John 1:43-51

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 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^[h] 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,^[i] you^[j] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’^[k] the Son of Man.”

• Genesis 25:26- Jacobs name means Deceiver
• Genesis 32:22-32- God changes Jacobs name to Israel

Genesis 28:10-22- Jacobs Dream, promise, and blessing

• Vs. 10- Jacob left Beersheba (Well of Seven)
• Vs. 11; Vs. 18- Took one of the stones under his head/ took the stone and built altar
• Vs. 12-15- A Staircase with angels ascending and descending on it
• Vs. 16- How awesome is this place!
• Vs. 19- He called the place Bethel meaning House of God

*Jacob dreamed of Gods glory where Jacob was given a promise to Israel, that through Israel/Jacobs line all descendants of earth will be blessed. Leaving the well of seven and on a single stone he received this revelation and built a pillar and called it Bethel i.e. House of God.

Zechariah 3:8-10

• Vs. 8- You are symbolic of things to come
  • High priest name is Yah-Shua (Joshua)
  • Bring His servant, the Branch (Also See Jeremiah 23:5 and Jeremiah 33:15)
  • Vs. 9- See the stone I lay before Yah-Shua! SEVEN eyes on that ONE stone (See Genesis 28:10-11 and Genesis 28:18)
  • Vs. 9- Remove the sin of this land in a single day!
• Vs. 10- In that day….
  • Neighbors will call neighbors
  • The invitation is to sit under the vine and fig tree

*There is a sign of a high priest named Jesus (see Hebrews 4:14-16), a branch (out of line of David via Jeremiah 23 and 33) to which will remove all sin in a single day. He will reveal himself as the full revelation and Bethel; and in that day neighbors will invite neighbors under the vine and fig tree.

Phillip uses Nathans to convince Nathan

Nathan Beholds….

1. Jesus what we long for
   1. Vs. 45- We have found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about…
   2. Vs. 45-46- Nathan is recruited by Phillip
   3. Zechariah 3:10- In that day, neighbors will call neighbors under the fig

*Jesus is the answer to everything we are searching for. Often, we think a spouse is what we need or more money or more success, but Jesus is the one who satisfies all our needs.

1. Jesus is the Revelation
   1. John 1:39- Come and See / John 1:46- Come and See (behold)
   2. “Come and receive revelation” means  “come and receive Jesus”
   3. Reference to Jacobs dream from the well of seven and the single stone
   4. Reference to Zechariah 3:9 with the single stone of seven eyes
   5. Reference to psalm 118:22- The Stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone

*Jesus uses what Nathan knows to reveal to Nathan what and who he does not know!

*Notice that it is Jesus who reveals, Phillip only introduces

1. Jesus is the
   1. Vs. 45- Jesus of Nazareth (Joshua), son of Joseph (righteous branch out of David)
   2. Vs. 49- Rabbi, Son of God, King of Israel (Messianic titles of expectation)
   3. Vs. 51- Jesus calls Himself Son of Man (Messianic title)
   4. Genesis 28- God makes Jacob a promise that all of mankind would be blessed through his descendants
   5. Zechariah 3:9- He will remove all sin in a single day

*Nathan was skeptical of Jesus as Messiah, but went to meet him anyway because Nathan recognized he needed a messiah and actively pursued salvation.

1. Jesus and Expectation
   1. Vs. 46- Can anything good come from Nazareth
      1. There is no working around this…Nathan is an intellectual snob at best or a bigot at worse
      2. The mind is often shaped by our surroundings
         1. Our values are shaped by our society
         2. Our idols are presented to us in our culture
         3. Our beliefs are shaped by the traditions and beliefs of our parents
   2. “Here is an Israelite without any Jacob”
      1. Jesus is not concerned with the mind, but the heart
      2. An honest heart will overpower the bias mind

*We are all NAZARETH and we are all NATHAN

Ex: My grandmother

1. Jesus is the (way) to Heaven
   1. Genesis 28:12- Stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
   2. Vs. 51- heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.
   3. Zechariah 3:9-Remove the sins of all the land in a single day
      1. The Cross!
   4. John 14:6- I am the way, truth, and life

* Jesus does not simply save us from our hell, but He also carries us to heaven.

1. Jesus is !
   1. Genesis 28:17- Jacobs dream leads him to awe (How awesome is this place!)
   2. Vs. 50- You will see greater things than that!
2. Jesus is
   1. Jacobs revelation declares that stone Bethel i.e. House of God
   2. Vs. 48- Jesus heard Nathans prayer i.e. God dwells within him…the house of God
   3. Larger context of the temple focus of Gospel of John…where God dwells

*Jacob believed Bethel was a place. Jesus shows us Bethel is a person!

Questions for Guided Discussion

1. Phillip invites Nathan to meet Jesus by using what Nathan longed for. Jesus then proves and fulfills what Nathan longed for. How can we better identify the needs of others to introduce them to Jesus? How does Jesus then meet those needs? How has He fulfilled your needs?
2. Jesus uses the dream of Jacob and vision of Zechariah to communicate Himself as the full and complete revelation of truth. Jesus also uses what Nathan knows to reveal to him what and who he does not know. How can we better use what people know to introduce them to Jesus whom they may not know?
3. Jesus revealed Himself as the promised Messiah. This mattered to Nathan because he recognized he needed a Messiah. Sometimes, we try to prove Jesus as Messiah to people whose hearts are not ready to admit they need, or are ready to receive a messiah. How can we communicate the need for a savior in an urgent, deliberate, and loving way? Share effective methods you have learned in your journey.
4. Nathans mind was not initially open to Jesus because Jesus did not meet his intellectual expectation. How has Jesus upset or exceeded your expectation in situations? Relationships? Positions? What are some of your biases? How has others held bias against you?
5. Jesus communicated to Nathan that He is the staircase to heaven. Without Jesus, you cannot connect heaven and earth. This emphasizes that we can’t simply love or admire Jesus, but that we NEED Jesus. How often do we live in the past hell Jesus saved us from but forget the joy and hope that He carries us to. Is Jesus your staircase, or only your Savior?
6. Just as Jacob saw something amazing, Jesus promised Nathan amazing things. A life with Jesus should be exciting, thrilling, and utterly amazing. Would you use those words to describe your walk with Christ now? If not, why? If so, share why.
7. Jesus also revealed to Nathan that HE IS BETHEL because God dwells in Him. Similarly, we are Bethel because the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Jacob, and by extension Nathan believed Bethel was a place. In what ways do we treat our faith as a place and not a person? How does that manifest in our practical application of our faith?