Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Praying Against the Wicked

Have You Been Under A Fig Tree Lately?

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2020-04-19

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver explores the encounter between Jesus and Nathanael in John 1, focusing on Jesus' statement that He saw Nathanael under the fig tree. He highlights the significance of figs in Scripture, the omniscience of Christ, and the importance of private devotion. The message challenges believers to examine the sincerity of their hearts and to maintain a consistent, secret place of prayer and meditation.

[John Weaver] John, chapter one, John, chapter one. And let's be in reading there, if you would, please. John one. John chapter one. And notice, if you would please, beginning with verse 43. The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee and find it Philip and said unto him, follow me. Now, Philip was up at Seda, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Nathanael said unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou?

[John Weaver] Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see the heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. The title of the message is, Have you been under a fig tree lately? Fig trees were very common in the land of Israel in the days of our Lord. Figs were considered a very important part of the diet during biblical times. And I would also say that figs are a very important part of my diet because figs happens to be one of my favorite foods. I watch our fig trees constantly and every time they start to bud out every spring, I would let Alice know, well, the fig trees are budding out. And once that starts, I keep watching them because I want to be the one who gets those first ripe figs because they're usually very big and very juicy. And I think that dried figs, fig preserves, fig conserve, fig cakes are all delicious. And although I like pear preserves and maybe some others as well, Fig preserves are still my favorite.

[John Weaver] And of course, Alice can make strawberry preserves out of fig preserves. And I just love figs, I suppose. I'm sure that you remember that cluster of grapes that the spies brought back from the Valley of Eshkol because it took two men to carry one cluster on a pole. But there might be something that you missed when you read that passage in Numbers chapter 13 in verse 23. Let me read it to you. And they came to the brook Eshkol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they buried between two upon a staff, and they brought of the pomegranates and of the figs. So it was not just the grapes that they brought, pomegranates and figs as well. And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness of Zin, they were complaining and they said this, in Numbers 20 in verse five, they complained to Moses and said, wherefore have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us into this evil place? It is no place of seed or of figs.

[John Weaver] or of vines or of pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink." So once again they were complaining about the fact there was just no figs available. And I don't know if you remember how David and his men kept the sheep of Nabal, and when he was shearing those sheep, he sent some of his men and asked for an offering to kind of rejoiced with them in all that God had done for them. And, of course, Nabal then reproached David's servants and sent them away empty. And when Abigail, his wife, heard what had happened, she took matters into her own hand because she knew that Nabal, as his name was, was indeed a fool. And so she made up a gift to carry to David and his men in order to pacify them. So in 1 Samuel 25 and verse 18, The Bible says, then Abigail made haste and took 200 loaves and two bottles of wine and five sheep ready dressed and five measures of parched corn, a hundred clusters of raisins and 200 cakes of figs.

[John Weaver] So they had a lot to eat and a lot to rejoice with. I don't know if you remember when the Amalekites raided Ziklag and Ziklag was given to David. His wives were there. His family was there and also the families of his men. But the Amalekites raided Ziklag, burned it with fire and took all of the inhabitants of Ziklag. So David and 400 of his men were chasing after them in order to get back their families and their properties well.

[John Weaver] And they found an Egyptian slave that was wandering around in the desert. The Egyptian slave had been a slave to one of the Amalekites. He'd become sick. And so they just simply left him to die. But he did not die. So the Bible tells us in In 1st Samuel chapter 30 and verse 12, when they found this Egyptian slave and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he'd eaten, his spirit came again to him for he'd eaten no bread and drunk no water for three days and three nights. So it was cakes, cakes of figs and raisins that restored his spirit. I don't know if you have thought about this or not, but figs may even be used medicinally.

[John Weaver] Especially under and with the blessing of God, because when Isaiah confronted Hezekiah, he told him, set your house in order for you shall die and not live. But Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept. And God said, all right. I'm gonna add 15 years to his life and so Isaiah went back in to see Hezekiah and he said this in 2nd Kings 20 verse 7 and Isaiah said take a lump of figs and they took and laid it upon the boil and he recovered so it was figs it was placed upon the boil of Hezekiah that enabled him to recover. I want you to hold John 1 we're certainly coming back there but I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 8 and And verse 13, because an interesting thing is whenever God judged a land, one of the aspects of his judgment was that the fig trees and

[John Weaver] the vineyards did not bear fruit. So in the book of Jeremiah, chapter eight, look, if you would please there at verse 13 and notice what the Bible says, Jeremiah eight and verse 13. God says, I will surely consume them, saith the Lord. There shall be no grapes on the vine or figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them. So obviously God is judging them. And he says there's not going to be any grapes on the vine, nor are there going to be any figs on the fig trees. On the other hand, The fullness of God's blessings are demonstrated by an abundance of grapes and an abundance of figs. So if you will turn back to first Kings chapter four, first Kings chapter four, and you're going to see God's blessings under King Solomon. Notice if you would first Kings chapter four and verse 25, the Bible says this, And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba all the days of Solomon.

[John Weaver] So Dan was the farthest most tribe in the north and Beersheba the southernmost city in the south. And so they all prospered by sitting every man under his vine and every man under his own fig tree.

[John Weaver] Now, if you would turn to the little book of Micah, And look in chapter 4 and verse 4. In fact, we'll read verses 1 through 4. You're going to see that the plenteousness of figs and grapes are also emblematical of the millennial reign of our Lord. So look at it beginning with verse 1 of Micah chapter 4. Micah 4 verse 1. The scripture says, but in the last days, it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills and people shall flow into it. And many nations shall come and say, come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.

[John Weaver] He will teach us of his ways. And we will walk in his paths, for the law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people and rebuke strong nations afar off. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. Now watch. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.

[John Weaver] So obviously there is a great deal of figs in the Bible. I hope you remember that our Lord also used the fig tree in parables in the Bible, and he also used the fig tree as a visual lesson in the Bible as well.

[John Weaver] Now, when you look in John chapter one, in the context, our Lord is calling to himself his disciples. Initially, two of these disciples heard John the Baptist speak. For instance, look, if you would, in John chapter one and verse thirty five. The Bible says again the next day after John stood and two of his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold, the Lamb of God. Now watch carefully. And the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and saw them following and said unto them, what seek ye?

[John Weaver] They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say being interpreted, master, where dwellest thou? I want you to watch his invitation. He said unto them, come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt and abode with him that day for it was about the 10th hour.

[John Weaver] Now, what happened next is very plain. Watch carefully. One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. So look at verses 41 and 42. He first finded his own brother, Simon, and said unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which by interpretation is a stone. So now Andrew has found his brother Simon. Look what happens the next day in verses 43 and 44. The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee and findeth Philip and saith unto him, follow me. Now, Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

[John Weaver] So now, you notice how our Lord is gathering his disciples around him. If you look now in verse 45, after Philip has come to Christ, Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, we have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Now let me just point out the fact, first of all, our Lord gave the invitation in verse 39 to Andrew and the other disciple, come and see. Now, Philip is giving this invitation to Nathanael, come But I want you to note, if you would please, when Philip invited Nathanael, Nathanael said in verse 46, he asked this question, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? So you'd have to ask yourself, why did he ask that question?

[John Weaver] What could possibly have been in his mind? Well, the answer as to why you ask, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? It's basically because there's absolutely no prophecy in the Old Testament concerning Nazareth. In fact, if you look in your Bibles to the book of Matthew, chapter two and verse twenty three, you will find this passage. But may I point out that this passage was not written at this particular time. Notice if you would, Matthew chapter two and verse 23, the Bible says concerning Jesus Christ. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene. Now I want you to hold this verse, hold this passage. Let me point out the fact When Nathaniel asked, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? He did not know Matthew two in verse twenty three. There was no prophecy in the Old Testament about Jesus Christ coming out of Nazareth. In fact, I'm going to say this.

[John Weaver] Nathaniel knew his Old Testament. Because in Micah chapter five in verse two, the scripture says, but thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto thee. That is to be the ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been of old from everlasting. So he knew that the Messiah was to come out of Bethlehem.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in John chapter seven, John chapter seven. And I want you to see how this continues among these people. John seven. Let's begin reading there with verse 40. John seven, verse 40. Many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying that is the teaching of Jesus Christ, said of a truth, this is the prophet. Others said this is the Christ, that is, this is the Messiah. But others said, shall Christ come out of Galilee? Had not the scripture said that Christ come at the seat of David and out of the town of Bethlehem where David was? Now, interestingly, it says, shall Christ come out of Galilee? Galilee was in that northern region. Nazareth was a town in Galilee. There was a sea of Galilee, that whole region there was called Galilee. Now, so Nathanael asks, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? And Philip requires, or not requires, but requests that he come and see. Now, I want you to look back to Matthew 2, if you would, and verse 23.

[John Weaver] Let me show you something. In Matthew 2 and verse 23, the Bible is speaking particularly about Jesus Christ. And I just pointed out that there is no specific Old Testament passage that refers about Nazareth. But if you look in Matthew 2 and verse 23, and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene. So there is no specific passage and no specific prophecy. But yet the Bible says, which was spoken by the prophets.

