Under the Fig Tree
Notes
Transcript
Series: That Ye May Believe
Scripture: John 1:43-51
Subject: Connection
Central Theme: Connecting like Jesus
Objective Statement: Every disciple of Jesus can connect with people like He did by noticing three ways he connected with Philip and Nathanael in John 1:43-51.
Keyword: Ways
Points
Jesus sought people out. (v.43)
Jesus used existing relationships. (v.44-45)
Jesus connected with people where they are. (v.46-51)
Introduction:
Connection:
Tension
Every disciple of Jesus can connect with people like He did by noticing three ways he connected with Philip and Nathanael in John 1:43-51.
Every disciple of Jesus can connect with people like He did by noticing three ways he connected with Philip and Nathanael in John 1:43-51.
1. Jesus sought people out. (v.43)
1. Jesus sought people out. (v.43)
43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
I want you to notice a word in verse 43. It’s the word translated “go forth”.
In the great commission, Jesus tells his disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. He tells them to Go and teach all nations- make disciples of all nations.
At the beginning of his ministry here, he is doing exactly that. He goes.
I know this is very basic, but it says he goes forth into Galilee, and then he finds.
Interestingly as he went to Galilee he "findeth Philip".
Notice the term that he used with Philip.
"Follow me".- ακολουθει, from the root ἀκολουθέω (akoloutheō) which means what is translated, "follow me".
Strongs concordence says that this term is closely related to keleuthos (a road); Most literally it would be like saying "come down this road with me".
Or, Follow me down the road I'm going.
But like so many words that take on a culture and a context, this word was regularly used by a rabbi to a disciple as acceptance into the rabbi and disciple relationship.
It would be akin to an acceptance letter into college today. "I'll let you follow me, because you are worthy of being my disciple".
This was they typical way it was used by most rabbis.Jesus here is different. As he was going, he finds Philip and calls him to be his disciple.
This was more like an acceptance letter than it was a momentary invitation.
He was calling Philip to go where he went, hear what he said, learn what he knows, and become like him. He was calling him to become his apprentice.
Apply
Apply
While most rabbis were calling the qualified, Jesus' mode was to train those he called to follow him. He qualified the called. What an incredible privilege it is to be called to discipleship.
What an incredible responsibility it is to follow Jesus in making disciples.
To connect with people, you have to do like Jesus did. You have to seek them out.
2. Jesus used existing relationships. (v.44-46).
2. Jesus used existing relationships. (v.44-46).
44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Notice something here about geography and relationships
Jesus had already impacted Andrew and Peter. Now he was calling Philip as a disciple.
This new way of getting disciples was interesting to Philip. The Messiah had arrived and he was doing things differently. No doubt Philip knew Andrew and Peter which explains the next verse.
v.45 - Sharing their discovery
45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
Philip is already imitating Jesus in that he "findeth Nathanael".
Notice the pronoun "we": "We have found him". Who is the we? I believe it was likely Philip, Andrew and Peter.
Who is it that you have found?
The messiah was written of in the books of Moses and the prophets.
This would have been an expression of all of the scriptures then written.
Moses wrote the first five books, and the prophets wrote the rest.
Where did Moses write about the Messiah? Insert Deuteronomy 18:15-19.
Where did the prophets write about the Messiah? Psalm 22. Isaiah 53. Many more places speak of this Messiah who would come.
v.46 - A cynical response
46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
Nathanael's response reveals his doubt that anything of this worldwide, historic, prophetic importance could come from Nazareth.
Instead of arguing, Philip simply replies, "Come and see."
Apply
Apply
Relationships are key in evangelism and discipleship.
All of these people - John the Baptist, Andrew, Peter, John, Philip, Nathanael, and even Jesus himself are interacting not only on the basis of the person of Christ, but on the relationships they had with each other.
Jesus Christ sells himself.
What do I mean? Yes we proclaim Christ, and of course we "prepare to give an answer to every man that asketh...". Yes we want to grow in our boldness and our ability to articulate. But in the sum of it all, Jesus Christ Himself can be experienced through the power of the Word of God, and through the convicting, regenerating, sealing, indwelling, and illuminating work of the Holy Spirit.
Philip's answer to Nathanael before he had much training at all was enough. "Come and see." Jesus did the rest.
3. Jesus connects with people where they are. (v.47-49)
3. Jesus connects with people where they are. (v.47-49)
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
There are two interesting phrases in this text that may be true, but in some ways are conjecture. I know what the text says happens here and I affirm it and believe it.
Yet these conjectures make sense to me based on Old Testament texts.
First, I want to note what Jesus called Nathan, "an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"
The first person named Israel was originally named Jacob, which means supplanted or deceiver.
Guile is deceit.
Jesus says that Nathanael is a genuine person.
Now we know that Jesus does not think that Nathanael is perfect, and this expression does not go that far to say that he is.
What is Jesus trying to do? He is connecting to Nathanael where he was.
Nathanael is perplexed at the expression. How do you know me? Jesus's answer is interesting.
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
The second phrase about being "under a fig tree" is interesting.
In Jewish tradition, particularly in rabbinic literature including the Talmud, sitting “under a fig tree” (or “under one’s vine and fig tree”) has special significance.
The phrase appears in the Old Testament where it describes a state of peace, security, and prosperity - essentially the ideal life where each person can sit peacefully under their own vine and fig tree without fear.
In rabbinic tradition, this image took on an additional meaning: studying Torah. The fig tree became associated with Torah study because:
Just as a fig tree yields fruit continuously over a long season (rather than all at once), Torah study is ongoing and yields insights over time
The shade of the fig tree provided an ideal, peaceful place for contemplation and learning
So when you encounter references to someone sitting “under a fig tree” in Jewish texts, it often carries this double meaning - both literal rest/prosperity and the devoted study of Torah.
