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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, October 26, 2026
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Jesus Calls Nathanael Bible Verse :John 1:45-51 "Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.” Nathanael responded, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?” Philip said, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael replied, “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 ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”" Message:
Today we will look at the apostle whose name heads the “most likely to be left off when you are asked to name the 12 Apostles” list: Nathanael.
Nathanael is mentioned only in the Gospel of John. In the Synoptic Gospels, Philip has a friend named Bartholomew who is called as an apostle, and John never speaks of anyone named Bartholomew, which has led scholars to conclude that they are the same person. But John, the least historical of the Gospels, does not name all twelve apostles, so we cannot be sure. And although Nathanael is the fourth apostle named in John, and his calling is highlighted, John does not necessarily imply that he was the fourth apostle called.
Stained glass panel in the transept of St. John’s Anglican Church, Ashfield, New South Wales (NSW). This scene depicts Nathanael under a fig tree
Nathanael under a fig tree.
Nathanael, we will learn later in his only other appearance (John 21:2), was a fisherman from Cana, in Galilee. His friend Philip comes to tell him the remarkable news of Jesus’ appearance. When he hears Jesus is from Nazareth, he is doubly skeptical. One might imagine a New Yorker being told that the Messiah is a man from Newark, New Jersey. Although there are many hints, nobody knows exactly why Nathanael felt so negative towards Nazarenes. It was a backwater and rather a crude place, and there was certainly some worship of false gods there.
He goes to check it out, however, and his mind changes quickly. Jesus characterizes Nathanael as a genuine and honest Israelite, and tells him that he saw him sitting under a fig tree, where Nathanael had in fact been sitting. Today, we might suspect some sort of parlor trick, but apparently it was honest knowledge. Nathanael is convinced. But Jesus minimizes the miraculous nature of knowing about the fig tree; He promises Nathanael that he will see true religious miracles.
And that's about all we know, from the Bible. There is some symbolism involved. The fig tree will later be shown as a symbol for Judaism itself, and specifically the Judaism of the Pharisees. That is, the failing religion of the Jews: Christ will later curse a fig tree outside of Jerusalem, which will then wither. (E.g. Mark 11:12-25.) Nathanael’s name, in Hebrew, means “God has given.” So he does have some importance in the Gospel of John; he is representative of the good, devout Jew; he is the symbol of all the Israelites who have followed the Law and are now ready to accept Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law, to move out from underneath the fig tree.
This characterization is enhanced by Christ’s praise of him, “a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit,” which certainly raises him above most of the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees we encounter. Even such luminaries as Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and Simon the Cyrene, while sympathetic to Christ, hide their sympathies to some degree. But there is no guile in Nathanael; he openly throws in his lot with Jesus immediately.
Later, non-Biblical sources contend that after the resurrection of Christ, Nathanael/Bartholomew traveled to India spreading the Gospel, and was flayed and beheaded by a minor king named “Astyages” in Armenia, directly to the east of modern-day Turkey.
Meditation : Prayer : Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. |
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