Spiritual Life for Nathanael

Excerpt

“I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” This is one of the great cryptic statements of the New Testament. For centuries men have tried to decipher the symbolism of the fig tree. In some Scripture passages, it is a symbol for peace. In many others, it is a symbol of a home. Or it could be taken literally and just mean a fig tree. Exactly what it represents is not terribly important, but we will consider it as a fig tree. What is important is that Nathanael had a religious experience that no one but Jesus knew about. Maybe Nathanael had been reading the story of Jacob’s ladder. Maybe he had been contemplating being baptized by John the Baptist. Maybe he was thinking about the Messiah. Maybe he had prayed that the Messiah would reveal himself to him. The point is, Nathanael had had a spiritual experience under a fig tree and Jesus was saying, “I know about the experience you had that you shared only with God.” Jesus knew!

Nathanael was not only guileless—he was able to put two and two together quickly. He knew that God is omniscient, and he realized that Jesus’ statement demonstrated omniscience. This man had to be God! Consider Nathanael’s response in verse 49: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

Hughes, R. Kent. John: That You May Believe. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999. Print. Preaching the Word.

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