[John Weaver] I want you to notice that is plural. So it means more than one spoke about it.

[John Weaver] Now, Interestingly, the word Nazareth means a shoot or a stem or a branch. Let me give you just one little quote, then we're going to look at some scriptures. In the Jamin Foster Brown commentary, you read this paragraph. The best explanation of the origin of this name appears to be that which traces it to the word, the Hebrew word netzer. In Isaiah 11 verse one, which we'll look at just for a moment, which means the spoil, the small twig sprout or sucker, which the prophet says there says shall come for from the stem or rather the stump of Jesse. the branch which should fructify from his roots. The little town of Nazareth, mentioned neither in the Old Testament or in Josephus, was probably so called from its insignificance as a weak twig in contrast to a stately tree and held in special contempt that seemed to rest upon it. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? So, the commentary is saying that the Hebrew word in Isaiah 11 means twig, sprout, or sucker.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 11, then we're going to go to the book of Zechariah. Zechariah is right before the book of Malachi. We'll look in Isaiah chapter 11, and notice if you would please verse 1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, or there shall come forth a branch, or there shall come forth a twig, or there shall come forth a sucker out of the stem of Jesse, or the root of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, or out of the stump of Jesse.

[John Weaver] Now, if you've ever cut down a tree, and I've cut down plenty of trees, And interestingly enough, you can cut down a little oak tree or any kind of tree and you think, well, it's dead. It's gone. It's over with. And you just wait a little while and hear little suckers or little stems coming up out of that stump. And the tree is going to grow again.

[John Weaver] So this is what he's talking about. There is a twig or a branch coming up out of the stump. David is gone, but he who comes up from David is not gone. Okay.

[John Weaver] Now look in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah, Zechariah chapter three. Remember it's the next to the last book in the old Testament, Zechariah chapter three. Notice if you would please verse eight, Zechariah three in verse eight. The Bible says, Hear now, O Joshua, the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee, for they are men wondered at, for behold, I will bring forth my servant, the branch. Then if you'll look in Zechariah six and verse twelve. And speak on him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is the branch. and he shall go up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord." Well, we know that Jesus Christ is the branch. Jesus Christ builds the true temple of God. Thus, actually, Isaiah and Zechariah, and possibly David also, even spoke of Jesus Christ in this sense, because Jesus Christ is the true root, the true stem, and the true branch that was prophesied. And so, when Jesus Christ told Andrew and the other disciples, come and see, Nathaniel asking any good thing come out of Nazareth.

[John Weaver] He says, well, just come and see, come investigate for yourself, come and find out for yourself. That's exactly what we did.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to John chapter one, because Nathaniel now is coming to investigate. He's taking up Philip's offer to come and see. So notice, if you would please, what happens in verse 47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just stop right there. This statement is a remarkable testimony concerning the life of Nathanael, especially since it comes from Jesus Christ. May I remind you that the Jews, gloried in the fact that they were descendants of Abraham, even though they did not possess the faith of Abraham and did not do the works of Abraham. In fact, most of them were absolutely degenerate and had no faith at all.

[John Weaver] Do you remember when they came to the baptism of John the Baptist in Matthew chapter three and verse nine? Here's what John told them. And think not to say within yourselves that we have Abraham to our father, for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham." He says, don't come boasting of your lineage to Abraham. No, it means nothing because you don't have the faith of Abraham.

[John Weaver] Neither do you have his works. If you look in John chapter eight, John chapter eight, begin there with verse 39. You'll see it again. John eight verse 39. Our Lord is speaking to them and look what he says. They answered and said unto him that is to Jesus Christ. Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, if you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.

[John Weaver] But now you seek to kill me. A man that has told you the truth, which I've heard of God. This did not Abraham. And of course he goes on down in verse 44 and says, you were of your father, the devil. You're not the children of Abraham. You're the children of the devil. So they boasted. Very clearly of their lineage, but that did not mean that they were the true sons of Abraham.

[John Weaver] Now, if you would turn in your Bible, hold John one, but turn in your Bible to the book of Romans chapter two. I want you to see what the apostle Paul says, and you can understand this now, I believe in light of what our Lord said about Nathanael when he said, behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Anytime you see the word Jew here, it is Judas, which means a Judahite, someone from the tribe of Judah or someone who lived in the southern kingdom, which was Judea. He says in verse 28, for he is not a Jew who is one outwardly.

[John Weaver] Neither is is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh. So just because you could claim descent from Abraham and had been physically circumcised, he says that does not make you a true Judahite. Verse twenty nine. But he is a Judahite, which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of a heart in the spirit and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God. So he says the true Judahite is someone who really possesses the faith of Abraham and consequently does the work of Abraham. So our Lord then looks at him and says.

[John Weaver] Behold, an Israelite, indeed, in whom is no guile, so evidently Nathaniel was the exception to the rule in the sense that he was totally different from all of these other people. He walked in the steps of Abraham. He followed in the faith of Abraham. He did the works of Abraham. He was not deceitful. He was not hypocritical. And it was evidenced by the fact that he did indeed trust in the one true, the living God. Now, so go back to John chapter one, because in verse 47, Jesus sees Nathanael coming to him and he says, behold, an Israelite Indeed, in whom is no guile? Hmm. When our Lord made that statement and Nathanael heard it, in verse 48, Nathanael said to him, Whence knowest thou me? In other words, we've never met before.

[John Weaver] How do you know me? How do you know that I'm an Israelite in whom is no guile? I mean, obviously somebody starts speaking to you, whom you've never met. You want to know how they knew you. So he asked, how do you know me? Look in verse 48. Jesus answered and said to him before that Philip called thee, when thou was under the fig tree, I saw thee. Now I want you to notice something. Jesus Christ did not call Nathaniel by name. Why did he not call Nathaniel by name? Why did he not say, Nathaniel, I know you.

[John Weaver] I think there's a very obvious reason. He could have surmised if he had called him directly by name that Philip probably had told him that he was going to invite Nathaniel to come. And he could surmise that. Certainly our Lord, being God in the flesh, is omniscient. He knew Nathaniel's name, yet he did not call his name. Rather, he identified him by his character. Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] Hold John 1, but look back in your Bibles to Psalm 32. Psalm 32 at verses one and two. Psalm 32 verses one and two. Look at what the scripture says. Psalm 32 verse one. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man in whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and whose spirit there is no guile, no hypocrisy, no deceitfulness, no insincerity. He's just as pure.

[John Weaver] Untruthful and honest as he could be. Now, when our Lord then said. Behold, an Israelite indeed, whom is no guile. The first thing Nathaniel asks is, how do you know me? We've never met before. And our Lord says, before that Philip called thee, when thou was under the fig tree, I saw thee. Wow. What our Lord is saying is, Nathaniel, I know you. I know your faith. I know your character. I know everything about you. Our Lord is revealing to Nathanael his omniscience. He said, now watch what he said in verse 40, before that Philip called thee. In other words, he knew already that Philip had invited him to come to see him. He also knew not just of the invitation, but the objection that Nathanael had raised Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? He knew everything that had transpired between Philip and Nathanael. And then he says this, look in verse 48, before the Philip called the, when that was under the fig tree, I saw the.

[John Weaver] I want you to pay close attention to this. Our Lord did not say before that Philip called the when that was under a fig tree. I saw the there were multitudes of fig trees in Israel. We have a half a dozen or more in our yard. No, it is a specific fig tree, the Greek is tēnēsēkēnē. Literally, look what he says in verse 48, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under THE fig tree. That is a particular, specific fig tree. Our Lord knew where Nathanael was. He knew where that fig tree was that He was under. He knew everything about Nathanael. Fig trees are not only leafy and beautiful and aromatic and cool. And so here was one specific fig tree that Nathaniel often resorted to for prayer, for meditation, for Bible study. And so our Lord is saying, look, Nathaniel, I only know your name. I know the deepest recesses of your heart. I know everything about you.

[John Weaver] Do you realize that godly men usually have a certain place where they pray and meditate? Have you ever thought about that? Everybody knows that Judas betrayed our Lord. But the question has to be asked, how did Judas know where Jesus Christ was in order to betray him? Well, look in your Bibles at John chapter 18, and look, if you would please, at verse 2. John 18. Let's read verse 1 and 2. John 18, verse 1. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Sedron, where was a garden into which he entered and his disciples, watch verse two, and Judas also, who betrayed him, knew the place. For Jesus oft times retorted thither with his disciples. So our Lord had a specific place to pray. And Judas knew exactly where that was. So godly men, men of faith are consistent in their prayer, their study, their meditation of the scriptures. And many times they have special times as well as special places that they frequent for spiritual activity. It is their closet.

