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Nathanael 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." John 1:48 ESV
A number of biblical scholars believe Nathanael also went by the name of Bartholomew, much as Matthew also went by Levi, and Peter also went by Simon. Like the apostles Matthew, James, John, Andrew, Peter, and Philip, Nathanael had an intriguing first encounter with the Lord Jesus.
John tells us that Nathanael was under a fig tree when Philip interrupted him and said, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about!” What was Nathanael doing under that fig tree? Presumably, he was resting. It’s very possible he was praying. Perhaps he was asking the Lord to make him an honest man—a true son of Israel. Perhaps he was meditating on a prophetic passage from Isaiah’s scroll read at the synagogue the previous Sabbath. Or perhaps he was dreaming about the day when the Messiah would come and fruit trees would bear “fresh fruit every month” (Ezekiel 47:12). In any case, God was preparing Nathanael’s heart.
When Philip and Nathanael walked toward Jesus, the Lord said straight-out what kind of man Nathanael was and where he just came from. Nathanael was amazed!
No wonder Nathanael immediately declared his faith in the Lord Jesus.
Prayer: Unwavering Lord, thank You that You always know where I am and what’s on my heart. Amazing indeed!
A number of biblical scholars believe Nathanael also went by the name of Bartholomew, much as Matthew also went by Levi, and Peter also went by Simon. Like the apostles Matthew, James, John, Andrew, Peter, and Philip, Nathanael had an intriguing first encounter with the Lord Jesus.
John tells us that Nathanael was under a fig tree when Philip interrupted him and said, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about!” What was Nathanael doing under that fig tree? Presumably, he was resting. It’s very possible he was praying. Perhaps he was asking the Lord to make him an honest man—a true son of Israel. Perhaps he was meditating on a prophetic passage from Isaiah’s scroll read at the synagogue the previous Sabbath. Or perhaps he was dreaming about the day when the Messiah would come and fruit trees would bear “fresh fruit every month” (Ezekiel 47:12). In any case, God was preparing Nathanael’s heart.
When Philip and Nathanael walked toward Jesus, the Lord said straight-out what kind of man Nathanael was and where he just came from. Nathanael was amazed!
No wonder Nathanael immediately declared his faith in the Lord Jesus.
Prayer: Unwavering Lord, thank You that You always know where I am and what’s on my heart. Amazing indeed!
