Understanding the Twelve-Nathanael

“45 Philip 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.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

John 1:45-46

We have been making our way through a review of the individual disciples. In this study, we have seen the different personalities that these ordinary men had; some were spoken of often, and we were able to use various scripture verses to dissect their personalities. Others, like the disciple that we are going to study today, are only mentioned a handful of times. In fact, the disciple that we are going to look at today is only identified by name twice. With that said, let us take a look at Nathanael.

Nathanael is first mentioned in John 1:45-51, and it is Philip who informs Nathanael that the Messiah had come. This is where we can begin to see more about Nathanael’s character. When approached by Philip, he does not tell Nathanael that the Messiah is there. Instead, Philip states that the One whom Moses and the prophets wrote about was there. This implies that Nathanael studied the Old Testament seriously if he could identify what Philip was saying based on this vague greeting. However, we do also see Nathanael’s doubting spirit as he questions if anything good can come from Nazareth. Despite having the head knowledge, he hadn’t yet made the jump to truly knowing Jesus as his Lord.

And yet, Jesus offers a great insight into Nathanael. “47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” John 1:47. Jesus identifies Nathanael as a man whose word was exactly what it meant. Nathanael truly practiced “37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37. Nathanael held no deceit in his heart; he would not say or do something to try to get ahead or to push his own agenda. He merely followed the Scripture that he was so studious towards. I believe this is why it was so easy for Nathanael to make the jump from head knowledge of Scripture to truly knowing Jesus. Nathanael questions how Jesus knows him, to which Jesus tells him that He saw Nathanael under the fig tree. This simple statement proved to be all that Nathanael needed to identify Jesus as the King of Israel, and I believe it is because he believed that others were like him, without deceit.

This could also be why Jesus grants Nathanael a great reward. “50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” John 1:50-51. This is referencing Jacob’s ladder found in Genesis 28:12, in which Jacob had a dream given to him by God, and he saw angels of God ascending and descending on it. Now fast forward to Jesus and Nathanael, Jesus has just stated that this man would receive the same blessing as Jacob, the father of the Jewish nation. And this is all before Jesus began His ministry and miracles!

And yet, despite this promise, much of Nathaneal remains a mystery. Apart from John 1, he is only mentioned in John 21 when Jesus appears at the Sea of Galilee after His death and resurrection. Even then, he is mentioned almost as an afterthought, as we do not see his reaction to recognizing Jesus. Nathanael appears to be a quiet, straightforward man whose Church ministry was devoted to God. His quick acknowledgement of who Jesus was led to a wonderful promise. Nathanael serves to remind us that having a firm foundation in the faith leads to a great reward.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex