THE KING’S BUSINESS
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of old of the one in whose spirit there is no guile (Ps. 32:2). Jesus did not pronounce Nathanael sinless, but free from deception. This was all the more remarkable when we consider the time in which Nathanael lived and the people among whom he lived. Nathanael was humbly conscious that Jesus had read his character right and that the description was true. Like Israel of old, he had recently been wrestling with God in deep sincerity of purpose, but how did Jesus know it ? To Nathanael’s question, “Whence knowest Thou me?” he gets a still more startling answer. “When thou vuast under the tig tree I saw thee.” There can be no reasonable doubt that Nathanael was engaged in prayer or deep meditation under the fig tree. Jesus had seen him there, not with the natural eye, but by the exercise of that omniscience regarding men and things that He often displayed (cf. John 2:24, 25; Luke 19:5; 22:10, 12 ; John 21:6). It was Nathanael’s recognition of this fact that led him to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel. The fig tree was a favorite place of resort for quiet meditation (1 Kings 4:25; Mi- cah 4:4; Zech. 3:10). It was while Augustine was meditating under the fig tree that he heard the Divine call. Nathanael thought that the experience that he was having under the fig tree was known only to himself and God; and, when Jesus showed His complete knowledge of it, he at once naturally concluded that He must be the, Son of God. Philip had gone quickly to find his friend, but the love of Christ had anticipated Philip—He had found Nathanael before Philip found him. Nathanael may have been engaged in his prayer and meditation the Very moment Philip found him. Jesus’ reply to Nathanael answered both the question which Nathanael had asked of Philip (v. 46) and the ques
tion which he had asked of our Lord (v. 48). Sincere soul that he was, Nathanael saw at once the full force and meaning of our Lord’s reply, and exclaimed, “Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel.” He had abundant reason for his faith; and yet, if he had been a less sincere soul and a less earnest seeker after the truth, he would not so readily have seen the truth and accepted it. His belief was not credulity, but rational faith. Faith is belief upon sufficient evidence; credulity is belief without evidence; and unbelief is the refusal to yield faith to sufficient evidence. Credulity and unbelief are both just the opposite of faith; they are simply positive and negative sides of the same thing. When a man refuses to believe until there is sufficient evidence, he exhibits his love of truth; when a man still hesitates to believe when sufficient evidence is provided, he displays his hatred of truth. The title “Son of God” aroused the intense hostility of the Pharisees (ch. 5:18; 10:30, 31, 38, 39), they recognized it as signifying equality with the Father (as it really does), but Jesus accepted it as given to Him by Nathanael. If it had not properly belonged to Him, He would have rejected it as blasphemy. He knew that the Jews attached the idea of equality with God to it, yet He accepted it and commended Nathanael for bestowing it upon Him (v. 50). No mere man could honestly receive it and no Jew but a blasphemer could intentionally offer it to any one less than Jehovah. Vs. 5Q, 51. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under (rather, “underneath”) the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open (rather, “the heaven opened”), and the angels of
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