The name, Nathanael, means ‘a Gift of God’ or ‘God has Given’.
Nathanael, in the Bible, is brought to Jesus by Philip. Some scholars have equated Nathanael with Bartholomew, because the name Bartholomew always follows Philip in the Gospels, except for the Gospel of John, where Nathanael follows Philip.
Legend has it that Nathanael carried the Gospel of Matthew to India, and was crucified for Christ, upside down, in Albania. Nathanael was one of the first Twelve Disciples of Christ, and one of the first missionaries to take the Gospel to other nations.
He is referenced in the Bible in these scriptures: Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; John 1:45-49, 21:2; Acts 1:13.
John 1:47
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”
John 1:49
Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Humble Beginnings
Nathanael didn’t believe any good thing could come out of Nazareth.
Nazareth was one of those towns that we would refer to as Hicksville, the Boondocks, or a Deadend. There was not much happening in Nazareth. Nathanael cries, “Can any good thing come from Nazareth?”
Nathanael seems to have been a student of the Law. Scholars believe that when Jesus said, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip called you”, that the fig tree was used as a place to study and meditate on the Law of Moses.
Nathanael reasoned that if any Prophet or Messiah were to appear, he would not appear from a place called Nazareth.
But God seems to enjoy calling His people from places without importance, and of humble origins. I was born in a city called Rutland, and my kids say that I have been in a rut ever since. Amos was a son of a shepherd. David was the least of his family. Isaiah foretold that Jesus would be rejected and despised. (Isaiah 53:3)
The parents of Jesus were from Nazareth; and they traveled to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born in a shelter for animals.
Jesus sees in secret
When Nathanael heard Jesus speak of his character as being without guile, or without deceit, craftiness, or fraud, (Psalm 34:13) he asked Jesus how He knew him, or how did he know what was in his character or in his heart?
The fig tree was a place of meditation on God’s Word. (Joshua 1:8) Nathanael was meditating in his heart, in secret, and not to be seen of men, yet Jesus, as God in the flesh, saw him, and knew what he was doing in secret. (Matthew 6:6)
This realization that Jesus could know what was in his heart, caused Nathanael to cry out: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”
Jacob’s Ladder
Jesus went on to reveal what Nathanael evidently had been studying about: the story of Jacob, and his dream of a ladder reaching into heaven.
Jesus asked Nathanael if he believed, because of His ability to see him under the fig tree; and without waiting for an answer, Jesus proceeds to foretell that Nathanael would see the heavens opened, and angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Dying a Martyr’s Death
Remember what Stephen saw when he was stoned for his faith in Christ? He saw the heavens opened, and saw the Glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. (Acts 7:55)
There are no written records describing the death or martyrdom of Nathanael, that I know of. It is reasonable to surmise that while he was being tortured for his faith in Christ, and was hanging upside down on a cross, that he saw, as Stephen did, the heavens opened and angels ascending and descending upon Jesus Christ Himself.
Lessons from Nathanael
- Jesus sees, when no one else sees, what is in your heart; and knows the time and intensity you give to study and understand His Word.
- Jesus has a time when He will answer those questions you hold in your heart, that man cannot answer.
- Each one of us can find a fig tree in our own backyard, or a private place to spend time alone with Him.
- Each one will be led to a place of revelation, where we have the opportunity to cry out: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God!”
- Each one of us will have the heavens opened, if not during persecution and martyrdom, then at death’s door itself, where we see the angels of God descending and ascending around Jesus Christ Himself, as He commands our angels to carry us upwards to His Presence, for eternity.
Persecution is Coming
In light of all the persecution that is becoming more and more prevalent in America towards Christians for believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to God and eternal life, and in light of all the Christians who are being persecuted, tortured, and killed for their faith in Christ as Lord and God around the world; it is time for each of us to take inventory of what is in our hearts and make a new commitment to Christ as the only one who sees all and knows all and is able to forgive and grant us eternal life in His Presence.
My Son Nathanael
When my youngest son was born, we named him Nathanael, because he was unexpected; and, at the same time, he was a gift to his 11-year old sister, to his 8-year old brother, and to his mother and myself. His naming turned out to be prophetic, as we soon headed to Africa as missionaries, and Nathanael was 8 weeks old when we landed among the Malawians. They were totally drawn to him, as a white American baby; and he opened many hearts to the preaching of the Gospel! Nate has been a gift, ever since, to everyone who has known him. He is truly that Israelite in whom is no guile, with an open personality, and a tender heart toward God.
My Vision of Jacob’s Ladder
I was given a vision in 1973, while praying on the platform of our church in Maryland. In the vision, I saw a tunnel that I was stumbling through without any light. I could only find my way by feeling the walls on either side of me. As I went on for a long time like this, I suddenly realized that I saw a pinpoint of light coming from way up ahead of me. I quickened my pace, while still keeping my hands on the walls. The further I went, the stronger the light became, until I realized that the light was Jesus Christ Himself. I was so transfixed on Him that I took my hands off the walls and quickened my pace all the more, until suddenly I saw that He was floating in the sky, and ascending upwards. My eyes were so fixated on Him that I was not looking down to see where my feet were going, and I felt myself stepping out into thin air. I quickly withdrew my foot, and took my eyes off of Christ, and look down. I saw a city below me with modern buildings; and I saw angels on either side of a golden escalator carrying souls from out of the city into heaven. As I followed these souls and angels with my eyes going upward, I saw Jesus in the heavens, smiling at me as He received these souls into His Presence. I looked down, to see that there were angels ascending up on one side of the escalator, with souls, while there were angels descending back down on the other side, protecting them and going back to the city to escort more.
Your Secret Place is your Fig Tree – Expect Revelation, Protection, and Deliverance
The platform of the church became my fig tree: my place of prayer and meditation, my House of God, or Bethel, as Jacob experienced. Each of us will have some place and time in our lives where Christ seeks to make Himself known to us, as He did to Nathanael. It is very important, as we enter into the last days before Christ’s return, that we understand that He wants to ‘gift’ us with a Nathanael character; and that we need to practice more and more, the discipline of spending time alone with His Word, in meditation, for we do not know what we will have to face in way of persecution for our faith in Him before it all wraps up. Only if we have emptied ourselves of all deceit, and empower ourselves with His living Spirit filled Word, will we be under the ‘fig tree’ to hear His voice, and have our eyes opened to Him sitting at the right hand of His Father, with angels ascending and descending around Him and escorting us wherever we need to trod.