[John Weaver] It is their chosen place to be with the Lord. Now I'm going to tell you, I think, that there is a hint given to us in this verse concerning the specific truth that Nathanael was meditating upon under the fig tree. And I believe that Nathanael understood the implication. In fact, he had to understand it because look what he said in verse 49. Now watch it. Let's read 48 and then 49. Nathanael said to him, Which knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said to him, Before that Philip called thee when thou was under the big tree, I saw thee. Nathaniel answered and said to him, Rabbi, thou art the son of God. Thou art the king of Israel. Isn't that interesting? The answer of Jesus Christ immediately removed all doubt and indecision from Nathaniel, and he immediately confessed that Jesus Christ was the king of Israel, the son of God and the Messiah. Well, all this shows you is that God had already worked in the heart of Nathaniel.

[John Weaver] For instance, I want you to turn to two passages, whole John chapter one, but going your Bibles to the book of Matthew 11. And notice, if you would please, verse 27, Matthew 11 and verse 27. Look what our Lord says, Matthew 11 and verse 27. He says, all things are delivered unto me and my father. And no man knoweth the son, but the father. Neither knoweth any man the father, save the son, and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him.

[John Weaver] Now, the only way anyone can savingly know God the father is that there has to be a revelation of the father by Jesus Christ. The only way that anyone can know Jesus Christ savingly is the father has to reveal him. So what is Nathaniel doing? He's confessing that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He's confessing that he's the Messiah. He's confessing that he's the king of Israel. God evidently had revealed to him in his heart who Jesus Christ was.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you. Turn right on over to Matthew 16. Look at Matthew 16. And let's begin reading there with verse 13, Matthew 16 and verse 13. Watch. When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the son of man, am? And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, but whom say ye that I am? Watch, and Simon Peter answered and said, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. Now watch closely, verse 17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for thou hast figured this thing out, but no one else could do so. Thou art smarter than all men.

[John Weaver] Is that what that says? No. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. He said, the only reason you know who I am is God revealed it to you. God showed it to you. So when Nathaniel is confessing that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, he's saying that God the father has opened his eyes and he has revealed the son of God to him.

[John Weaver] Now, here's the hint that I think that our Lord gave us that we might possibly at least guesstimate. What Nathaniel was thinking about under that fig tree. If you'll look in verses 50 and 51, after Nathaniel makes this confession, Jesus answered and said unto him, because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree. Again, it's the thee in front, it's a certain fig tree. Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these.

[John Weaver] And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. Now, why would Jesus Christ mention angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man? Could it be that under the fig tree, Nathaniel had been reading and meditating upon Genesis 28? I want you to hold John 1, but turn back in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 28. And let's begin reading there with verse 10.

[John Weaver] Jacob is fleeing to Haran. And he has to stop and rest and spend the night. And something really happens that is extraordinary. And Genesis 28 verse 10, the Bible says, and Jacob went from Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place and tarried there all night because the sun was set. And he took the stones of that place and put them for his pillows. And he lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed and behold, a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, my father, and the God of Isaac, the land whereon thou lies to thee will I give it and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth.

[John Weaver] And thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee and will keep thee in all places where thou goest. And I will bring thee again into this land, for I will not leave thee until I have done of that which I have spoken thee of.

[John Weaver] And Jacob awaked out of his sleep and said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. And he was afraid and said, how dreadful or that is how awful or how marvelous is this place? This is none other but the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. And what did he see? He saw the ladder. Angels ascending and descending and God speaking, what did our Lord say in John chapter one? Go back there.

[John Weaver] Look at it in, if you would please, there in verse 50. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw the end of the fig tree, believest thou? Now watch. Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see heaven open, just like Jacob, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of man. God promised Nathaniel that he would see greater things than these. Those who believe always see greater things than those who are filled with unbelief. So.

[John Weaver] Here's the question that I want to ask you today. Have you been under a fig tree lately? Let me explain what I mean by that question. Has the Lord observed you in a special place of prayer, study, meditation? Do you have a special place where you read the scripture? Think about it and pray. I want you to note something. This text teaches us. That our Lord not only takes note of our devotions, our private worship, he also takes note of the sincerity and the genuineness of our hearts. He knows what's really and truly in our hearts. He knows whether we're being honest or deceitful.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make some applications and try to tie this together for you. First of all, Jesus Christ sees us where we are and what we do, even when we do not see him. He sees our hearts. He knows whether or not our hearts are single or double, plain or false and deceitful. I've always said, you know, When it comes to prayer, you might as well be honest with God because He already knows what's in your heart anyhow. There have been times that I've prayed that I've had to say to Him, Lord, I just don't feel like praying. Have there ever been times in your life you haven't felt like praying? And what about times in your life that you wanted to pray, but you had no idea what to pray for?

[John Weaver] In Romans 8, the Bible says the spirit knoweth our infirmities and he helpeth our infirmities for he makes intercession for us with the groanings which cannot be uttered. Sometimes the Holy Spirit prays in us and through us and for us, even when we don't even know what to pray for. I mean, let's be honest. The Bible tells us very clearly that God knows what is in our hearts. He is omniscient.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 4 and look if you would please at verses 12 and 13. This is why I'm telling you we might as well be honest with God in prayer anyhow. If we're cold, we need to ask him to stir our spirits. If we're lethargic, we need to ask him to wake us up and motivate us and move us. to some holy exercise. But notice, if you would, Hebrews 4, verse 12.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. Now look, neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight, But all things are naked and open in the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." You can fool God. You can fool man. You can fool preachers. But you can't fool Him. The Bible says in Proverbs 15 and verse 3, the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good. God sees. God sees.

[John Weaver] So we need to learn that we have to be honest with him wherever we are and whatever we're doing. The second application I want to give you is from Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry sums up Nathaniel's confession in this one simple paragraph. Listen to what he says. First, he confesses Christ's prophetical office and calling him rabbi, a title which the Jews commonly gave to their teachers. Christ is the great rabbi at whose feet we must all be brought up.

[John Weaver] Secondly, he confesses his divine nature and mission in calling him the son of God, though he had but a human form and aspect, yet having a divine knowledge, the knowledge of the heart, of things distant and secret, Nathanael then concludes him to be the son of God. Thirdly, he confesses thou art the king of Israel, that king of Israel whom we have been long waiting for. Now, here's the thought. When Jesus Christ saw Nathanael coming.

[John Weaver] He said, behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Lord, how do you know me? Oh, Nathaniel, before that Philip called thee, I saw thee when thou was under the fig tree. So here's my question. If Jesus Christ judged us. By our private devotions. And the genuineness and sincerity of our hearts. Where would we stand before him? Think about that. Our Lord said to Nathanael, I know you, I know everything about you.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something. What we are in secret before God is what we really truly are. It's not the profession that we make before everybody else. You remember those Pharisees? They love to pray in the open so that people would see them pray. They love to give alms so that people would see them give alms. They love the chief place seats in the synagogue. They wanted to be high and honored. No, no, no.

[John Weaver] Our Lord, our Lord knows all of that. What we are is not what we are out in public, but what we are in secret. Character is what a man is in the dark. If you would tell me what you would do if you knew that no one else would ever find out about it, I'll tell you exactly what you are. You say, boy, if I knew nobody would ever find out about it, I'd go down that bank and I'd steal everything in it. You're a thief. If I knew nobody would ever find out about it, I'd run off with old sister so-and-so. You're an adulterer. If I knew nobody would ever find out about it, I'd take my vengeance out on that man. You're a murderer. Character is what a man is in the dark. And our Lord is saying our spirituality is what we are in our devotions before him, not what we do out in public. May I remind you that our Lord himself demands secret devotions.

[John Weaver] You know what he said in Matthew 6 and verse 6? Listen carefully. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou has shut the door, pray to thy father in secret, and thy father who seeth thee in secret Shall we reward the openly? So the question has to be asked. Where is your fig tree? And have you been under it lately? You need to read the Bible every day. You need to pray every day. You need to meditate every day.

[John Weaver] You may not have time to spend hours in study, but I can assure you, you have time to read a chapter or two chapters, or you have time to read several verses and at least just think about those verses. God expects us to have our own particular fig tree. And you need to have it. and stay under it. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to you this day.

[John Weaver] We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. Lord, help us to worship thee privately as well as publicly. Help us to love thee, Lord. To study your word, to think upon it, to meditate upon it. And give us, Lord, your grace and your mercy. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] so

Have You Been Under A Fig Tree Lately?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	5ciPtZ44pZA
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Praying Against the Wicked
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-04-19
Dictation Name
Book	Book 137: Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations - Volume 2 — Chapter 34
Source Timed Segments	66

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Reading of John 1:43-51, the account of Jesus calling Philip and Nathanael.

John, chapter one. John, chapter one. And let's be in reading there, if you would, please. John one. John chapter one. And notice, if you would please, beginning with verse 43.

Scripture Reading — John 1:43-51

The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee and findeth Philip and saith unto him, Follow me. Now, Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Nathanael said unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou?

The Significance of Figs in the Bible

Figs were a common and important food in Israel, used in various biblical narratives, and symbolize blessing or judgment.

Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see the heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. The title of the message is, Have you been under a fig tree lately? Fig trees were very common in the land of Israel in the days of our Lord. Figs were considered a very important part of the diet during biblical times. And I would also say that figs are a very important part of my diet because figs happen to be one of my favorite foods. I watch our fig trees constantly and every time they start to bud out every spring, I would let Alice know, well, the fig trees are budding out. And once that starts, I keep watching them because I want to be the one who gets those first ripe figs because they're usually very big and very juicy. And I think that dried figs, fig preserves, fig conserve, fig cakes are all delicious. And although I like pear preserves and maybe some others as well, fig preserves are still my favorite.

And of course, Alice can make strawberry preserves out of fig preserves. And I just love figs, I suppose. I'm sure that you remember that cluster of grapes that the spies brought back from the Valley of Eshcol because it took two men to carry one cluster on a pole. But there might be something that you missed when you read that passage in Numbers chapter 13 in verse 23. Let me read it to you. And they came to the brook Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff, and they brought of the pomegranates and of the figs. So it was not just the grapes that they brought, pomegranates and figs as well. And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness of Zin, they were complaining and they said this, in Numbers 20 in verse five, they complained to Moses and said, Wherefore have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us into this evil place? It is no place of seed or of figs.

or of vines or of pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink." So once again they were complaining about the fact there was just no figs available. And I don't know if you remember how David and his men kept the sheep of Nabal, and when he was shearing those sheep, he sent some of his men and asked for an offering to kind of rejoice with them in all that God had done for them. And, of course, Nabal then reproached David's servants and sent them away empty. And when Abigail, his wife, heard what had happened, she took matters into her own hand because she knew that Nabal, as his name was, was indeed a fool. And so she made up a gift to carry to David and his men in order to pacify them. So in 1 Samuel 25 and verse 18, the Bible says, Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two bottles of wine and five sheep ready dressed and five measures of parched corn, a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs.

So they had a lot to eat and a lot to rejoice with. I don't know if you remember when the Amalekites raided Ziklag and Ziklag was given to David. His wives were there. His family was there and also the families of his men. But the Amalekites raided Ziklag, burned it with fire and took all of the inhabitants of Ziklag. So David and four hundred of his men were chasing after them in order to get back their families and their properties. And they found an Egyptian slave that was wandering around in the desert. The Egyptian slave had been a slave to one of the Amalekites. He'd become sick. And so they just simply left him to die. But he did not die. So the Bible tells us in 1st Samuel chapter 30 and verse 12, when they found this Egyptian slave and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he'd eaten, his spirit came again to him for he'd eaten no bread and drunk no water for three days and three nights. So it was cakes of figs and raisins that restored his spirit. I don't know if you have thought about this or not, but figs may even be used medicinally.

Especially under and with the blessing of God, because when Isaiah confronted Hezekiah, he told him, Set your house in order for you shall die and not live. But Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept. And God said, All right. I'm gonna add fifteen years to his life. And so Isaiah went back in to see Hezekiah and he said this in 2nd Kings 20 verse 7, And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it upon the boil and he recovered. So it was figs that was placed upon the boil of Hezekiah that enabled him to recover. I want you to hold John 1, we're certainly coming back there, but I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 13, because an interesting thing is whenever God judged a land, one of the aspects of his judgment was that the fig trees and

the vineyards did not bear fruit. So in the book of Jeremiah, chapter eight, look, if you would please there at verse 13 and notice what the Bible says, Jeremiah eight and verse 13. God says, I will surely consume them, saith the Lord. There shall be no grapes on the vine or figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them. So obviously God is judging them. And he says there's not going to be any grapes on the vine, nor are there going to be any figs on the fig trees. On the other hand, the fullness of God's blessings are demonstrated by an abundance of grapes and an abundance of figs. So if you will turn back to first Kings chapter four, first Kings chapter four, and you're going to see God's blessings under King Solomon. Notice if you would first Kings chapter four and verse 25, the Bible says this, And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba all the days of Solomon.

So Dan was the farthest most tribe in the north and Beersheba the southernmost city in the south. And so they all prospered by sitting every man under his vine and every man under his own fig tree. Now, if you would turn to the little book of Micah, and look in chapter 4 and verse 4. In fact, we'll read verses 1 through 4. You're going to see that the plenteousness of figs and grapes are also emblematical of the millennial reign of our Lord. So look at it beginning with verse 1 of Micah chapter 4. Micah 4 verse 1. The scripture says, But in the last days, it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills and people shall flow into it. And many nations shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us of his ways. And we will walk in his paths, for the law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people and rebuke strong nations afar off. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. Now watch. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.

So obviously there is a great deal of figs in the Bible. I hope you remember that our Lord also used the fig tree in parables in the Bible, and he also used the fig tree as a visual lesson in the Bible as well.

The Calling of the First Disciples

Jesus calls Andrew, Peter, and Philip; Philip invites Nathanael, who questions if anything good can come from Nazareth.

Now, when you look in John chapter one, in the context, our Lord is calling to himself his disciples. Initially, two of these disciples heard John the Baptist speak. For instance, look, if you would, in John chapter one and verse thirty five. The Bible says again the next day after John stood and two of his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold, the Lamb of God. Now watch carefully. And the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and saw them following and said unto them, What seek ye?

They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? I want you to watch his invitation. He said unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt and abode with him that day for it was about the tenth hour.

Now, what happened next is very plain. Watch carefully. One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. So look at verses 41 and 42. He first findeth his own brother, Simon, and said unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which by interpretation is a stone. So now Andrew has found his brother Simon. Look what happens the next day in verses 43 and 44. The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee and findeth Philip and saith unto him, Follow me. Now, Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

So now, you notice how our Lord is gathering his disciples around him. If you look now in verse 45, after Philip has come to Christ, Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Now let me just point out the fact, first of all, our Lord gave the invitation in verse 39 to Andrew and the other disciple, Come and see. Now, Philip is giving this invitation to Nathanael, Come and see. But I want you to note, if you would please, when Philip invited Nathanael, Nathanael said in verse 46, he asked this question, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? So you'd have to ask yourself, why did he ask that question?

Nathanael's Skepticism and the Prophecy of Nazareth

Nathanael knew the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem, not Nazareth; the name Nazareth means 'branch,' connecting to messianic prophecies.

What could possibly have been in his mind? Well, the answer as to why you ask, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? It's basically because there's absolutely no prophecy in the Old Testament concerning Nazareth. In fact, if you look in your Bibles to the book of Matthew, chapter two and verse twenty three, you will find this passage. But may I point out that this passage was not written at this particular time. Notice if you would, Matthew chapter two and verse 23, the Bible says concerning Jesus Christ. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene. Now I want you to hold this verse, hold this passage. Let me point out the fact when Nathanael asked, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? He did not know Matthew two in verse twenty three. There was no prophecy in the Old Testament about Jesus Christ coming out of Nazareth. In fact, I'm going to say this.

Nathanael knew his Old Testament. Because in Micah chapter five in verse two, the scripture says, But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been of old from everlasting. So he knew that the Messiah was to come out of Bethlehem. Now, I want you to look in John chapter seven, John chapter seven. And I want you to see how this continues among these people. John seven. Let's begin reading there with verse 40. John seven, verse 40. Many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying, that is the teaching of Jesus Christ, said of a truth, This is the prophet. Others said, This is the Christ, that is, this is the Messiah. But others said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Had not the scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David and out of the town of Bethlehem where David was? Now, interestingly, it says, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Galilee was in that northern region. Nazareth was a town in Galilee. There was a sea of Galilee, that whole region there was called Galilee. Now, so Nathanael asks, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? And Philip requires, or not requires, but requests that he come and see. Now, I want you to look back to Matthew 2, if you would, and verse 23.

Let me show you something. In Matthew 2 and verse 23, the Bible is speaking particularly about Jesus Christ. And I just pointed out that there is no specific Old Testament passage that refers about Nazareth. But if you look in Matthew 2 and verse 23, And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene. So there is no specific passage and no specific prophecy. But yet the Bible says, which was spoken by the prophets.

I want you to notice that is plural. So it means more than one spoke about it. Now, interestingly, the word Nazareth means a shoot or a stem or a branch. Let me give you just one little quote, then we're going to look at some scriptures. In the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary, you read this paragraph. The best explanation of the origin of this name appears to be that which traces it to the word, the Hebrew word netzer. In Isaiah 11 verse one, which we'll look at just for a moment, which means the spoil, the small twig sprout or sucker, which the prophet says there shall come forth from the stem or rather the stump of Jesse, the branch which should fructify from his roots. The little town of Nazareth, mentioned neither in the Old Testament or in Josephus, was probably so called from its insignificance as a weak twig in contrast to a stately tree and held in special contempt that seemed to rest upon it. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? So, the commentary is saying that the Hebrew word in Isaiah 11 means twig, sprout, or sucker.

Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 11, then we're going to go to the book of Zechariah. Zechariah is right before the book of Malachi. We'll look in Isaiah chapter 11, and notice if you would please verse 1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, or there shall come forth a branch, or there shall come forth a twig, or there shall come forth a sucker out of the stem of Jesse, or the root of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, or out of the stump of Jesse.

Now, if you've ever cut down a tree, and I've cut down plenty of trees, and interestingly enough, you can cut down a little oak tree or any kind of tree and you think, well, it's dead. It's gone. It's over with. And you just wait a little while and here little suckers or little stems coming up out of that stump. And the tree is going to grow again.

