Thoughts on the Gospel of John (17) - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit! 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!
John 1:47-49

Thoughts on the Gospel of John (17)
Nathanael, the man "under the fig tree", was one of those among the people of Israel who had certain expectations of the Messiah. He was a Jew, who took things seriously. When he heard of Jesus, he wondered whether the promised Messiah could come from Nazareth. He wanted to see things for himself.

Jesus came to his aid by showing him clearly that He had a thorough knowledge of him. Nathanael was dealing with the omniscient Son of God, before whom "there is no creature hidden, but all things are naked and open" (Hebrews 4:13), even our thoughts and hearts.

The Lord gave a good report of Nathanael: no deceit - an upright person. What would Jesus Christ say of you? He knows your hidden motives. No-one is sinless, Nathanael included - that is a fact. Honesty and questions meant sincerely are the necessary pre-conditions for us to make progress in our faith.

What Nathanael heard surprised him. People normally look only at a face, but he became acquainted with the Messiah, and his prejudices disappeared as mist dissipates. He still cannot connect the Messiah with Nazareth, but his doubts have gone. He was dealing with the Son of God, who was to be the king of Israel, as the Old Testament had prophesied (Psalm 2:6.7).

(to be continued next Sunday)

Today's reading: 2 Chronicles 6:1-21 · 2 Timothy 2:14-26