Encouragement

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"UNDER THE FIG TREE"
John 1:43-51

“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, He said to him, “Follow me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”

How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

This passage of scripture is about how Philip and Nathanael became disciples of the Lord. Philip was called by Jesus, and Nathanael encountered the Lord when Philip shared the good news of Jesus with him. There are many threads of Truth we can draw from these verses, but today’s eWord is a message of blessing and encouragement from the Lord for all you precious children of the King.

When Philip and Nathanael approached Jesus, Jesus declared Nathanael a “true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false”. Nathanael was shocked and confused, because he had never met Jesus before. Maybe he wondered if Jesus had checked his credentials out before they met! He asked Jesus “How do You know me?” to which Jesus replied “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

Just a little while before this, Nathanael had been very doubtful about the authenticity of Jesus, and had said to Philip “Can anything good come from Nazareth”? Jesus knew his concerns; He knew Nathanael’s doubts, and what he had said to Philip; He saw his skepticism as he approached Jesus. In fact, Jesus knew every detail about Nathanael’s past. He had ‘seen’ him under the fig tree, even before Philip made contact with him! Jesus was aware of all the times and seasons of Nathanael’s life, sad or joyful. He knew all his struggles, and all the challenges he faced. Jesus understood his every moment of testing and temptation, and the times he fell. Still, He called him a ‘true Israelite’ and one in whom there was “nothing false”!

Jesus saw Nathanael (as he does you and me) not in the light of his past, his failings, or the sins he had committed. Jesus saw him for all the potential he was created with; all the awesome purpose he was born for. Now that he had encountered His Savior, Jesus saw him as righteous, forgiven, washed in the blood! A perfect new creation; a new man, because the old was gone and the new had come (2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”) Even as Jesus spoke, Nathanael probably felt uncomfortable, guilty about what he had said, and how he had doubted the authenticity of Jesus. Our failings are ever apparent to us, and the devil is quick to remind us about the sins of the past; they never seem to be too far away! But our Father never sees a stain of sin. He has removed our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). We may fail him many times in any day but 1 John 1:9 is true: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”) The first time we encountered Jesus, He forgave us the very moment we repented and asked for forgiveness. Now He sees us as His perfect new creation. He sees us as ‘true Israelites”; forgiven friends of the Father, in whom there is no falsehood, because we have put on Christ, and there is no lie in Him. (Galatians 3:27: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”) He sees your heart; despite every struggle to make the ‘mark’, Jesus sees the sincere desire in your heart to please Him; He sees you as someone ‘true’ in whom there is nothing false! It is time to shut the door to the voice of the accuser and start listening to the voice of God in His Word, which tells you how precious and loved and completely forgiven you are!

As Nathanael listened to the Lord, he experienced the revelation of Jesus’ true identity. Suddenly he saw the truth of what Philip had said to him when he invited him to come and meet Jesus. He understood the piercing light in Jesus’ eyes. He felt the power of His anointing as he stood by his side. He felt the burning in his heart as he listened to His voice. He realized that this was indeed the One Moses and the prophets wrote about in the Law. He burst out “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel”. He called Jesus “Rabbi”, confessing His prophetic office. He called Him the “Son of God”, acknowledging His divine nature and mission; He called Him the “King of Israel”, because Israel belongs to God, and if Jesus is God, He is King over Israel. Nathanael had to bow his knee to the Lord of Lords and confess His Lordship over everything. Never again would he say “can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He knew what he knew; he had encountered Jesus and his life would never be the same again!

The first revelation of Jesus is never the last! What Nathanael had witnessed in seeing the operation of the prophetic gifts in Jesus was powerful. But Jesus promised him that he would see greater things than these. Jesus promised him heavenly visions and angelic visitations, all possible because of being in relationship with the Savior. (“Ascending and descending on the Son of Man” was also a reference to Jacob’s dream of a stairway to Heaven in Genesis 28, where he saw angels travelling between Heaven and earth). Friend, God has greater things for you to know and see than you can even imagine, but it all starts with one little revelation, and the acknowledgement of the Lordship and omnipotence of Jesus. He is the door to all the awesome truths of eternity. There is angelic activity, and divine revelations which God would have us experience as we go deeper in Jesus, God’s perfect bridge between Heaven and Earth, between God and man, between righteousness and sin. He has so much in store for you!

In summary, let me leave you with these few thoughts:

1) Following Jesus means bringing others into the covenant of discipleship too, as Philip did. Are you excited enough about Jesus to share Him with your friends?

2) Jesus sees you under your fig tree; He sees where you were; He knows everything there is to know about you, and still loves you totally.

3) Jesus sees you for all your potential, and the awesomeness of what He created you to be. He sees you as righteous and forgiven, and a ‘true’ follower. He sees you as a gifted, dynamite filled Holy Spirit dispenser with the potential to change your world!

4) There is excitement and adventure in this partnership with Jesus. He has explosive revelations and heavenly visitations in store for you. Just jump on board!
Friend, see yourself as God sees you. He loves you, sees the best in you, and is taking you towards that perfect person He created you to be. He has such awesome plans for you! Be blessed and walk in the fullness of His perfect love this week.

Minoli Haththotuwa
www.wingslikeeagles.info

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