John 1:35 Again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), “where are you staying?”
39 He said to them, “Come, and see.”
They came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is, being interpreted, Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter). 43 On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!” 51 He said to him, “Most certainly, I tell you all, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
When John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to two of his disciples, most likely John and Andrew, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God”, the two disciples decided to follow Jesus. Seeing them, Jesus asked them, “What do you seek?”
Men seek many things in this life; security, wealth, enjoyment, acceptance, status, knowledge, understanding, and even escape from boredom.
What do you seek in life?
John and Andrew wanted to learn more about the Lamb of God. Was he really the long-Promised Messiah, sent to save Israel? In response to their question, “Where are you staying?” Jesus invited them to come and see. After spending the day with Jesus they were convinced that he was the Messiah. Andrew invited his brother Simon Peter to join them. Jesus invited Philip and Philip, in turn, invited Nathanael saying, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Nathanael was skeptical that his friends had actually encountered the Messiah spoken about for thousands of years by the ancient prophets and balked at the invitation. He doubted that anything good, much less the Messiah promised from ancient times, could come out of Nazareth. But, out of curiosity he went with Philip. Jesus greeted Nathanael by complimenting him for his honesty in doubting that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus then authenticated his identity by explaining,
“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Are you willing to tell others about Jesus? Do you have skeptical friends and family that you would like to introduce to Jesus but are hesitant? Never fear, just like Christ saw Nathanael, Christ sees your friends. Pray that the Holy Spirit prepares their hearts to believe, like Nathanael, that Christ is the Messiah. Nathanael was amazed that Christ had seen him long before they met. But Christ assured him that believers will experience greater things than these. In Genesis 28:12 Jacob had seen a ladder extending from the earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it. But in Christ, Nathanael would see the greatest miracle of all. The gulf between earth and heaven would be permanently bridged as Christ would rise from the dead and ascend into heaven, opening the way for all who believe in him.