I TELL YOU THE TRUTH

How many people tell me the truth, always, with no variations?  I know that I don't always tell ME the truth-why would I expect that anyone else ALWAYS speaks the truth?  There is One, though; He always speaks the truth to me, I can count on it every time!  In the Gospel of John, Jesus seems to want to affirm this to us over and over:  "I tell you the truth".  He speaks this statement, with a couple of variations, 30 times (if I didn't miss any!) in this Gospel, to different audiences in different situations.

 

John 1:46-51

"I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man".  John 1:51

Nathanael meets the Truth-Teller for the first time in this passage.  We see that as he talks with Jesus, he makes two statements (one of which is framed as a question, but is really a statement) and asks one question:

1.  Statement:  "Nazareth!  Can anything good come from there?"

2.  Question:   "How do You know me?"

3.  Statement:  "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel."

"Nazareth!  Can anything good come from there?"  It is apparent by this first statement (disguised as a question!) that in his heart and mind he is very skeptical that this Man Philip is dragging him off to meet could possibly be Messiah!  Nazareth was despised by the Jews because the Roman army had established a garrison there; that Messiah could possibly come from Nazareth was unthinkable to Nathanael!

But, wait a moment!  Compare his first statement with his second statement.  What led him to his astounding declaration in his second statement?  How did he go from thinking nothing good could come from Nazareth to declaring that the Son of God came from Nazareth?  What happened in that short amount of time to lead Nathanael from unbelief to belief?  Jesus happened!  Jesus told him the truth and he was never the same!

So Philip and Nathanael trudge off to find Jesus, one eager for his friend to meet Jesus, the other thinking this was a major waste of time.  I have to admire Philip:  he didn't let his friend's underwhelmed attitude dissuade him.  I can almost hear the lilt in Philip's voice, the challenge, as he said "Come and see" to Nathanael.  Philip couldn't wait to see what would happen when Nathanael met Jesus!

The Scriptures say that when Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."  Nathanael must have pulled up short in his approach, astonished that this Man whom he had never met knew him so well!  The question Nathanael asks next was what Jesus was waiting for, longing for.  It is the question that unlocks the door so that Jesus can come in to Nathanael's life.  It's the question that will change Nathanael's life forever.

"How do You know me?"  The question behind the question is, "Who are You, that You know me so well?"  It is an honest question, a simple question.  Nathanael has a reputation for honesty and clarity, evidenced by Jesus' assessment of him-"in whom there is nothing false".  But, simple though the question is, it is the question that echoes down from Creation, as man seeks His Creator and as the Creator pursues His beloved.

Jesus' answer to Nathanael's question was also devastatingly simple:  "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."  No sermon here, no expository preaching, no plea to believe; just a simple declaration by the all-seeing Creator that Nathanael is known by his God. I could say the same thing to someone and it would not have the same impact.  The reason is that my seeing is so inferior to God-seeing.  I see the surface of things, He sees underneath.  I see only what another allows me to see, God has no such restraints.  He sees the whole person, inside and out.  I believe when Nathanael heard those words, his eyes were opened and he knew exactly to Whom he was speaking.

Jesus saw Nathanael before Philip invited him to "come and see".  My translation:  Jesus had always seen Nathanael!  He knew Nathanael before Nathanael's parents knew Nathanael, before he was born.  Jesus is the eternal God, and He was revealing Himself to Nathanael as such in this designed-beforehand encounter.

"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."  Now, against the backdrop of Nathanael's skepticism and Jesus' revelation of Himself, Nathanael's startling declaration makes perfect sense, doesn't it?  Now we see how Nathanael got from point A to point B, as it were.  Nathanael finally recognizes Jesus as Messiah ("Son of God" and "King of Israel").  After that, and only after that, Jesus can reveal His purpose on earth to Nathanael; the bonus revelation, if you please!

"I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."   This statement was a quote from Genesis 28:12.  Jacob has a dream in which he sees this word-picture.  Nathanael would know this passage; as a "true Israelite", he probably would have learned the Old Testament passages during his childhood, particularly the prophetic passages which dealt with Messiah.  This word-picture gave the prophecy flesh, and that Flesh was standing right in front of Nathanael speaking to him!  Nathanael knew that this Man was the fulfillment of that long-ago prophecy:  that God would come to earth, the Creator would become the creature, the Divine would be imprisoned for a time in the mortal.  Suddenly, life as he knew it was over!  The Scriptures do not record this, but I can see Nathanael falling to his knees as Messiah takes on flesh before his very eyes!  As far as we know, Nathanael followed Jesus the rest of his life.

Jesus told Nathanael the truth about Himself.  He also revealed the truth about Nathanael-his need of Him.  Nathanael had to be gently led to ask the critical question, "How do you know me?" 

It is the same question that led me to faith in Christ.  And Jesus' answer to me is the same He gave to Nathanael:  "I saw you.”   The details of how and when Jesus "saw" me are different than Nathanael's but the result is the same.  I realized that I was known and loved by Messiah before I knew Him.  My Creator pursued me until I let Him catch me.  And then life as I knew it was over!  Prophecy took on flesh in the Person of Jesus the moment I believed.  I am so glad I met the Truth-Teller, the One who always speaks straight to me no matter what!