There is a story from way back in the book of Genesis. It is about a man who would eventually be called Israel, but at the time of this story, he is called Jacob. Jacob was quite the schemer. He spent much of his early life plotting, looking for every way possible to get one up on his older twin, Esau. In fact, even the story of how they were born included a telling detail: as they came out of the womb, Jacob was holding on to his brother’s heel. Jacob was always trying to trip him up, even in the womb! And the habit stuck, lasting into adulthood. Jacob tricked Esau out of his birthright, and out of his father’s blessing. It was a daring move, and as you can imagine, it was met with much reproach. Eventually the tables turned and Esau tried to kill Jacob. It was time for Jacob to leave in a hurry, and that’s exactly what he did.
So Jacob ran away with not a penny to his name, and nothing but the clothes on his back. And as he was on the run, Jacob had a dream. He saw a ladder with its foot on the ground and its top reaching to heaven. God’s angels were going up and down on it. The Lord himself stood beside him, and promised him that he would bring him back to his land in peace and prosperity. Jacob’s dream of the ladder come to mind in this passage we heard a few moments ago. Jesus paints for Nathanael a scene in which heaven is opened and angels are going up to heaven and down to earth on the Son of Man, the Human One. This is a very strange picture, and it’s hard to know exactly what to make of it, and yet by this reference, John has introduced into his gospel one of his great themes. But in order to understand fully the message being sent here, we need to look more closely at Jacob’s dream.
The point about Jacob’s ladder was that it showed Jacob that God was there with him, in that place. Jacob called the place, “Bethel,” which means “God’s house.” Many generations later, when Jacob’s descendents, the Israelites, had come back to that land and were established there, Bethel became one of the great sanctuaries of Israel, one of the places where the early Israelites held their worship. And so the tradition of Jacob’s dream, of the angels going up and down on the ladder, came to be connected with the belief that when you worshipped God in his house, God was really present, with his angels coming and going to link heaven and earth. This is what John wanted his readers to pick up on when he recounts for us Jesus’ words to Nathanael.
A great deal of John’s gospel has to do with the way in which Jesus fulfills the promises to the Israelites concerning the Temple, but how Jesus also goes beyond these promises, pioneering the new way in which the living God will be present with his people. And that brings us to our lesson for today; following Jesus as his disciple brings us into God’s presence in ways that are not otherwise possible, and we get “glimpses of glory,” experiences of heaven, even right here on earth.
Jesus’ conversation with Nathanael concludes the first chapter of John’s gospel, but it also immediately follows the calling of the first disciples. Jesus summoned Peter and Andrew first, and then we heard this morning of the calling of Philip and Nathanael. As I look at Jesus’ words to Nathanael in this context, I feel that Jesus is making a strong connection between discipleship and our experience of heaven. And it seems that there is no one better than Nathanael to help Jesus make the connection.
Immediately upon being called by Christ, Philip sought out Nathanael, telling him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophet: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.” And do you remember how Nathanael responded with his quick retort? “Nazareth? Can anything from Nazareth be good?” Nathanael’s skepticism is clear. If there’s anybody who will have trouble encountering God in a new way through Jesus, Nathanael is the one. Still, even for all of Nathanael’s preconceptions and skepticism, when Christ identifies Nathanael as “a genuine Israelite…the one standing under a fig tree,” Nathanael’s eyes are opened, and he makes a profession of faith. “Rabbi, you are God’s son. You are the king of Israel.”
Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these! I assure you that you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up to heaven and down to earth on the Human One.” It’s as if in this single verse Jesus is saying, “Don’t think that all you will see is one or two prophecies, one or two remarkable acts of insight, such as you witnessed when I showed you that I knew about you before you even appeared. What you’ll see from now on is the reality towards which Jacob’s ladder, and even the Temple itself, was pointing. If you follow me, you’ll be watching what it looks like when heaven and earth are open to each other. It may not necessarily be that you see angels themselves, but you’ll certainly see things happening which show that they’re there all right.”
Really, Jesus couldn’t make it any clearer. What he is saying to Nathanael, and to all of us, is that when we are his disciples, when we follow him, we will see and experience heaven right before us! Right here! Right now! And to me, that’s one of the greatest promises Jesus makes. Jesus didn’t come just so things would be great after we die. Jesus came to make this life great! He came to establish God’s kingdom here, on earth. He began God’s new creation here so that heaven might come on earth, now; changing, and renewing, and transforming all the ugliness and wickedness and darkness of this world. But that’s only possible if people follow Jesus. It’s only possible if people take him seriously and love God and their neighbors with every ounce of their being. It’s only possible if Jesus’ disciples “take up their cross” and serve the poor and the outcaste; only if we feed the hungry, and clothe the naked, and love our enemy as we love ourselves.
It all sounds really complicated, but when we follow Christ as his disciples, we do see and experience God in new ways, and heaven is opened here on earth for all to see. In the midst of it all, we catch a glimpse of glory.
There is a pastor from South Korea. His name is Kim Shin Jo, and he used to be a trained killer. In January of 1968, Kim and a team of assassins descended from North Korean, slipping through the woods in a daring attempt to kill the president of South Korea. The team of 31 commandos made it to within a few hundred meters of the president's residence before they were intercepted. A fierce battle ensued, killing 30 South Koreans. All of the North Korean soldiers were killed, except one who escaped and Kim Shin Jo, who was captured.
After months of interrogation, and through a surprising friendship with a South Korean army general, Kim Shin Jo's hard heart started to soften. Later he would confess, "I tried to kill the president. I was the enemy. But the South Korean people showed me sympathy and forgiveness. I was touched and moved." The South Korean government eventually released Kim Shin Jo. Over the next three decades he worked for the South Korean military, became a citizen, and then married and raised a family. Finally, he became a church minister.
Today Kim's life serves as a symbol of redemption for the entire country of South Korea. Reflecting on the day of his arrest, Kim Shin Jo commented, "On that day, Kim Shin Jo died. I was reborn. I got my second chance. And I'm thankful for that." Kim Shin Jo found a new birth and God's grace through the power of Christ. But his encounter with Christ came through the unexpected, surprising love of other people. Despite his betrayals and sins, an army officer accepted him, befriended him, and believed in him. At one time he was the enemy of the South Korean people, but in the spirit of Jesus Christ, they surprised him with the startling gifts of belonging, forgiveness and even citizenship. In the same way, the church is called to extend the gift of acceptance so others will find Christ's "second chance." God unleashes tremendous power for good, God opens heaven on earth, when his people follow Christ in the world by loving the unloveable, especially our enemies, and offering friendship, grace, and forgiveness to all people.
The South Koreans would have been justified by military law to kill Kim Shin Jo after his capture. But they made the choice to follow Christ, to offer forgiveness and show grace. And the result was that Kim came into Christ’s presence, and for the South Koreans he became a symbol of redemption, a sign of God’s presence on earth. To be a disciple of Christ is to follow him, to confess Christ, and to do what Christ would do. And the promise that Christ made to Nathanael, and to all of us, is that when we do live as his disciples, heaven will be opened in a powerful way right before our eyes. We will find ourselves in Bethel, in God’s house, with God’s presence at work all around us, transforming our lives and renewing the whole world.
So, today, let us be reminded of the invitation that was extended to Peter and Andrew, to Philip and to Nathanael. “Come and see. Come and follow Christ.” It is an invitation offered to all of us as well. The road will not always be easy, but the promise of discipleship is heaven will be opened here on earth. So come and see, come and follow Christ, come get a glimpse of God’s glory!
