³⁷The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” ³⁹He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. ⁴⁰One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). ⁴²He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

⁴³The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” ⁴⁴Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸Nathanael 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.” ⁴⁹Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” ⁵⁰Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
John 1:37-51

John, to my dear friends in Christ; in John 1:37-42 we see two men who are assisting and listening to John the Baptist suddenly leave John and pursue Jesus. Their inquiry to Jesus is in such a tone to lead us to believe they wish to follow (where are you staying) and learn from Jesus (Rabbi-Teacher). After being with Jesus and hearing what John the Baptist said about Jesus, Andrew is convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and tells his brother Simon (Peter) about the Messiah.

John 1:43-51 is even more interesting, we see an exchange that occurs between Jesus and Nathanael. Jesus tells Nathanael that before Phillip called on him, that Jesus saw him under the fig tree. What was Nathanael doing under the fig tree? Based on his response we have to assume that Nathanael was doing more than daydreaming, in-fact, commentators believe Nathanael was praying to God under a specific fig tree he reserved for this very purpose. Also, his prayers had to be such that with Jesus telling him He saw him under the fig tree, that Nathanael knew, without a doubt, that Jesus was the Son of God, King of Israel. This helps to confirm the deity of Jesus since only a Prophet or God would have known what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree.

In verse 51 commentators tell us Jesus is giving us a prophecy that He will be the mediator or Jacobs ladder (Gen 28:10-17). This mediator will act as the go-between between earth and heaven, or God and man. The angels act as messengers for God doing His will. Who can do this, no other than the perfect one who will die for man's sin will earn the right to act as the go-between man and God, Jesus Himself. Awesome isn't it!

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray and thank you for the Gospel of John and the continuing encouragement I receive from it, help us to remember this always, in Jesus name I Pray, Amen.

God's Many Blessings to You,

john
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Scripture references (unless noted otherwise): New American Standard
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