Men’s ministry leader Patrick Morley wrote, “A disciple is someone called to live ‘in’ Christ, equipped to live ‘like’ Christ, and sent to live ‘for’ Christ.” This pattern can be seen in the earliest days of Jesus’ ministry. In every incident and personal encounter, Jesus reveals something about Himself.
Accurately recognizing Jesus as the Messiah will be for His followers a growing process (1:43-46). His “follow me” is an invitation: “Come and be my disciple” (1:43, BBE).
Jesus’ disciples found others (1:44-45): Andrew found Peter; Philip found Nathanael. Philip also shows loyalty to the Scriptures concerning the Messiah. He sees Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy, though “son of Joseph” will need further thought. An accurate understanding of Jesus takes time and patience (1:46). Nathanael’s awkward statement did not cause undue alarm to Philip. He simply pointed him to Jesus.
The Scriptures often mention the “faithful remnant” when referring to Israelites who trusted in and obeyed God. An “Israelite indeed” would fit that picture, one “in whom there is nothing false” (1:47, NIV). Jesus’ observation was a character assessment of Nathanael, so Nathanael’s question may read: “How do you know what sort of a person I am?” (1:48). Jesus “seeing” him under a tree astounded Nathanael. That incident attests to Jesus’ ability to show profound discernment.
Though true, as Jesus would later reveal, at this moment Jesus did not speak to the confession of Nathanael (1:49-50). A great deal of apocalyptic “baggage” was popular concerning the Messiah that Jesus would correct. Things much more significant than fig tree sightings were to come (1:50).
“You” in verse 51 is plural - “to you all” - so Jesus’ expanded His audience beyond Nathanael. Jesus affirmed that as the Messiah He was the Revealer of Heaven sent to all humanity.
As a beginning point, “Son of Man” simply means a human being. How Jesus’ applied the term to Himself, however, seriously deepens its meaning. Jesus never referred to Himself as “Son of God,” but always as “Son of Man,” likely based on Daniel 7:13 and probably Ezekiel. For a disciple, Jesus defined titles that characterize the Messiah, not popular ideas. He would reveal correct understanding of them over the following three years.
Jesus’ allusion to Genesis 28 illustrates that He embodies the divine communication link between heaven and earth. This picture portrays how Jesus alone fulfills the self-revelation of God to humankind.
Dr. David Moore can be contacted at dm5867se@outlook.com
