43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 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.”
Observations
We don’t know a lot about Philip. I details about Philip. We know that he came from Bethsaida, as did Andrew and Peter. When we read about the feeding of the five thousand (John 6), it appears as if Philip may have been in charge of food or supplies for the disciples. He seems to be a very practical, down to earth, black and white kind of man.
Regarding Nathanael, he is from Cana in Galilee (John 21:2) and is mentioned alongside Philip frequently, as a “friend of Philip” in the gospel of John. The other gospels refer to him as Bartholomew. Nathanael is also one of the disciples to whom Jesus appears to after the resurrection. He is not the same Nathanael mentioned in Acts.
43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 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.”
Men are curious about Jesus and they begin to follow Him. So far, the men who are following Jesus are Andrew, John, Peter, Philip, and now Nathanael. Philip tells his friend Nathanael about Jesus and they go to Jesus to investigate. They believe that Jesus is the Prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15. Keep in mind that the Jews knew the Old Testament quite well and were always watching for the Messiah. In fact, the birth of a baby boy always brought great joy and celebration, for there was always the chance that he could be the Messiah. However, the birth of a girl was not a joyous occasion, indicative of their constant, vigilant thoughts of a coming Messiah.
Nazareth was a very small, inconspicuous town. While it is possible that towns may have had rivalry between them, it is more probable that Nazareth was looked down upon because a Roman garrison planted there.
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.”
When Jesus calls Nathanael “an Israelite in whom there is no deceit”, we can reasonably assume that Nathanael’s thoughts, prayers or actions while under the fig tree were of high regard either morally and/or spiritually. Nathanael is amazed that Jesus knew his thoughts. Jesus’ omniscience convinces Nathanael that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.
Application Point
It would serve us quite well to remember that Jesus knows our deepest thoughts and actions. This can either comfort us or cause us fear. If we truly understand that faith alone in Jesus’s death and resurrection brings us into a relationship with God, then our response should be relief and gratitude. However, if your first reaction to Jesus’ omniscience is fear, you may be operating on a works mentality. If you have been born again, Jesus does not look on you with disdain, but showers you with forgiveness, love, and mercy. Confession should be a continued practice, not because you fear, but because you love God and desire a close relationship with Him.
One realization of God is this: God is a God of justice, however it would be unjust for God to punish us when Jesus already took the punishment of the whole world upon Himself at the cross. If we believers, we do not have to fear punishment any longer. When bad things happen to us, they may be God’s discipline meant for our good, or it is simply a byproduct of a sinful world, due to the entrance of sin into the world during the fall. But at the very least, we know that whatever happens to us passes through God’s fingers first, and that we are not being punished by God.
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.” Jesus responds to Nathanael ’s statement of faith with a prophecy that Nathanael will see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. What does this mean reference to Jacob’s ladder in Genesis 28 mean? Instead of the ladder connecting earth and heaven, it will be Jesus, God in the flesh, that is the final connection between God and mankind.