So this is what he's talking about. There is a twig or a branch coming up out of the stump. David is gone, but he who comes up from David is not gone. Okay.

Now look in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah, Zechariah chapter three. Remember it's the next to the last book in the Old Testament, Zechariah chapter three. Notice if you would please verse eight, Zechariah three in verse eight. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Zechariah 3:8

Hear now, O Joshua, the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee, for they are men wondered at, for behold, I will bring forth my servant, the branch.

Then if you'll look in Zechariah six and verse twelve. And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is the branch. And he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord." Well, we know that Jesus Christ is the branch. Jesus Christ builds the true temple of God. Thus, actually, Isaiah and Zechariah, and possibly David also, even spoke of Jesus Christ in this sense, because Jesus Christ is the true root, the true stem, and the true branch that was prophesied. And so, when Jesus Christ told Andrew and the other disciples, Come and see, Nathanael asking any good thing come out of Nazareth.

He says, well, just come and see, come investigate for yourself, come and find out for yourself. That's exactly what we did.

Jesus' Testimony of Nathanael

Jesus declares Nathanael an Israelite without guile, revealing His omniscience and Nathanael's genuine faith.

Now, I want you to go back to John chapter one, because Nathanael now is coming to investigate. He's taking up Philip's offer to come and see. So notice, if you would please, what happens in verse 47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile.

Now, let me just stop right there. This statement is a remarkable testimony concerning the life of Nathanael, especially since it comes from Jesus Christ. May I remind you that the Jews gloried in the fact that they were descendants of Abraham, even though they did not possess the faith of Abraham and did not do the works of Abraham. In fact, most of them were absolutely degenerate and had no faith at all. Do you remember when they came to the baptism of John the Baptist in Matthew chapter three and verse nine? Here's what John told them. And think not to say within yourselves that we have Abraham to our father, for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham." He says, don't come boasting of your lineage to Abraham. No, it means nothing because you don't have the faith of Abraham.

Neither do you have his works. If you look in John chapter eight, John chapter eight, begin there with verse 39. You'll see it again. John eight verse 39. Our Lord is speaking to them and look what he says. They answered and said unto him, that is to Jesus Christ, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.

But now you seek to kill me. A man that has told you the truth, which I've heard of God. This did not Abraham. And of course he goes on down in verse 44 and says, You are of your father, the devil. You're not the children of Abraham. You're the children of the devil. So they boasted very clearly of their lineage, but that did not mean that they were the true sons of Abraham.

Now, if you would turn in your Bible, hold John one, but turn in your Bible to the book of Romans chapter two. I want you to see what the apostle Paul says, and you can understand this now, I believe in light of what our Lord said about Nathanael when he said, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Anytime you see the word Jew here, it is Judahite, which means a Judahite, someone from the tribe of Judah or someone who lived in the southern kingdom, which was Judea. He says in verse 28, For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly. Neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh. So just because you could claim descent from Abraham and had been physically circumcised, he says that does not make you a true Judahite. Verse twenty nine. But he is a Judahite, which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of a heart in the spirit and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God. So he says the true Judahite is someone who really possesses the faith of Abraham and consequently does the work of Abraham. So our Lord then looks at him and says.

Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. So evidently Nathanael was the exception to the rule in the sense that he was totally different from all of these other people. He walked in the steps of Abraham. He followed in the faith of Abraham. He did the works of Abraham. He was not deceitful. He was not hypocritical. And it was evidenced by the fact that he did indeed trust in the one true, the living God. Now, so go back to John chapter one, because in verse 47, Jesus sees Nathanael coming to him and he says, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Hmm. When our Lord made that statement and Nathanael heard it, in verse 48, Nathanael said to him, Whence knowest thou me? In other words, we've never met before.

The Fig Tree and Divine Knowledge

Jesus specifies He saw Nathanael under 'the' fig tree, indicating a particular place of private devotion, and Nathanael immediately confesses Jesus as Son of God and King of Israel.

How do you know me? How do you know that I'm an Israelite in whom is no guile? I mean, obviously somebody starts speaking to you, whom you've never met. You want to know how they knew you. So he asked, How do you know me? Look in verse 48. Jesus answered and said to him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Now I want you to notice something. Jesus Christ did not call Nathanael by name. Why did he not call Nathanael by name? Why did he not say, Nathanael, I know you.

I think there's a very obvious reason. He could have surmised if he had called him directly by name that Philip probably had told him that he was going to invite Nathanael to come. And he could surmise that. Certainly our Lord, being God in the flesh, is omniscient. He knew Nathanael's name, yet he did not call his name. Rather, he identified him by his character. Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Let me show you.

Hold John 1, but look back in your Bibles to Psalm 32. Psalm 32 at verses one and two. Psalm 32 verses one and two. Look at what the scripture says. Psalm 32 verse one. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man in whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile, no hypocrisy, no deceitfulness, no insincerity. He's just as pure.

Untruthful and honest as he could be. Now, when our Lord then said, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. The first thing Nathanael asks is, How do you know me? We've never met before. And our Lord says, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Wow. What our Lord is saying is, Nathanael, I know you. I know your faith. I know your character. I know everything about you. Our Lord is revealing to Nathanael his omniscience. He said, now watch what he said in verse 48, Before that Philip called thee. In other words, he knew already that Philip had invited him to come to see him. He also knew not just of the invitation, but the objection that Nathanael had raised, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? He knew everything that had transpired between Philip and Nathanael. And then he says this, look in verse 48, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

I want you to pay close attention to this. Our Lord did not say, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under a fig tree, I saw thee. There were multitudes of fig trees in Israel. We have a half a dozen or more in our yard. No, it is a specific fig tree, the Greek is tēn sykēn. Literally, look what he says in verse 48, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree. That is a particular, specific fig tree. Our Lord knew where Nathanael was. He knew where that fig tree was that He was under. He knew everything about Nathanael. Fig trees are not only leafy and beautiful and aromatic and cool. And so here was one specific fig tree that Nathanael often resorted to for prayer, for meditation, for Bible study. And so our Lord is saying, look, Nathanael, I not only know your name. I know the deepest recesses of your heart. I know everything about you.

Do you realize that godly men usually have a certain place where they pray and meditate? Have you ever thought about that? Everybody knows that Judas betrayed our Lord. But the question has to be asked, how did Judas know where Jesus Christ was in order to betray him? Well, look in your Bibles at John chapter 18, and look, if you would please, at verse 2. John 18. Let's read verse 1 and 2. John 18, verse 1. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden into which he entered and his disciples, watch verse two, and Judas also, who betrayed him, knew the place. For Jesus oft times resorted thither with his disciples. So our Lord had a specific place to pray. And Judas knew exactly where that was. So godly men, men of faith are consistent in their prayer, their study, their meditation of the scriptures. And many times they have special times as well as special places that they frequent for spiritual activity. It is their closet.

It is their chosen place to be with the Lord. Now I'm going to tell you, I think, that there is a hint given to us in this verse concerning the specific truth that Nathanael was meditating upon under the fig tree. And I believe that Nathanael understood the implication. In fact, he had to understand it because look what he said in verse 49. Now watch it. Let's read 48 and then 49. Nathanael said to him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said to him, Before that Philip called thee when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and said to him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel. Isn't that interesting? The answer of Jesus Christ immediately removed all doubt and indecision from Nathanael, and he immediately confessed that Jesus Christ was the King of Israel, the Son of God and the Messiah. Well, all this shows you is that God had already worked in the heart of Nathanael.

For instance, I want you to turn to two passages, hold John chapter one, but going your Bibles to the book of Matthew 11. And notice, if you would please, verse 27, Matthew 11 and verse 27. Look what our Lord says, Matthew 11 and verse 27. He says, All things are delivered unto me of my Father. And no man knoweth the Son, but the Father. Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

The Ladder of Genesis 28 and Greater Things

Jesus promises Nathanael will see heaven opened and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man, likely referencing Nathanael's meditation on Jacob's ladder.

And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. Now, why would Jesus Christ mention angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man? Could it be that under the fig tree, Nathanael had been reading and meditating upon Genesis 28? I want you to hold John 1, but turn back in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 28. And let's begin reading there with verse 10. Jacob is fleeing to Haran. And he has to stop and rest and spend the night. And something really happens that is extraordinary. And Genesis 28 verse 10, the Bible says, And Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place and tarried there all night because the sun was set. And he took the stones of that place and put them for his pillows. And he lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed and behold, a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac, the land whereon thou liest to thee will I give it and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth.

And thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee and will keep thee in all places where thou goest. And I will bring thee again into this land, for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep and said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. And he was afraid and said, How dreadful or that is how awful or how marvelous is this place? This is none other but the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. And what did he see? He saw the ladder. Angels ascending and descending and God speaking. What did our Lord say in John chapter one? Go back there.

Look at it, if you would please, there in verse 50. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Now watch. Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see heaven open, just like Jacob, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. God promised Nathanael that he would see greater things than these. Those who believe always see greater things than those who are filled with unbelief. So.

