Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Thursday, January 9, 2014 Read John 1:43-51 Readers have often noticed that John tells his story in a series of progressive days. On the first day, John the Baptist is confronted by the religious leaders. On the second day, John the Baptist encounters Jesus and identifies him as the Lamb of God, the Son of God. On the third day, Andrew, Simon Peter, and an unnamed disciple begin to follow Jesus. In our reading for today, the fourth day, two more disciples are gathered. In the very next episode which begins chapter 2, a span of three more days is mentioned. That would make seven days. There are some who see a veiled reference to the seven days of creation in John’s sequence. That may be a possibility but it is likely pressing things just a bit too far. However, one thing we will confront in John’s gospel is his vast use of symbolism so such an idea may not be beyond possibility. The point is that John does not make this explicit and so we must let it remain in the realm of speculation. The sequence regarding the calling of Philip and Nathaniel as disciples of Jesus follows the same pattern. Jesus finds Philip. Philip finds Nathaniel. Questions are asked and claims are made and that wonderful invitation, “come and see” is spoken and two more followers are gathered. And more titles for Jesus are provided. When Philip tells Nathaniel that they have found the one about whom Moses had written he is once again referring to Jesus as The Prophet, a title we have already encountered. Nathaniel will repeat one title, “Son of God,” and add one more title to our list – “The King of Israel.” In some ways this is another way of speaking of the Messiah which is a kingly title too. There is one rather difficult part of John’s gospel to deal with in the encounter with Nathaniel. The reference to Jesus seeing Nathaniel under the fig tree escapes most interpreters for definitive meaning. Some say that the fig tree refers to Israel which may have some credence, but what does that mean in this context? Are we to presume that Jesus is calling Nathaniel away from his Israelite roots into something new as a follower of Jesus? Perhaps. Or, are we to simply assume that the account is a straightforward report that Jesus had visited with Nathaniel under a fig tree at some time prior to this encounter and now Nathaniel is able to respond more fully? In the end we must let some mystery remain – we just don’t know what John meant. But there is one more important feature in this story. John will lead us to understand that there are degrees of faith and that some expressions of faith are insufficient. Nathaniel’s faith is at least somewhat challenged in this story – “Do you believe because you saw? You will come to see greater things than this.” Thinking of faith as a process – a movement from the lesser, which may be insufficient, to the greater will become clearer as we move forward in John’s gospel. The encounter with Nathaniel is the first installment of this feature in John’s gospel. We will hear of some who express faith, but it is inadequate and they fall away. It is presumed that Nathaniel is not one of these. One final verse is important in this encounter. Jesus refers to Jacob’s dream when he was fleeing from his bother Esau. In that dream the angels of the LORD were ascending and descending on the ladder that stretched from heaven to earth. In fact, we are not wrong to understand that the LORD God himself descended on that ladder to bring hope and grace and promise to Jacob. As Jesus refers to this famous OT story he transforms it by saying the Jesus, himself, is the ladder. Once again we meet John’s claim that Jesus replaces OT images of grace. Jesus replaces the Passover Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God. Jesus replaces the ladder from heaven to earth bringing grace to Jacob. Jesus is the ladder from heaven to earth – and earth to heaven.