John 1:47-51 - Lesson #13

When Philip was called by Jesus, he knew he was called by one worth following. Philip believed Jesus was the One promised in the law and by the prophets, and he couldn't wait to go tell Nathanael; "We have found Him..." (John 1:45).

Philip had just made an outrageous claim. The One written about in the law and prophets was to be the Messiah - the Savior, Redeemer of Israel - the One people longed to see for hundreds of years. There must have been urgency, sincerity and conviction in Philip's tone that day; he must have had a history of honesty and compassion. For although Nathanael was understandably skeptical, he followed when Philip said "Come and see" (John 1:46).

John 1:47-51
"Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!' 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.' Nathanael answered and said to Him, 'Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Because I said to you, "I saw you under the fig tree," do you believe? You will see greater things than these.' And He said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.'"

When Jesus saw Nathanael, He greeted him with much more than a polite complement - He identified Nathanael as an Israelite without deceit. With this one simple statement, Jesus told Nathanael He saw directly into his heart: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind" (Jeremiah 17:9-10). Jesus saw into Nathanael's heart and saw purity - someone who was earnestly seeking truth.

Nathanael KNEW Jesus was looking into his heart. He WAS seeking the truth; he was trying to live pure and without deceit. Nathanael knew this was One who could truly see; "the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). When Jesus stated He could also see Nathanael's physical location, Nathanael knew He was the Son of God.

Do we really understand that God is looking deep within our heart? We seem to spend a great deal of time on the outward appearance of religion and far too little on the heartfelt desire for a relationship with God. If we want to see heaven open with access to the Father, then we must understand that communion comes only through Jesus; and it is only given by grace to those who come with a heart willing to be exposed, examined, and then cleansed. Let's place our full trust in Him today! He truly sees ALL - and yet He loves enough to wipe it all clean, if we will simply come and believe.