AN UNPREACHED SERMON (219)
Sitting on my kitchen window ledge there is a little hand carved wooden figure. He came all the way from Ghana, a present from a friend who was over there. Made of pleasant-to-touch material, he depicts a person in the posture of prayer; I even have a name for him and call him Nathaniel. It just so happens that at present he sits under a Christmas poinsettia that is still going strong. I have him positioned in such a way that he sits under the shade of one of the leaves. Every morning, he reminds me of his namesake in the Bible, one of the lesser named disciples of Jesus, (John 1:43-51; 21:2). Nathaniel is better known by his other name of Bartholomew.
We don’t know very much about him apart from his name, and the only reason people think he has these two names is because in the lists of disciples in the first three gospels Bartholomew gets a mention but not Nathaniel, and only in John’s gospel do we come across Nathaniel but no mention of Bartholomew (Matt 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:14; Acts 1:3). Another clue is to be found in how he is always linked with Philip.
I think of Nathaniel as a bit of a student, for the first glimpse we have of him is when he is sitting studying. Under the fig tree was traditionally the place to study the Law when seeking divine revelation. Some Rabbis reckoned that the best place to go when concerned about the spiritual state of society was under the fig tree. The one thing that can be said with certainty about Nathaniel comes from the lips of Christ and is high praise indeed. Jesus describes his outstanding quality as being a man without guile (KJV), a person with nothing false in him (GNB) or anything deceitful (ESV). Clearly, Nathaniel was a man open to the truth and seeking for answers. There was an honesty about him. Despite knowing much about him, we can still learn a lot from the first encounter Nathaniel had with Jesus. That initial meeting sealed his future as a disciple of the Lord, and the way he was called to discipleship is much more detailed than what we know about how any of the others started to follow Jesus. Look at all three characters one by one.
CONSIDER THE ROLE OF PHILIP.
He played a vital part in Nathaniel coming to faith. This may be the reason they are always mentioned together. Nathaniel owed a tremendous debt to Philip. If it hadn’t been for his simple witness, Nathaniel might never have come face to face with Jesus. Only a recent convert himself, Philip wasted no time in telling others. He deliberately went off to look for Nathaniel to share what he had found (v45). News is meant for sharing, especially when it is good news. All Philip does is share his own experience and refer to the Scriptures. Those are the two essentials of witnessing to others.
Be true to your own experience without elaboration or exaggeration
Keep to the truth of Bible facts
NOTE THE REACTION OF NATHANIEL.
Initially, Nathaniel is sceptical. The mention of Nazareth as the place of Jesus’ origin sets the alarm bells ringing. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (v46). It was well known that Nazareth was a byword for everything low and debased; a town full of ne’er do wells. Philip’s comeback is measured and astute. Instead of arguing the point, all he does is issue an invitation to Nathaniel to come and see for himself. Here is a useful tip for us in our attempts to share the good news with others. The argumentative approach will only rile the other person. Much better to just lay out the simple facts and let them speak for themselves. Although Nathaniel had his doubts, the quiet insistence of Philip’s approach was enough to arouse his curiosity. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit can use personal witness to stimulate the curiosity of others.
ANALYSE THE RESPONSE OF JESUS.
As the pair made their way to Jesus, nothing could have prepared Nathaniel for the reception he received. It must have been as if Jesus could see into his very soul and knew much more about him than he realised. The initiative is all with Jesus; he is the One making the first move. Here, hidden in this simple encounter, is an illustration of what the Bible means by grace – Christ taking an attitude towards us and making the first move. This is what puts the “amazing” into grace.
It is obvious that Jesus has an intimate knowledge of Nathaniel. When speaking and sharing with others never forget that Christ sees that person’s personality and potential in a way that we could never do. This is how He deals with everyone, including ourselves.
I saw you
I know you
I want you
It is widely accepted among NT scholars that perhaps Nathaniel had been reading about the character of Jacob as he sat under the fig tree. Jacob was full of duplicity and guile; a bit of a twister and the original “man of guile” (Genesis 27:35) but his character was eventually changed through encounters with God at Bethel (Genesis 28: 10-22) and at Peniel (Genesis 32:28).
The day Philip took Nathaniel to meet Jesus opened up new horizons he would never have seen had he merely stayed under the shade of the fig tree trying to work things out for himself.
God’s call upon our lives opens our eyes to Christ in a fuller way. Nathaniel is given an insight into who Jesus really is, which is outlined in the various titles John uses to describe Jesus: son of Joseph, Rabbinic teacher, Son of God, King of Israel, Son of man.
God’s call upon our lives always promises more than we can see at the time. His call holds out the promise of “greater things” (v50) and an “opened heaven” (v51).
It may just be that in the next few days “a Nathaniel” with lots of questions will cross your path. Determine in your heart that you will be to that person “a Philip” who has found the answers. There are lots of “Nathaniels” out there just waiting for “Philip” to issue that initial invitation.
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