Reading
John 1:45-51
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
Comment
In spite of their humble condition, the disciples called to him by Jesus were certainly familiar with the Scriptures, such as to recognize that he is "the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote" (v. 45). They do not keep this "discovery" for themselves but share it with joy with their relatives and friends; this is the case, for example, of Andrea with his younger brother Simone and of Philip with his friend Nathanael. The latter is commonly identified with the apostle Bartholomew, for several reasons.
In John 21,2 his name is put together with those who had been called to the apostolate;. In contrast, the name of Nathanael never appears in the Synoptics, likewise, the name of Bartholomew never appears in John, which proves in favor of the identification of one with the other; furthermore, Bartholomew is clearly a patronymic which means "son of Tholomeus", while Nathanael is a proper name.
Nathanael was a pious man who, like Simeon and Anna, awaited "the consolation of Israel", or the manifestation of the Messiah. The words "an Israelite in whom there is no deceit" (v. 47) place him, like Zacharias and Elizabeth, among the righteous before God. They do not indicate the absence of sin, but the absence of hypocrisy, the simplicity of mind and heart, which made him available to welcome the Word of God.
His skepticism in believing that anything good could have come from Nazareth was probably dictated by the fact that this was a small and insignificant town in the hills of Galilee and perhaps also by the tendency of southern Jews to show some contempt for the Galileans, due to their dialect and their frequent contact with Gentiles. Philip's answer is lapidary: "come and see" (v. 46).
Nathanael was accustomed to meditating on the Scriptures, which we can deduce from Jesus' expression "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you" (v. 48): this is a Semitism that indicates the study of the Law, which was often taken to a secluded place, such as a garden, under the coolness of a plant. However, the assiduous rumination of the Scriptures is only the starting point for the encounter with Christ, which can only take place through direct experience, from following him: "Taste and see that the Lord is good" says the psalmist (Ps 34:8); and the promise of Jesus made to Nathanael is to see in Christ the one who was prefigured by Jacob's ladder (Gen 28:12): the mediator between earth and Heaven, between God and humanity.
If the first man, Adam, with his sin, had closed the heavens to his posterity, Jesus, the Son of man, the second Adam, is the one who opens them again, not only to Israel but to all humanity. The angels continually ascend and descend to serve those who belong to the heavenly Jerusalem not because of "ethnic privilege" as children of Israel, but as believers "in whom there is no deceit". They become witnesses of the heavenly treasures, of what exceeds their own expectations.
The Son of God is the mediator through whom grace descends to us from Heaven, and our soul, freed from its enemies, can ascend, step by step, growing in holiness and justice (Lk 1:75).
Prayer
O Lord, you search us and know us; allow us to seek you with a sincere heart, nourishing ourselves with your word; call us by name, so that by following you without hesitation we can contemplate and share the treasures of your kingdom. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