Application: Have You Been Under a Fig Tree Lately?

The message applies the text by urging believers to have a consistent, secret place of prayer and meditation, emphasizing that God sees and knows the heart.

Here's the question that I want to ask you today. Have you been under a fig tree lately? Let me explain what I mean by that question. Has the Lord observed you in a special place of prayer, study, meditation? Do you have a special place where you read the scripture? Think about it and pray. I want you to note something. This text teaches us that our Lord not only takes note of our devotions, our private worship, he also takes note of the sincerity and the genuineness of our hearts. He knows what's really and truly in our hearts. He knows whether we're being honest or deceitful.

Now, let me make some applications and try to tie this together for you. First of all, Jesus Christ sees us where we are and what we do, even when we do not see him. He sees our hearts. He knows whether or not our hearts are single or double, plain or false and deceitful. I've always said, you know, when it comes to prayer, you might as well be honest with God because He already knows what's in your heart anyhow. There have been times that I've prayed that I've had to say to Him, Lord, I just don't feel like praying. Have there ever been times in your life you haven't felt like praying? And what about times in your life that you wanted to pray, but you had no idea what to pray for?

In Romans 8, the Bible says the Spirit knoweth our infirmities and he helpeth our infirmities for he makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Sometimes the Holy Spirit prays in us and through us and for us, even when we don't even know what to pray for. I mean, let's be honest. The Bible tells us very clearly that God knows what is in our hearts. He is omniscient. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 4 and look if you would please at verses 12 and 13. This is why I'm telling you we might as well be honest with God in prayer anyhow. If we're cold, we need to ask him to stir our spirits. If we're lethargic, we need to ask him to wake us up and motivate us and move us to some holy exercise. But notice, if you would, Hebrews 4, verse 12.

The Bible says, For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. Now look, neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight, but all things are naked and open in the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." You can't fool God. You can fool man. You can fool preachers. But you can't fool Him. The Bible says in Proverbs 15 and verse 3, the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good. God sees. God sees.

So we need to learn that we have to be honest with him wherever we are and whatever we're doing. The second application I want to give you is from Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry sums up Nathanael's confession in this one simple paragraph. Listen to what he says. First, he confesses Christ's prophetical office and calling him Rabbi, a title which the Jews commonly gave to their teachers. Christ is the great Rabbi at whose feet we must all be brought up. Secondly, he confesses his divine nature and mission in calling him the Son of God, though he had but a human form and aspect, yet having a divine knowledge, the knowledge of the heart, of things distant and secret, Nathanael then concludes him to be the Son of God. Thirdly, he confesses thou art the King of Israel, that King of Israel whom we have been long waiting for. Now, here's the thought. When Jesus Christ saw Nathanael coming.

He said, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Lord, how do you know me? Oh, Nathanael, before that Philip called thee, I saw thee when thou wast under the fig tree. So here's my question. If Jesus Christ judged us by our private devotions and the genuineness and sincerity of our hearts, where would we stand before him? Think about that. Our Lord said to Nathanael, I know you, I know everything about you.

Let me tell you something. What we are in secret before God is what we really truly are. It's not the profession that we make before everybody else. You remember those Pharisees? They love to pray in the open so that people would see them pray. They love to give alms so that people would see them give alms. They love the chief place seats in the synagogue. They wanted to be high and honored. No, no, no.

Our Lord, our Lord knows all of that. What we are is not what we are out in public, but what we are in secret. Character is what a man is in the dark. If you would tell me what you would do if you knew that no one else would ever find out about it, I'll tell you exactly what you are. You say, boy, if I knew nobody would ever find out about it, I'd go down that bank and I'd steal everything in it. You're a thief. If I knew nobody would ever find out about it, I'd run off with old sister so-and-so. You're an adulterer. If I knew nobody would ever find out about it, I'd take my vengeance out on that man. You're a murderer. Character is what a man is in the dark. And our Lord is saying our spirituality is what we are in our devotions before him, not what we do out in public. May I remind you that our Lord himself demands secret devotions.

You know what he said in Matthew 6 and verse 6? Listen carefully. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret, and thy Father who seeth thee in secret shall reward thee openly. So the question has to be asked. Where is your fig tree? And have you been under it lately? You need to read the Bible every day. You need to pray every day. You need to meditate every day.

You may not have time to spend hours in study, but I can assure you, you have time to read a chapter or two chapters, or you have time to read several verses and at least just think about those verses. God expects us to have our own particular fig tree. And you need to have it and stay under it. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to you this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. Lord, help us to worship thee privately as well as publicly. Help us to love thee, Lord. To study your word, to think upon it, to meditate upon it. And give us, Lord, your grace and your mercy. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Omniscience of Christ

Summary: Jesus demonstrates His divine knowledge by revealing He saw Nathanael under the fig tree and knew his character.

Evidence: Jesus answered and said to him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. (John 1:48)

The Importance of Private Devotion

Summary: Believers should have a specific place and time for prayer, Bible study, and meditation, as Nathanael did under the fig tree.

Evidence: Our Lord is saying, look, Nathanael, I not only know your name. I know the deepest recesses of your heart. I know everything about you. (paraphrase of 2003.9-2091.6)

True Spirituality vs. Outward Profession

Summary: What a person is in secret before God reveals their true character, not their public religious displays.

Evidence: What we are in secret before God is what we really truly are. It's not the profession that we make before everybody else. (paraphrase of 2977.2-3011.2)

Jesus as the Fulfillment of Prophecy

Summary: Jesus is the 'branch' prophesied in Isaiah and Zechariah, and the ladder of Jacob's dream points to Him as the mediator between heaven and earth.

Evidence: Jesus Christ is the branch. Jesus Christ builds the true temple of God. (paraphrase of 1301.8-1389.3)

The Necessity of Divine Revelation for Faith

Summary: Nathanael's confession of Christ came because God the Father revealed it to him, not through human reasoning.

Evidence: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 16:17)

Key Arguments

Jesus' specific knowledge of Nathanael's location and character proves His deity.

Summary: By stating He saw Nathanael under 'the' fig tree, Jesus revealed omniscience, leading Nathanael to confess Him as Son of God.

Evidence: Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. (John 1:48)

Nathanael's question about Nazareth stemmed from his knowledge of Old Testament prophecy.

Summary: Nathanael knew the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem, not Nazareth, showing his scriptural literacy.

Evidence: Nathanael knew his Old Testament. Because in Micah chapter five in verse two, the scripture says, But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah... (Micah 5:2)

The fig tree symbolizes a place of private spiritual discipline.

Summary: Godly men, like Jesus and Nathanael, had specific places for prayer and meditation, which God observes.

Evidence: Our Lord had a specific place to pray. And Judas knew exactly where that was. (John 18:2)

True Israelites are defined by inward faith, not outward lineage.

Summary: Paul teaches that a true Jew is one inwardly, with a circumcised heart, paralleling Jesus' commendation of Nathanael.

Evidence: He is a Judahite, which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of a heart in the spirit... (Romans 2:29)

Jesus' reference to angels ascending and descending connects to Jacob's ladder.

Summary: Jesus likely alluded to Nathanael's meditation on Genesis 28, revealing Himself as the true ladder between heaven and earth.

Evidence: Hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. (John 1:51)

Scripture References

John 1:43-51

Context: The primary text of the sermon, describing the calling of Philip and Nathanael.

Numbers 13:23

Context: The spies brought back figs along with grapes and pomegranates from the Valley of Eshcol.

Numbers 20:5

Context: Israel complained in the wilderness about the lack of figs, vines, and pomegranates.

1 Samuel 25:18

Context: Abigail gave David two hundred cakes of figs as part of a peace offering.

1 Samuel 30:12

Context: An Egyptian slave was revived with a cake of figs and raisins.

2 Kings 20:7

Context: Isaiah instructed that a lump of figs be placed on Hezekiah's boil, and he recovered.

Jeremiah 8:13

Context: God's judgment included no figs on the fig trees.

1 Kings 4:25

Context: Under Solomon, every man dwelt safely under his vine and fig tree, symbolizing blessing.

Micah 4:1-4

Context: The millennial reign will feature every man sitting under his vine and fig tree.

John 1:35-42

Context: Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus after John the Baptist's testimony.

Matthew 2:23

Context: Jesus dwelt in Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken by the prophets, though no specific prophecy names Nazareth.

Micah 5:2

Context: Prophecy that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem.

John 7:40-42

Context: People questioned whether Christ could come from Galilee, citing the prophecy of Bethlehem.

Isaiah 11:1

Context: A rod/branch shall come from the stem of Jesse, connected to the meaning of Nazareth.

Zechariah 3:8

Context: God will bring forth His servant the Branch.

Zechariah 6:12

Context: The man whose name is the Branch will build the temple.

Matthew 3:9

Context: John the Baptist warned not to boast in Abrahamic descent without faith.

John 8:39-44

Context: Jesus told the Jews that if they were Abraham's children, they would do his works, but they sought to kill Him.

