NATHANAEL
John 1:43-51
#John1
INTRODUCTION… https://playback.fm/people/first-name/nathaniel
Nathaniel Hawthorne is perhaps the most famous person named Nathaniel. He was an American novelist who wrote the “Scarlet Letter” that you probably read in school.
Nathaniel Adams Coles otherwise known as Nat King Cole was a famous American singer and jazz pianist. He acted in film, TV, broadway, and was the first African American to host a TV series. His daughter re-released a duet with him after his death in 1991 called ‘Unforgettable’ which through technology allowed them to sing together.
Nathaniel P. Banks was a professional politician and a Union General during the Civil War. He began as General over West Point and was the first professional politician to be governor of Massachusetts.
Nathaniel Lord Britton was an American botanist who founded the New York Botanical Garden.
Nathaniel Dwayne Hale otherwise known as Nate Dogg was Snoop Dogg’s cousin and a rapper. You might dismiss him because he was a rapper, but he also was an honorably discharged US Marine and his dad was a minister.
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson otherwise known as Kool G Rap is an American rapper from Queens, New York. Kool G Rap is known for his rapid fire multisyllabic rhymes which influenced most rappers who came after him.
These are some famous and influential Nathaniels. My favorite “Nathanael” is my son of course. The name “Nathanael” … notice the original Hebrew spelling… is a name that means “God has given.” Nathanael from Cana in Galilee was one of the first disciples of Jesus Christ and is mentioned here in John 1 and then again in John 21. He has another name he went by… Bartholomew.
We have been in John 1 since the beginning of the year. We have been inching our way forward through this very rich and deep passage of Scripture. We come to the end of our John 1 journey today as we focus on the calling of Nathanael.
John 1 introduces us to Jesus as the Son of God.
John 1 introduces us to John the Baptist who points out Jesus as the Savior.
John 1 introduces us to Andrew and Peter, the first disciples of Jesus.
John 1, now in its last verses, introduces us to Philip… and more importantly Nathanael… our focus.
READ John 1:43-51
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." 48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." 50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
So, Nathanael is mentioned 6 times in the Bible. 5 of those times is right here in John 1. What can we tell about this man and what can he teach us. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” So let’s dig into this Scripture and see what God teaches us and equips us.
We are going to find 2 important lessons and challenges for us from this passage about Nathanael:
Nathanael was a man of truth.
Nathanael was a man of prayer and devoted to God.
NATHANAEL WAS A MAN OF TRUTH (VERSE 47)
One of the first things I notice about Nathanael is the thing that Jesus mentions about him. Nathanael was a man who was sincere and truthful in his opinions. He mentions in verse 46 that nothing good could come from Nazareth. Nazareth was a small backwater town with not much too it. I can imagine that Jesus thought… well… you aren’t wrong about that. Perhaps be a little more tactful, but you aren’t wrong about that. Nazareth is pretty much famous for being Jesus’ hometown and that is about it.
Jesus says about Nathanael that he is a true Israelite in whom there is nothing false. Jesus prized that Nathanael was a man of truth. God is truth. God wants His people who claim to be His to be people of truth.
In the Old Testament, Proverbs 12:22 says, “The LORD detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful.”
In the New Testament, Ephesians 4:25 says, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”
ILLUSTRATION…books.google.com/books/about/The_Day_America_Told_the_Truth.html?id=t5LXAAAAMAAJ&source=kp_book_description
The 1991 book, “The Day America Told the Truth,” the authors conducted he first mass survey on mass morality ever--an unprecedented portrait of the American people by the American people. Using state-of-the-art research techniques, they looked at many moral issues. 91% of people surveyed said that they lie on a routine basis. On page 46 of the book it says, “We lie to just about everyone, and the better we know someone, the likelier we are to have told them a serious lie.” I know this book and study is from 1991, but let’s just assume people don’t change that much.
We live in a world of fake news. Half the things you all post on Facebook isn’t even true. Sometimes I look things up you all post and with a couple of clicks I find out it isn’t true or is only half of the story. Eh… post it… who cares? It’s false… who cares? Why don’t we care if something we post is false? Why in 1991 did 91% of people surveyed admit to lying? I think it is because we are comfortable with the loss of truth and lying and shading things to look a certain way.
God’s people are to be people of truth. Truth is an essential part of the Christian faith we process. One of the Big Ten (commandments) is not to bear false witness (Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20). Let’s not forget that Jesus calls Himself “the truth” in John 14:6. You don’t even want to look up Revelation 21:8 and see who liars are lumped in with. Truth is part of Christianity.
