Nathanael Understands

John 1:43-51

Every person can learn more about Jesus by recognizing the facts Nathanael caught.

Introduction:

Aunt Elsie’s mach apple crisp recipe.

8 c. zucchini, peeled, sliced (sm. pieces)
2/3 c. lemon juice

Cook together until tender, then add:

1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. each, nutmeg and cinnamon

Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Thicken with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Remove from heat and cool.

CRUST:

4 c. flour
1 c. sugar
2 sticks butter

Blend together like crumbly pie crust. Pat 1/2 of this mixture in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Reserve the rest for topping. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool slightly.

Spread zucchini mixture on crust. Sprinkle the other half reserved crust mixture on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake 30 or 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Everyone likes to talk about doubting Thomas, but I think that Nathanael was just about as much of a doubter as Thomas was. The big difference is that Nathanael’s doubt comes at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry rather than at the end like Thomas’ does. In these opening verses Jesus is starting to gather a following. He has Philip, Andrew and Peter. Philip takes the initiative to speak with Nathanael about Jesus. Philip makes some mistakes in his delivery. He mentions that Jesus came from Nazareth.

Nazareth was a town that had a pretty rough reputation. Maybe as you think about Lansing there are parts of Lansing you would rather avoid because they have a bad reputation. Nazareth was one of these places. It was not a place where you would expect something from God. Instead it was the place where people went to hide from God. So when Philip introduces Jesus as coming from Nazareth, Nathanael has his doubts because he knows what kind of a place Nazareth is. It seems like Jesus has some work to do if he is going to use Nathanael for anything positive. When Nathanael meets Jesus there are some facts about Jesus that immediately become evident.

Fact I. Teacher

A. There is a contrast here that could be easily overlooked. In the passage Nathanael is not at all excited about Jesus. Knowing that Jesus is from Nazareth makes him very suspicious of his value of Jesus. It would probably be a stretch to get Nathanael to listen to Jesus. You can imagine how difficult it would be for Nathanael to follow Jesus. As Nathanael is coming, Jesus makes some statements about Nathanael. He says, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." Then he tells Nathanael, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." Through his first statement Jesus points out knowledge of Nathanael. A true Israelite would have been a high compliment. Even though they were in Israel, not everyone was able to be labeled as a true Israelite. This would have likely been like saying Nathanael was a great patriot. Jesus begins by paying Nathanael a high compliment.

B. He follows this statement up by point out, “in whom there is nothing false.” This is not to say that Nathanael had attained the same level of perfection that Jesus had, but that he was a God fearing man. He was a man who was striving to live a pure life. He was a man who could be trusted. It would probably be safe to say that Nathanael’s suspicions about Jesus were valid. He had some valid questions and apparently as he meets Jesus those questions are cared for.

C. As Nathanael questions Jesus about how he knows this information Jesus makes a simple statement that is packed with stuff about Jesus. His statement of sitting under the fig tree assures Nathanael that Jesus has known him long before he was introduced. He also mentions his meeting with Philip. This was a clue to Nathanael that Jesus knows of the objections that Nathanael had raised. He knows what his arguments might have been. While Jesus was a mystery to Nathanael, Nathanael was not a mystery to Jesus. Jesus knew a lot about Nathanael. He demonstrates for Nathanael something Nathanael would have known to be true of God. God is in all places at all times. Even though Nathanael would have been alone under the fig tree and the conversation between Nathanael and Philip had been private, Jesus knew.

D. To this Nathanael responds, Rabbi. For us this probably means very little, but Nathanael has just made a 180 degree turn. He has gone from having serious doubts about Jesus to calling him teacher. The teacher student relationship would have been close. In one place I found it described as almost a slave and a master relationship. It is amazing to consider that Nathanael goes from serious doubts about Jesus, to a willingness to place himself under the authority of Jesus. He was making himself willing to do and be whatever Jesus wanted him to be.