Romans 2:28-29

Context: A true Jew is one inwardly, with circumcision of the heart.

Psalm 32:1-2

Context: Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile.

Historical References

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary

Context: Cited to explain the Hebrew word 'netzer' meaning twig or branch, connecting Nazareth to Isaiah 11:1.

Matthew Henry's Commentary

Context: Summarized Nathanael's confession of Christ as Rabbi, Son of God, and King of Israel.

Important Quotes

Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

Significance: Jesus reveals His omniscience by specifying the exact fig tree where Nathanael was, leading to Nathanael's confession.

Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.

Significance: Jesus commends Nathanael's genuine faith and character, contrasting with the hypocritical religious leaders.

Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?

Significance: Nathanael's skeptical question reflects his knowledge that no prophecy mentioned Nazareth as the Messiah's origin.

What we are in secret before God is what we really truly are.

Significance: The central application: true spirituality is measured by private devotion, not public display.

Character is what a man is in the dark.

Significance: Emphasizes that a person's true nature is revealed by what they do when no one is watching.

Have you been under a fig tree lately?

Significance: The sermon's title and key question, urging self-examination of one's private devotional life.

Discussion Questions

What does Jesus' statement 'I saw thee under the fig tree' reveal about His nature and knowledge?

Context: Jesus' omniscience is demonstrated by His specific knowledge of Nathanael's location and character.

Why did Nathanael ask, 'Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?' and what does this show about his knowledge of Scripture?

Context: Nathanael knew the Messiah was prophesied to come from Bethlehem, not Nazareth.

How does the meaning of 'Nazareth' as 'branch' connect to Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah?

Context: Isaiah 11:1 and Zechariah 3:8; 6:12 refer to the Messiah as the Branch.

What is the significance of Jesus referring to 'the' fig tree rather than 'a' fig tree?

Context: The definite article indicates a specific, familiar place of private devotion for Nathanael.

How does Nathanael's immediate confession of Jesus as Son of God and King of Israel demonstrate the work of divine revelation?

Context: Jesus said that flesh and blood did not reveal this to Peter, but the Father; similarly, Nathanael's confession came from God.

What is the connection between Jesus' promise of angels ascending and descending and Jacob's dream in Genesis 28?

Context: Jesus likely referenced Nathanael's meditation on Jacob's ladder, revealing Himself as the true ladder.

According to the sermon, why is private devotion more indicative of true spirituality than public religious activity?

Context: What we are in secret before God is what we really are; character is what a man is in the dark.

What practical steps can you take to establish or maintain your own 'fig tree'—a consistent place and time for prayer and Bible study?

Context: The sermon challenges believers to have a specific place for private worship, as Nathanael and Jesus did.

Applications

Cultivate a Consistent Private Devotional Life

Summary: Believers should have a specific place and time for prayer, Bible reading, and meditation, as Nathanael had under the fig tree.

Evidence: Have you been under a fig tree lately? ... Do you have a special place where you read the scripture? Think about it and pray. (2611.4-2678.0)

Be Honest with God in Prayer

Summary: Since God knows our hearts completely, we should be transparent with Him about our feelings, struggles, and needs.

Evidence: You might as well be honest with God because He already knows what's in your heart anyhow. (2678.7-2733.9)

Examine the Sincerity of Your Heart

Summary: True character is revealed in secret; we should evaluate whether our private devotion matches our public profession.

Evidence: What we are in secret before God is what we really truly are. (2977.2-3011.2)

Trust in Christ's Omniscience and Care

Summary: Jesus sees and knows every detail of our lives, including our private struggles and devotions, and He rewards those who seek Him.

Evidence: Our Lord not only takes note of our devotions, our private worship, he also takes note of the sincerity and the genuineness of our hearts. (2678.7-2733.9)

Seek Divine Revelation for Faith

Summary: Saving knowledge of Christ comes only through the Father's revelation; we should pray for spiritual understanding.

Evidence: The only way anyone can savingly know God the Father is that there has to be a revelation of the Father by Jesus Christ. (2211.6-2244.9)

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T21:27:24Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T22:24:45Z

Clean Transcript

Have You Been Under A Fig Tree Lately?

