We are finishing up the first chapter of John today. We looked at a part of this passage two weeks ago, but I want us to focus in on Nathanael and the promise Jesus gives to him, to the disciples as a whole and also to us; the promise of an open heaven.
Let’s begin by looking at –
The story of Nathanael
You will remember that in the verses just before this, Jesus is gathering together his first disciples. Jesus found Philip and then v. 45 says, 45Philip 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.” The phrase, “him of whom Moses . . . and the prophets wrote” is a way of taking about the Messiah, whom Philip identifies as “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” If we ask, “Why the disparaging remark, Nathanael?” it’s not clear. Nazareth was small, but so was Cana where Nathaniel is from (21:2). Perhaps Nathanael means that the Messiah is not supposed to come from a place like Nazareth, in Galilee of all places.
As we saw before, Philip doesn’t engage with Nathaniel’s argument. He is invitational. He simply says, “come and see.” Because meeting Jesus is what it’s all about, not debating.
47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Jesus is alluding to Genesis 27:30-36 in his statement here. It tells the story of how Jacob, or “Israel,” his other name, stole his brother Esau’s blessing.
You remember the story, he dressed up like Esau and made sure he smelled like him and fooled his father into giving the family blessing to him, instead of his brother, who was the firstborn. And when Isaac found out he wasn’t happy at all. He said to Esau in v. 35, “your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” (The word for deceit in the Greek O.T. version of Genesis is the same word that is used in John.)
So Jacob/Israel was known for the character trait of deceit (also v. 36). And not just because of this situation. But Jesus is saying, Nathaniel is an Israelite (a descendant of Jacob) “in whom there is no deceit.” He is an Israelite indeed, because he doesn’t have this negative character trait of his distant father Jacob/Israel. He is a person of integrity.
Well, this is quite a compliment from Jesus. But it startles Nathanael for another reason. 48Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael is shocked. How do you know who I am? How do you know what I’m like? We have a miracle here. Apparently Jesus saw him in a vision and he saw into his heart; what his character was like. (As Harold Metz pointed out in the John class, a fig tree often represents Israel in the Old Testament. So this further identifies him as an Israelite.)
Here’s an interesting point. Since Jesus saw and knew Nathanael, did he also hear his negative comments about Nazareth, his hometown? Maybe so. And maybe Jesus is smiling when he says, “I saw you under the fig tree.”
49Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
Nathanael acknowledges the miracle and comes to agree with Philipp. Jesus is the Messiah. “Son of God” and “King of Israel” are both messianic titles.
Jesus responds to this with a measure of surprise. If such a little thing like seeing you in a vision and knowing what is in your heart causes you to believe that I am the Messiah, how will you respond when you see all that you are about to see? Much “greater things” are coming than what you have just seen.
51And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you all will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Jesus makes a promise here. And it not just to Nathanael, it is to all of his disciples here. The “you” is plural so I have translated it, “you all.” And Jesus gives this promise in the most solemn way with the words, “truly, truly.” He is saying, “this is for sure.”
To understand the promise here we have to see that once again, Jesus is alluding to a passage about Jacob from Genesis 28:10-17, the next chapter over from the last allusion. This is the story Jacob’s ladder. Because of Jacob’s deceit Esau determined to kill him. So he had to flee to Haran. On his way he had a dream.
Let’s look at the parallels between this dream and Jesus’ words:
1. Jacob saw something in a dream. Jesus said to the disciples, “You will see.” This connects not only Nathanael as an Israelite, but all the disciples as Israelites. They are all like Jacob/Israel. They are the remnant of Israel, gathered by John the Baptist for the Messiah. They are the new Israel. And like Jacob they will see something.
2. Jacob saw a ladder or a staircase, reaching up into heaven from the earth. In v. 51, the Son of Man is the ladder, a reference to Jesus. (The Son of Man is the heavenly figure of Daniel 7:13-14.) He is the link between heaven and earth.
3. In the dream angels were ascending and descending on the ladder. According to v. 51 angels will ascend and descend on Jesus. The image in both of these cases is of God’s angels coming and going, doing God’s bidding going to and fro through the earth overseeing all things. (Job 1:6-8; 2:1-3; Zechariah 1:10; 6:5; Revelation 7:2; 10:1)
4. God revealed himself to Jacob. He saw into heaven and saw God at the top of the ladder. He learned who God is and what God’s plan for him was. Jesus speaks of an open heaven. This phrase is used in Scripture to refer to when God reveals himself. (E.g. Ezekiel 1:1; Acts 10:11; Revelation 4:1).
So you can see the numerous parallels. What does it all mean?
What is the promise of an opened heaven?
It’s that Jesus will reveal God to the disciples. Jesus is saying, “Nathanael, you think me seeing you and knowing your heart is a big thing? You will see much greater things that these. I will reveal not a human heart, but God himself to you – God’s heart, character, plans and salvation.”
And this happens in the very next section of this gospel, when Jesus begins to perform signs that reveal who God is and what God is up to in him and his ministry. And it is interesting that Nathanael is from Cana (21:2) and the first two narrated signs are performed in Cana.
But this also sets up the whole rest of the Gospel of John, where Jesus reveals who God is through his teaching and actions and especially on the cross. As Jesus said in 12:45, “whoever sees me, sees him who sent me,” that is, God. As John says in 1:18, looking at the whole of Jesus’ life and death, “no one has ever seen God. It is God the beloved who is at the Father’s side, who has made him known.”
So as the disciples follow Jesus, they will receive the final and highest revelation of God through Jesus.
But there’s more . . .
In the story of Jacob’s dream, there is not just a revelation of God, but also a focus on the means of revelation. In Genesis 28:16-17, when Jacob woke up he said, “surely the Lord is in this place . . . How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
The ladder or stairway, the means of the revelation, went from the earth to heaven.
- And where it touched the earth, he called it “the house/temple of God.”
- And where it touched heaven, Jacob called it “the gate of heaven.”
And he exclaims here how awesome is this ladder! How awesome is this place that connects heaven and earth.
Well, just as Nathanael saw a small miracle and exuberantly spoke, “Rabbi you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!” When he sees the greater things promised – the full revelation of God through Jesus, he and the rest will be like Jacob/Israel and magnify the means of the revelation of God, Jesus, the ladder. Jesus will be exalted. Like Jacob, the disciples will exclaim, how awesome is Jesus! He is the house/temple of God and he is the gate of heaven.”
The promise for us
Now this promise isn’t just for these first five disciples. It’s for all followers of Jesus. And it’s for us as a congregation. We too receive the revelation that Jesus has given of God; we too come to see who God truly is. In Jesus we see the heavens opened.
This revelation happens as we read this Gospel and the rest of the Scriptures. And it happens when we follow Jesus and he continues to do his work even today. We see confirmed in our life experiences and in our congregation what is revealed through Jesus in the Scriptures.
It’s not something just in a book from long ago. God is still active through Jesus, doing his work and revealing himself. And so as we gather soon to think about what God has for us as a congregation, through Jesus God will reveal his will, his plans, his provision. And as we walk in this, his faithfulness to us as a congregation.
But even more close to hand, as we think of the Shands family grieving the loss of Pat, we know that through Jesus, God will reveal himself to them – God’s love and faithfulness, God’s power and strength for them.
God continues to reveal himself to us through Jesus, and in accord with what is in Scripture. As we follow him we come to truly know who God is, God’s character and God’s plans for us.
And as we see this unfold in our midst, we come to understand who Jesus is and exalt him as the one who alone reveals God to us; as the one who is the link between heaven and earth; as the one who has opened the heavens for us. How awesome is he!
William Higgins
Christian teaching 
Leave a Reply