God created the Heavens and the Earth is Truth.
God wants a personal relationship with you is Truth.
Jesus loves you is Truth.
Jesus died for you is Truth.
The Bible is Truth.
God is all-powerful and all-knowing and boundless in love is Truth.
Truth is part of Christianity in its founding and as a character trait of people who claim Christ as Lord and Savior. So what do we do with this?
APPLICATION
ILLUSTRATION… https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/truthfulness.html (adapted)
Understand yourself. Know yourself, your strengths, and your weaknesses and be truthful with yourself and others that you have relationships with. I guess I would say don’t pretend to be something or someone you are not. Now that is not an excuse to not push forward in Christlikeness, but honesty with self is important.
We should present ourselves in a way that shows who we really are. Lying about ourselves or our job or our marriage or anything to make ourselves look like our neighbors or meet expectations is not good. We should want our reputations to be founded on who we are in public and in private.
Meet any commitments or promises that we make. If you say yes, let it be yes. If you say no, let it be no. If you tell someone you will help or work or join… then do so. Don’t be someone who is not trustworthy.
Be accurate in our descriptions of ourselves or others, so that we do not mislead others. It matters what you say, what you write, what you post, what you pass on to others. Make sure what you post
So how are you doing in this area? Are you a person who values truth in yourself and others? Is this an area you need to work on? Be truthful with yourself and self-examine in this area. How are you doing as a truthful person?
NATHANAEL WAS A MAN OF PRAYER AND DEVOTED TO GOD (VERSE 48-49)
The second thing I noticed about Nathanael is that he was a man of prayer. Immediately you should be thinking to yourself… prayer… that word wasn’t even in this passage! What is this guy peddling?! It takes a little bit of background knowledge to see what is happening in verses 47-48.
It was common in Jesus’ day for men to go off by themselves to lonely places and pray under trees. It was kind of a cultural sign that someone was spending time with God. For example, if I said, “hey I’m going to Barnes and Noble... you would automatically know I am probably looking to buy a book because we all know that’s what goes on there. The word ‘book’ appears nowhere in my sentence and yet you knew what I was going to do. For example, if I said, “I went to the DMV and got done in 20 minutes,” your automatic response would be shock and surprise because we all know DMVs often take a long time. We know because of culture and our experiences.
It was something similar here. Nathanael was under a particular tree… a fig tree… spending time with God. What was amazing to Nathanael was Jesus says He saw him under the fig tree. Jesus knew what he had been doing and knew what kind of tree it was. Nathanael was spending time with God by himself alone and no one else was around. The only one who knew what he was doing or thinking was God. Nathanael exclaims that Jesus is the Son of God. Nathanael considered it divine knowledge about what he had been up to.
I see Nathanael as a man who was seeking God in prayer. Jesus knew this about Him and called Him to have a relationship with Him as a student. Jesus Christ would be the answer to what Nathanael was seeking. God is found by us when we seek Him.
* 2 Chronicles 15:2b, “The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you”
* Psalm 119:10, “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.”
* Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”
Amos 5:4a, “This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live.”
APPLICATION
Anyway, that is how we know Nathanael was praying and spending time with God and seeking God. Jesus miraculously points it out. What I’d like to do is challenge you during this CoronaVirus quarantine time to spend time with God and seek Him out. You should spend time with God when NOT social distancing and staying home, but I want to specifically challenge you to meet with God on a regular basis during this time.
* Set up a chair or a place in your house for prayer and reading the Bible and only pray and read the Bible in that place.
* Download the “Bible Project” podcast, The Bible Recap, Pray the Word with David Platt, or other good Christian teaching and listen to it on a regular basis. If you have a question, ask me, that is what I am here for.
* Have the YouVersion Bible App read Scripture to you all throughout the day. Have it going in the background of whatever you are doing.
* Make sure you log in and avail yourself of online church and online Bible studies. After viewing, post one thing you learned from the service or Bible study.
* Read a Christian book and post a small reflection about it on Facebook so others can be encouraged by what you read and thought about.
* Come up with a virus schedule where Bible reading is part of your day while you are at home.
SUMMARY
So what does the description of Nathanael in this passage teach us and what does this passage bring up for us?
NATHANAEL WAS A MAN OF TRUTH AND WE CAN BE PEOPLE OF TRUTH
NATHANAEL WAS A MAN OF PRAYER AND DEVOTED TO GOD AND WE CAN BE THAT AS WELL
CONCLUSION IN PRAYER
