Hello, viewers of GOD TV, my name is Harvey Katz. We’re reading today from the Book of John, chapter 1, starting in verse 47, “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said of him, ‘Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile!’ Nathanael said to him, ‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered and said to him, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel’. Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Because I said you; I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe?’ You will see greater things than these. And he said to him, ‘Most assuredly I say to you, hereafter, you shall see the heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’”
What an astounding thing this must have been for Nathanael. Here he was being introduced to Jesus. Didn’t know a thing about Him. And was wondering, “Who is this guy? Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” And here we see Jesus knows him intimately and personally so much so that He said he saw him under the fig tree, and He described his character, “you have no guile.” And Nathanael was absolutely astonished. But Jesus said something even more astonishing. He said, “You were amazed because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, you’re going to see something more amazing”.
So what is this thing? This hint? This understanding? What was he going to see? He says, “You’re going to see the heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending the Son of Man.” And what Jesus was referring to was actually Jacob’s ladder. He was making a reference to Genesis, chapter 28, where He said that the law was not the ladder to get to God. “I am the ladder. When you understand that I am the ladder, I am the way, I am the access to God, that’s the greater thing. That’s the greater revelation.”
May we pray. Thank you, God, that we can come into a relationship with the living God through Jesus. That He is the way, that He is the ladder. That the mysteries of the Old Testament are revealed in the Person and the work of Jesus Christ. And Lord, I just thank you that you sent Jesus. And for anyone out there that would like to pray to receive Jesus, you can pray this prayer right now, “Dear Jesus, thank you that you died for my sin, thank you that you rose from the dead. And I ask that you forgive me, and come into my heart, and I give my life to you. I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen”.