"Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him."
Nathanael was ready to dismiss Jesus as a byproduct of backwater Nazareth, from which, he believed, no good could come. When Jesus spoke this praise he seemed suspicious at first, asking, "How do you know me?", because he believed Jesus may merely have been attempting to flatter him so as to win him over. But even by this response he was proving the point of Jesus that there was no duplicity in him. He was not one to be won over merely with praise or kind words. His desire to find the messiah ran deeper than that.
Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.
When Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree he saw him in a moment of absolute sincerity, a private moment within Nathanael's heart that was, he knew, between himself and God alone. And yet Jesus saw and was aware of this desire within him. He saw Nathanael's longing for the age of the messiah, when each person would sit under his own fig tree (see Micah 4:4). Nathanael himself may not have felt that he lived up to what Jesus said about him, may have been teetering on the edge of hope or despair about this dream could be realized. It may be that Jesus spoke more in line with Nathanael's potential, with how his hope could and was in fact meant to be realized in Jesus himself. If this was the case he was calling things that were not (yet) as though they were (see Romans 4:17), speaking a new and transformed Nathanael into being, because he was able to assure him of a hope that did not disappoint (see Romans 5:5)
"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Nathanael felt so seen, so perfectly understood, that he was moved to let go of his inhibitions and confess the one who had previously seemed an implausible candidate for messiah to be the "Son of God" and the "King of Israel". This was about more than the fact that Jesus knew where he was sitting. It was that he perfectly understood the desire of his heart as only the one capable of fulfilling that desire could understand.
And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
What did it mean for Jesus to be the Son of God and the King of Israel? Nathanael no doubt had some vague idea. But whatever that idea was it would prove to be trivial compared to the reality. Jesus would bring about a union of heaven and earth, humanity and God, that transcended all expectations. No doubt hints had been given, such as the vision of Jacob where angels ascended and descended on a later as he slept and dreamed. But only in Jesus would the reality be made manifest. The age of the messiah was an age that would not be defined merely by human armies of Israel succeeding in their conquests. Rather, it would be marked by the triumph of the heavenly hosts over the power of darkness.
The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,
who is called the Devil and Satan,
who deceived the whole world,
was thrown down to earth
The throne of Jesus was one which he shared not simply with the kings of the Davidic line, but with the Ancient One. Those who ministered to him were not just men and women but all of the hosts of heaven. His ultimate triumph was brought about by his own Blood. Just as the blood of the passover sacrifice protected those in Egypt from the angel of death so too does the Blood of the Lamb avail us of the protection of the hosts of heaven. As the blood of the old sacrifice brought victory over Egypt so too does this Precious Blood of Our Lord make possible our victory over the "accuser of our brothers".
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
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