(1) The disciples were committed followers
The disciples now followed Jesus from John's witness v.36. The first thing they asked was "where are you staying v.38. In other words, they were committed to follow Jesus wherever He went. They stayed with their teacher. Even though it may not be a permanent living together ("they stayed with him that day" v.39), but they did invest a lot of their time in their pursuit of God.
Andrew used his relationship and invited his brother, Peter, to follow Jesus v.41. Phillip did the same and invited Nathanael v.45. They were serious.
Reflection: How do we do as the followers of Jesus? How much time have we spent dwelling in God's Word/attending worship/participating in church's ministry? What efforts have we tried to spread the Good News?
(2) Nathanel
First he did not agree with Philip that Jesus was the expected Messiah. He despised Jesus because He came from Nazareth v.46. However, he was willing to check out himself v.47. Jesus did not give up on him when he came, Jesus exclaimed, "“Look, a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” v.47.
(PNTC) Nathanael may have been blunt in his criticism of Nazareth, but he was an Israelite without duplicitous motives who was willing to examine for himself the claims being made about Jesus.
Just by pointing this out had turned the attention of Nathanel and he asked, "How do you know me?" v.48.
(PNTC) 1:48. Nathanael’s question, How do you know me?, demonstrates that Jesus’ brief summary of his character had hit the mark. Jesus replies by showing that his supernatural knowledge extends beyond this: he ‘saw’ Nathanael while he was still under the fig tree.
v.50 Jesus said to him, “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.
(NET) What are the greater things Jesus had in mind? In the narrative this forms an excellent foreshadowing of the miraculous signs which began at Cana of Galilee.
Summary: Round 1. Jesus pointed out his character. It caught Nathanel's attention. Round 2. Jesus said He saw him in a distance. Nathanel confessed that Jesus was the Son of God, the king of Israel. (NET) Nathanael’s confession—You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel—is best understood as a confession of Jesus’ messiahship.
Now, Jesus said he would see greater things or more miracles. What for? Why did Jesus showed more to him if Nathanel had already believed that Jesus is the Messiah? What else could Nathanel believe?
v.51 you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
(PNTC) The imagery is drawn from Jacob’s vision of the ladder (NIV ‘stairway’) ‘resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it’ (Gn. 28:12).
The ladder connected angels of God from heaven to earth. Now, Jesus would function as that ladder. What more could Nathanel believe? Not only that Jesus was the Messiah, but when he witnessed more miracles he would confess that Jesus was his personal connection with God. Reflection: Many people would say they "believe" in Jesus, and so were people in Jesus' time, but not many of them really "believed." Nathanel might believe in his head knowledge in "round 2," but Jesus would still show more to him so that he has a deeper relationship with God. How about you? Is your belief something that can go deeper?
Jesus was not satisfied when Nathanel confessed that Jesus was the Messiah and so should we.
Audrey
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