John 1:45-51 45Philip
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. 47When
Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true
Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." 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." 49Then
Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of
Israel." 50Jesus
said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You
shall see greater things than that." 51He
then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the
angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Genesis 28:12-13a 12
He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top
reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13a
There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of
your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.
Do you believe in the God revealed in Jesus of
Nazareth? Why do you believe what you believe about God? Nathanael believed
because of the miracle of being known by Jesus, but there is a greater reason
for believing, and it is greater than the influence of our family, more basic
than the Bible, more important than giving and receiving help, and more
convincing than the most brilliant argument. "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels
of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
The answer sounds a little strange to us, and I
would not be surprised if it sounded a little strange to Nathanael. But,
Nathanael knew the reference. Jesus is referring to Jacob’s dream at Bethel,
which was a moment of revelation when the veil that so often hides God from our
sight was pushed apart and Jacob had a close and personal meeting with God. The
gates of Heaven were thrown open to him. The ladder bridged the gap between
himself and God, and the angels made the connection that enabled Jacob to hear
God’s commitment to him. Jesus is saying, “In me, the gates of Heaven have been
thrown open. The ladder has come down. The connection between heaven and earth
has been made. In me, God has come to meet you in a new and special way.”
The only real reason for believing in God is a
moment of personal meeting with the living God. The family, the church, the
Bible, receiving and giving help, and rational arguments can give us the
opportunity for that meeting and they can nurture the faith that is born, but
they cannot take the place of the event when the ladder is let down and the
meeting occurs. This is the season we celebrate the Christmas events of our
lives, and celebrate the hope that we might come and behold Him, born the King
of Angels.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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