E. For the next three years Nathanael and the other disciples would spend all of their time with Jesus. They would eat with him, they would talk with him, and they would listen to him. They would see how Jesus acted in any and every situation. This is the type of commitment that Nathanael was making as he calls Jesus Rabbi.

F. Nathanael made a huge commitment to Christ through his statement “Rabbi”. Probably most people here today have made some commitment to Christ, but I would guess none that is as great as the commitment that Nathanael and the other disciples had made. I would consider this to be a challenge to our level of commitment to Jesus Christ. We might not be able to walk with Christ like Nathanael did, but we can commit to getting to know Christ better through the Bible. We can commit to acting more like Christ. We can commit to telling other about Christ and what he has done in our lives.

Fact II. Son of God

A. In just a few verses Nathanael goes from asking the question, can anything good come from Nazareth, to “you are the son of God.” This was an aha moment for Nathanael and it was a theological truth for the rest of us. From the information he receives from Jesus he realizes that Jesus really is the Messiah or the Christ. It was clearly a moment when he realized the person he was meeting was much more than he had anticipated.

B. The theological truth is that Jesus is the Son of God. When Nathanael said this he was not indicating that Jesus had been created by God. He was not making a connection with God like a Christian is connected with God. It was an indication that Jesus and God are intimately connected. It is like we teach; Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus knew of this private conversation and he knew of Nathanael’s attitude toward him. He realizes that Jesus is more than a man. He realizes that Jesus has not been created by God nor has he been adopted by God. He really is starting to see that Jesus is God in the flesh. He understands who Jesus really is.

C. More and more I have been seeing that people are making Jesus into something that is comfortable to them. As a consequence the things about Jesus that make people feel uncomfortable they either ignore or they justify. Consequently there are many people running around today who do not have a correct understanding of Jesus Christ because they are not willing to accept the things about him that make them uncomfortable. I would challenge you to read through the Gospels again and when you do, read it trying to put out of your mind any preconceived notions about Jesus. See if you can learn something new, or maybe realize something about Jesus you never knew before.

Fact III. King of Israel

A. Even though Jesus did not sit on a throne while he was on the earth. He did not wear a crown while he was here. He did not have royal robes while he was here. The genealogy at the beginning of Matthew tells us that Jesus was a candidate to become the King of Israel. He was of the line of David. He had the right to claim that throne. The reign of Jesus as we know was not the physical kind of reign that kings commonly have. His reign was a spiritual reign. This statement might have been a realization that Jesus reign was much more than the physical reign of a king.

B. Nathanael’s use of this phrase, “you are the King of Israel." Might be another indication that Nathanael was willing to put himself under the authority of this man. A king was a man who was invested with authority. It would not typically be a person’s decision to abide or not abide by that person’s authority, because of Jesus’ unique reign there was a decision to abide by that authority. Nathanael was indicating his desire to abide by the authority which had been placed on Jesus.

C. I wonder how many people there are in the world who have accepted Jesus Christ as a means of fire insurance. They have become Christians because they don’t want to go to hell. They want the benefits of being a Christian, but they are not willing to live like a Christian. To live like a Christian we need to be willing to allow ourselves to come under the authority of Jesus Christ. Jesus is not a ruthless dictator. He is not going to force us to abide by his rules. Instead he will welcome us if we want to follow him. Are you willing to place yourself more heavily under the authority of Jesus Christ? He has great blessings for you, but he also desires that you would abide by his rules.

Conclusion:

Nathanael was a man who really doubted that Jesus could be everything that Philip claimed he was. Nathanael learned that Jesus was someone he could trust in and follow as he became aware of who Jesus really was.

I am more and more convinced that people, even Christians don’t understand who Jesus really is. I would like to challenge you today to make an effort to know Jesus better. For some this might mean you need to accept Jesus as both your savior and your Lord. For some it might mean that you need to spend some time learning about Jesus Christ. It is easy to develop false notions about Him. Get to know who he really is. This can be done by spending time reading and studying your Bible.