Monday 30 September 2013

Background

Things happen quickly at the beginning of John's Gospel. After the dramaticprologue (verses 1-14) we are fastforwarded into the story of Johnthe Baptist (verses 19-28) and John's baptism of Jesus (verses29-36). Jesus calls Andrew and Simon Peter to follow him (verses37-42) and the next day Jesus tells Philip to follow him too (verse43). Philip goes to his friend Nathanael to tell him that he hasfound the Messiah - Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael thinks it unlikelythat anything good could come from Nazareth, but Philip tells himto come and see (verses 45-46).

And this is where the passage for today begins.

Jesus seems to have a miraculous knowledge of Nathanael,announcing before they have even met that he is a true and honestIsraelite. Nathanael is puzzled by this and asks how Jesus knowshim. Jesus tells him that he saw him under the fig tree withPhilip. This doesn't seem quite to answer the question, but it isenough for Nathanael. He seems to have gained a miraculousknowledge of his own and proclaims Jesus the son of God and king ofIsrael. Jesus jokes with him that if he thinks that just becauseJesus saw him under a tree, he will see better things than that. Inparticular, Jesus promises him a vision of heaven opened withangels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

Any Jewish reader of this story would think immediately of the OldTestament story of Jacob and his dream of a ladder reaching fromearth to heaven (Genesis 28:10-15), with angels coming up anddown it. In the dream God promises Jacob that he will make a greatnation of him and will look after him wherever he goes.

With Nathanael's grand statement of who Jesus is, and then thereference to the vision of angels, the Gospel writer John seems towant to leave us in no doubt of the importance of this manJesus.

To Ponder

• Have you come across examples of Jesus joking before? To whatextent does this fit with your picture of him?

• Verse 49 gives us Nathanael's verdict on Jesus. What'syours?

• Verse 47 tells us what Jesus said about Nathanael. What wouldJesus say about you?