But the phrase wasn't just general. It had a very specific messianic connotation.
The key passage is Micah 4:1-4, which is explicitly messianic in nature.
1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, That the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, And it shall be exalted above the hills; And people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, And to the house of the God of Jacob; And he will teach us of his ways, And we will walk in his paths: For the law shall go forth of Zion, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 3 And he shall judge among many people, And rebuke strong nations afar off; And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruninghooks: Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more. 4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; And none shall make them afraid: For the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.
This passage describes the end of days when:
The mountain of the Lord’s house will be established
Nations will stream to it to learn God’s ways
God will judge between nations and they’ll beat swords into plowshares
4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.” (Micah 4:4)
This imagery of sitting under one’s vine and fig tree became a standard prophetic symbol for the messianic age - a time of universal peace, security, and the reign of God’s justice.
The similar passage in Zechariah 3:10 reinforces this:
10 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, Shall ye call every man his neighbour Under the vine and under the fig tree.
Again in a context about the coming messianic era. So in Jewish messianic expectation, the fig tree imagery represented:
The cessation of war and threat
Economic security and prosperity for all
The peaceful study of Torah
The fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel
This makes the New Testament reference to Nathanael “under the fig tree” even more intriguing if this is in Jesus' thinking when he made this statement to Nathanael.
It could suggest not just that he was studying Torah, but that he was perhaps contemplating or longing for the messianic age.
Jacob (later named Israel, whose name meant deceiver, or one with guile) had a vision of a ladder going to and from heaven.
Perhaps Nathanael had visions of a coming Messiah while he was literally "under the fig tree", and when Philip brought him with the claim that he had found the Messiah, Christ used that experience to connect to Nathan to his own real Messianic reality.
Whatever the case, it worked. Look at Nathanael's response.
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
Nathanael went form cynical to believing pretty quickly. Jesus met him where he was, and proved Himself to Nathanael. How cool is that?
Look at Jesus’ response!
50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
Jesus connected with Nathanael in a prophetic, personal, and powerful way, and Nathanael believed.
Jesus prophesies again saying that Nathanael would see greater things than the supernatural display of his knowledge that he had just experienced.
Although we are just about to finish chapter 1 of John, we know this to be true.
Nathanael would see Jesus do some incredible things.Nathanael is only referened by name in John 1 and in John 21.
In John 21, Peter goes fishing and Nathanael and some other disciples go with him. They fish all night and catch nothing. Then Jesus comes. He tells them to cast their niets on the other side, and when they do they drew a multitude of fishes. It's at this point that they realized it was Jesus, and Nathanael along with other disciples had breakfast cooked by the resurrected Christ.
Would Nathanael see greater things than these? You better believe it!
Jesus says this next:
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Do you remember Jesus' greeting of Nathanael in verse 47?
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
As I said earlier in the sermon, there is a connection between what Jesus says in the greeting, and the person of Jacob.
The name Jacob means supplanter or deceiver. Jacob's name was changed to Israel.
So when Jesus says that Nathanael is an Israelite in whom is no guile, it may indicate that he is like Jacob without the deceit.
In Genesis 28, Jacob had a dream. Let's read about it.
12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
This was a repitition of the Abrahamic Covenant that was given to Jacob. It included the promise of a land, a nation, and blessing.
Notice the last part of the promise. "And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”
What is in addition to the Abrahamic Covenant repeated and promised to the deceiver Jacob in this dream is that there is a ladder that bridges heaven and earth. There are angels ascending and descending on this ladder.
So when he is greeted, Nathanael is likened to Jacob, yet without guile.
In the middle part of the interaction, Jesus refers to something that Nathanael experienced "under the fig tree", which has at least reference to the Messianic promises in the Old Testament.
Now at the end Jesus refers to himself as "the Son of Man", a messianic title, that is himself the ladder which bridges heaven and earth.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
This ladder is referenced in regard to the Abrahamic covenant that says that all the families of the earth would be blessed through the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Jesus tells Nathanael that the greater work he would see is the Son of Man bridging heaven and earth.
When did that happen? It happened through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the ladder which bridges heaven and earth. Jesus is the seed of Abraham that blesses all of the families of the earth. Jesus is the one who will ultimately give this nation and this people the fulfillment of all of these promises.
Conclusion
My pastor friend, Bob Butler, has influenced my thinking on this passage. He made a statement that stuck with me about Jesus.
Every person that Jesus ever met had offended him.
Every person that Jesus ever met had offended him.
Jesus never stopped being God. He was, is, and ever will be God. Jesus was born with no sin nature, and never sinned himself.
Every sin that has ever been committed was a sin first and foremost against God.
This means that Jesus lived among sinners.
This means that Nathanael had offended Jesus. He was cynical before he even met him.
Yet this is not where Jesus started with him.
Jesus was called "a friend of sinners." I am so grateful for that.
He came to seek and to save that which was lost.
Jesus starts with Nathanael where he was to bring him where he needed to be.
We ought to be like Jesus in that way.
We should not start with people where we would argue.
We don't start with people where there will be offense.
We certainly have to get there, to call out sin.
Yet loving people and connecting with people where they are is the pattern that Jesus displays for us here.
People respond to love. Don't ever forget that.
Every disciple of Jesus can connect with people like He did by noticing three ways he connected with Philip and Nathanael in John 1:43-51.
Every disciple of Jesus can connect with people like He did by noticing three ways he connected with Philip and Nathanael in John 1:43-51.
Jesus sought people out. We have to go.
Jesus worked through relationships. We try to build bridges of relationship wherever we can.
Jesus connected with people where they were. He didn’t start with where they would disagree. He worked with Nathanael where he was.
