Anchor My Faith

Great Things to Come

Scripture: John 1:49-51

We were working on John 1:49 when we ended the previous lesson. Jesus described Nathanael and he responds: “. . . “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”’ (John 1:49 ESV). We ended the previous lesson at the point of looking at the expression: “You are the Son of God.” Nathanael realized that Jesus had judged him correctly and to do so he must have the ability to know the heart and mind of a person. This ability placed Jesus above men and so in the mind of Nathanael, Jesus must be the long-expected Messiah. I believe this is what was meant here by the expression “Son of God.”

Nathanael also refers to Jesus as “the King of Israel.” This title was usually connected with the Messiah and will prove to create a division between many people and Jesus. In the mind of Nathanael, and others, the coming Messiah would be a great earthly king like David, who would lead a great army against Rome and break the bondage they held over the Israeli nation. Jesus, however, had a different view of the kingdom he was to be king over. We will have many lessons on this misunderstanding the people had on the nature of this kingdom. The disciples never really understood this until after the resurrection.

To the statement made by Nathanael, “Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”’ (John 1:50 ESV). Jesus points to the conclusion Nathanael makes and in a way questions his belief. Jesus is going to challenge the faith of many by what he says and he will have to perform many great signs and wonders (miracles) to convince the people of what he is teaching. This will be true for Nathanael as he will have to see greater things to maintain his belief in Jesus as the Messiah.

Jesus then makes a comment about these greater things: “And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”’ (John 1:51 ESV). “Truly, truly” said by Jesus is a solemn affirmation which stresses the authoritative nature and importance of what Jesus is saying. To understanding what is being said here we need to look at Genesis 28:10 – 13 (ESV): “Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.” As the angels ascended and descended on Jacob’s ladder, they will ascend and descend on the ladder which is Jesus. Jesus is suggesting here that he, as the Messiah, will become the ladder; our way of salvation into heaven.

Jesus refers to himself as the “Son of Man” over 80 times in the gospels, suggesting that he is the greatest son of man of all time. We should look back to Daniel 7:13 – 14 (ESV) and see the reference to son of man given there: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” Jesus is the true “Son of Man,” the God/Man. The Son of God came and took on the flesh of man through a virgin birth; Jesus is truly God and truly man. People struggled with that concept then and many do today.

Prayer

Father, Jesus said he was the way to you; the ladder of this lesson that each must be given the authority to use. How exciting to see Jesus setting up this idea of a ladder to heaven and then in the days ahead, establish himself to be that ladder and tell us how we obtain authority to access that ladder; no works; all by faith! Amen.