus says in verses 50-51, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that. Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.’” Jesus promises that what Nathanael has already seen is just the beginning. For Jesus promises to reveal His glory even further.

And again, this is another reference to Jacob. For here, Jesus is saying that if you follow me you will come to see that I am Jacob’s ladder. I AM the bridge between Heaven and Earth. I AM the way, the only way, between humanity and God’s Divine Glory.

For only in Jesus do we see God for who He truly is. There are many who express who they think God is, but Jesus is the only one who could reveal from personal knowledge who the Father God is. For when we look at Jesus, we see the Father; in Jesus alone is the heart of the Father demonstrated. For in Jesus we see the love of God. A love that is expressed not out of ignorance, but a love that God gives despite having complete knowledge of our own hearts. He knows our doubts, He knows our sin, He knows our weakness, and yet He loves us. He loves us enough to offer His Son up for us, that we might be forgiven through His blood.

So today, God knows exactly where you are – not just your location, but He knows where your heart is as well. And He is right there with you. He also knows your character, your history, and your present troubles, and He loves you all the same. And you never have to worry saying, “I know God says He loves me, but what if He finds out about…” He already knows. And His promises stand.

And faced with the glory of the knowledge of Christ, we have only two options. We can try to run and hide, or we can fall down in worship, confessing, “Jesus, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel, and the King of My life.” Amen.