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

John, chapter one. John, chapter one. And let's be in reading there, if you would, please. John one. John chapter one. And notice, if you would please, beginning with verse 43. The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee and findeth Philip and saith unto him, Follow me. Now, Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Nathanael said unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou?
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Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see the heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. The title of the message is, Have you been under a fig tree lately? Fig trees were very common in the land of Israel in the days of our Lord. Figs were considered a very important part of the diet during biblical times. And I would also say that figs are a very important part of my diet because figs happen to be one of my favorite foods. I watch our fig trees constantly and every time they start to bud out every spring, I would let Alice know, well, the fig trees are budding out. And once that starts, I keep watching them because I want to be the one who gets those first ripe figs because they're usually very big and very juicy. And I think that dried figs, fig preserves, fig conserve, fig cakes are all delicious. And although I like pear preserves and maybe some others as well, fig preserves are still my favorite.
#2 | 1:34 to 2:55 | cleaned
And of course, Alice can make strawberry preserves out of fig preserves. And I just love figs, I suppose. I'm sure that you remember that cluster of grapes that the spies brought back from the Valley of Eshcol because it took two men to carry one cluster on a pole. But there might be something that you missed when you read that passage in Numbers chapter 13 in verse 23. Let me read it to you. And they came to the brook Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff, and they brought of the pomegranates and of the figs. So it was not just the grapes that they brought, pomegranates and figs as well. And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness of Zin, they were complaining and they said this, in Numbers 20 in verse five, they complained to Moses and said, Wherefore have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us into this evil place? It is no place of seed or of figs.
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or of vines or of pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink." So once again they were complaining about the fact there was just no figs available. And I don't know if you remember how David and his men kept the sheep of Nabal, and when he was shearing those sheep, he sent some of his men and asked for an offering to kind of rejoice with them in all that God had done for them. And, of course, Nabal then reproached David's servants and sent them away empty. And when Abigail, his wife, heard what had happened, she took matters into her own hand because she knew that Nabal, as his name was, was indeed a fool. And so she made up a gift to carry to David and his men in order to pacify them. So in 1 Samuel 25 and verse 18, the Bible says, Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two bottles of wine and five sheep ready dressed and five measures of parched corn, a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs.
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So they had a lot to eat and a lot to rejoice with. I don't know if you remember when the Amalekites raided Ziklag and Ziklag was given to David. His wives were there. His family was there and also the families of his men. But the Amalekites raided Ziklag, burned it with fire and took all of the inhabitants of Ziklag. So David and four hundred of his men were chasing after them in order to get back their families and their properties.
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And they found an Egyptian slave that was wandering around in the desert. The Egyptian slave had been a slave to one of the Amalekites. He'd become sick. And so they just simply left him to die. But he did not die. So the Bible tells us in 1st Samuel chapter 30 and verse 12, when they found this Egyptian slave and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he'd eaten, his spirit came again to him for he'd eaten no bread and drunk no water for three days and three nights. So it was cakes of figs and raisins that restored his spirit. I don't know if you have thought about this or not, but figs may even be used medicinally.
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Especially under and with the blessing of God, because when Isaiah confronted Hezekiah, he told him, Set your house in order for you shall die and not live. But Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept. And God said, All right. I'm gonna add fifteen years to his life. And so Isaiah went back in to see Hezekiah and he said this in 2nd Kings 20 verse 7, And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it upon the boil and he recovered. So it was figs that was placed upon the boil of Hezekiah that enabled him to recover. I want you to hold John 1, we're certainly coming back there, but I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 13, because an interesting thing is whenever God judged a land, one of the aspects of his judgment was that the fig trees and
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the vineyards did not bear fruit. So in the book of Jeremiah, chapter eight, look, if you would please there at verse 13 and notice what the Bible says, Jeremiah eight and verse 13. God says, I will surely consume them, saith the Lord. There shall be no grapes on the vine or figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them. So obviously God is judging them. And he says there's not going to be any grapes on the vine, nor are there going to be any figs on the fig trees. On the other hand, the fullness of God's blessings are demonstrated by an abundance of grapes and an abundance of figs. So if you will turn back to first Kings chapter four, first Kings chapter four, and you're going to see God's blessings under King Solomon. Notice if you would first Kings chapter four and verse 25, the Bible says this, And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba all the days of Solomon.
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So Dan was the farthest most tribe in the north and Beersheba the southernmost city in the south. And so they all prospered by sitting every man under his vine and every man under his own fig tree.
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Now, if you would turn to the little book of Micah, and look in chapter 4 and verse 4. In fact, we'll read verses 1 through 4. You're going to see that the plenteousness of figs and grapes are also emblematical of the millennial reign of our Lord. So look at it beginning with verse 1 of Micah chapter 4. Micah 4 verse 1. The scripture says, But in the last days, it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills and people shall flow into it. And many nations shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.
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He will teach us of his ways. And we will walk in his paths, for the law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people and rebuke strong nations afar off. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. Now watch. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.
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So obviously there is a great deal of figs in the Bible. I hope you remember that our Lord also used the fig tree in parables in the Bible, and he also used the fig tree as a visual lesson in the Bible as well.
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Now, when you look in John chapter one, in the context, our Lord is calling to himself his disciples. Initially, two of these disciples heard John the Baptist speak. For instance, look, if you would, in John chapter one and verse thirty five. The Bible says again the next day after John stood and two of his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold, the Lamb of God. Now watch carefully. And the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and saw them following and said unto them, What seek ye?
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They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? I want you to watch his invitation. He said unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt and abode with him that day for it was about the tenth hour.
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Now, what happened next is very plain. Watch carefully. One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. So look at verses 41 and 42. He first findeth his own brother, Simon, and said unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which by interpretation is a stone. So now Andrew has found his brother Simon. Look what happens the next day in verses 43 and 44. The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee and findeth Philip and saith unto him, Follow me. Now, Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
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So now, you notice how our Lord is gathering his disciples around him. If you look now in verse 45, after Philip has come to Christ, Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Now let me just point out the fact, first of all, our Lord gave the invitation in verse 39 to Andrew and the other disciple, Come and see. Now, Philip is giving this invitation to Nathanael, Come and see. But I want you to note, if you would please, when Philip invited Nathanael, Nathanael said in verse 46, he asked this question, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? So you'd have to ask yourself, why did he ask that question?
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What could possibly have been in his mind? Well, the answer as to why you ask, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? It's basically because there's absolutely no prophecy in the Old Testament concerning Nazareth. In fact, if you look in your Bibles to the book of Matthew, chapter two and verse twenty three, you will find this passage. But may I point out that this passage was not written at this particular time. Notice if you would, Matthew chapter two and verse 23, the Bible says concerning Jesus Christ. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene. Now I want you to hold this verse, hold this passage. Let me point out the fact when Nathanael asked, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? He did not know Matthew two in verse twenty three. There was no prophecy in the Old Testament about Jesus Christ coming out of Nazareth. In fact, I'm going to say this.
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Nathanael knew his Old Testament. Because in Micah chapter five in verse two, the scripture says, But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been of old from everlasting. So he knew that the Messiah was to come out of Bethlehem.
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Now, I want you to look in John chapter seven, John chapter seven. And I want you to see how this continues among these people. John seven. Let's begin reading there with verse 40. John seven, verse 40. Many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying, that is the teaching of Jesus Christ, said of a truth, This is the prophet. Others said, This is the Christ, that is, this is the Messiah. But others said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Had not the scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David and out of the town of Bethlehem where David was? Now, interestingly, it says, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Galilee was in that northern region. Nazareth was a town in Galilee. There was a sea of Galilee, that whole region there was called Galilee. Now, so Nathanael asks, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? And Philip requires, or not requires, but requests that he come and see. Now, I want you to look back to Matthew 2, if you would, and verse 23.
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Let me show you something. In Matthew 2 and verse 23, the Bible is speaking particularly about Jesus Christ. And I just pointed out that there is no specific Old Testament passage that refers about Nazareth. But if you look in Matthew 2 and verse 23, And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene. So there is no specific passage and no specific prophecy. But yet the Bible says, which was spoken by the prophets.
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I want you to notice that is plural. So it means more than one spoke about it.
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Now, interestingly, the word Nazareth means a shoot or a stem or a branch. Let me give you just one little quote, then we're going to look at some scriptures. In the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary, you read this paragraph. The best explanation of the origin of this name appears to be that which traces it to the word, the Hebrew word netzer. In Isaiah 11 verse one, which we'll look at just for a moment, which means the spoil, the small twig sprout or sucker, which the prophet says there shall come forth from the stem or rather the stump of Jesse, the branch which should fructify from his roots. The little town of Nazareth, mentioned neither in the Old Testament or in Josephus, was probably so called from its insignificance as a weak twig in contrast to a stately tree and held in special contempt that seemed to rest upon it. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? So, the commentary is saying that the Hebrew word in Isaiah 11 means twig, sprout, or sucker.
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Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 11, then we're going to go to the book of Zechariah. Zechariah is right before the book of Malachi. We'll look in Isaiah chapter 11, and notice if you would please verse 1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, or there shall come forth a branch, or there shall come forth a twig, or there shall come forth a sucker out of the stem of Jesse, or the root of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, or out of the stump of Jesse.
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Now, if you've ever cut down a tree, and I've cut down plenty of trees, and interestingly enough, you can cut down a little oak tree or any kind of tree and you think, well, it's dead. It's gone. It's over with. And you just wait a little while and here little suckers or little stems coming up out of that stump. And the tree is going to grow again.
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So this is what he's talking about. There is a twig or a branch coming up out of the stump. David is gone, but he who comes up from David is not gone. Okay.
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Now look in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah, Zechariah chapter three. Remember it's the next to the last book in the Old Testament, Zechariah chapter three. Notice if you would please verse eight, Zechariah three in verse eight. The Bible says, Hear now, O Joshua, the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee, for they are men wondered at, for behold, I will bring forth my servant, the branch. Then if you'll look in Zechariah six and verse twelve. And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is the branch. And he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord." Well, we know that Jesus Christ is the branch. Jesus Christ builds the true temple of God. Thus, actually, Isaiah and Zechariah, and possibly David also, even spoke of Jesus Christ in this sense, because Jesus Christ is the true root, the true stem, and the true branch that was prophesied. And so, when Jesus Christ told Andrew and the other disciples, Come and see, Nathanael asking any good thing come out of Nazareth.
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He says, well, just come and see, come investigate for yourself, come and find out for yourself. That's exactly what we did.
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Now, I want you to go back to John chapter one, because Nathanael now is coming to investigate. He's taking up Philip's offer to come and see. So notice, if you would please, what happens in verse 47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile.
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Now, let me just stop right there. This statement is a remarkable testimony concerning the life of Nathanael, especially since it comes from Jesus Christ. May I remind you that the Jews gloried in the fact that they were descendants of Abraham, even though they did not possess the faith of Abraham and did not do the works of Abraham. In fact, most of them were absolutely degenerate and had no faith at all.
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Do you remember when they came to the baptism of John the Baptist in Matthew chapter three and verse nine? Here's what John told them. And think not to say within yourselves that we have Abraham to our father, for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham." He says, don't come boasting of your lineage to Abraham. No, it means nothing because you don't have the faith of Abraham.
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Neither do you have his works. If you look in John chapter eight, John chapter eight, begin there with verse 39. You'll see it again. John eight verse 39. Our Lord is speaking to them and look what he says. They answered and said unto him, that is to Jesus Christ, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.
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But now you seek to kill me. A man that has told you the truth, which I've heard of God. This did not Abraham. And of course he goes on down in verse 44 and says, You are of your father, the devil. You're not the children of Abraham. You're the children of the devil. So they boasted very clearly of their lineage, but that did not mean that they were the true sons of Abraham.
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Now, if you would turn in your Bible, hold John one, but turn in your Bible to the book of Romans chapter two. I want you to see what the apostle Paul says, and you can understand this now, I believe in light of what our Lord said about Nathanael when he said, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Anytime you see the word Jew here, it is Judahite, which means a Judahite, someone from the tribe of Judah or someone who lived in the southern kingdom, which was Judea. He says in verse 28, For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly.
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Neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh. So just because you could claim descent from Abraham and had been physically circumcised, he says that does not make you a true Judahite. Verse twenty nine. But he is a Judahite, which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of a heart in the spirit and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God. So he says the true Judahite is someone who really possesses the faith of Abraham and consequently does the work of Abraham. So our Lord then looks at him and says.
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Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. So evidently Nathanael was the exception to the rule in the sense that he was totally different from all of these other people. He walked in the steps of Abraham. He followed in the faith of Abraham. He did the works of Abraham. He was not deceitful. He was not hypocritical. And it was evidenced by the fact that he did indeed trust in the one true, the living God. Now, so go back to John chapter one, because in verse 47, Jesus sees Nathanael coming to him and he says, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Hmm. When our Lord made that statement and Nathanael heard it, in verse 48, Nathanael said to him, Whence knowest thou me? In other words, we've never met before.
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How do you know me? How do you know that I'm an Israelite in whom is no guile? I mean, obviously somebody starts speaking to you, whom you've never met. You want to know how they knew you. So he asked, How do you know me? Look in verse 48. Jesus answered and said to him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Now I want you to notice something. Jesus Christ did not call Nathanael by name. Why did he not call Nathanael by name? Why did he not say, Nathanael, I know you.
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I think there's a very obvious reason. He could have surmised if he had called him directly by name that Philip probably had told him that he was going to invite Nathanael to come. And he could surmise that. Certainly our Lord, being God in the flesh, is omniscient. He knew Nathanael's name, yet he did not call his name. Rather, he identified him by his character. Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Let me show you.
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Hold John 1, but look back in your Bibles to Psalm 32. Psalm 32 at verses one and two. Psalm 32 verses one and two. Look at what the scripture says. Psalm 32 verse one. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man in whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile, no hypocrisy, no deceitfulness, no insincerity. He's just as pure.
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Untruthful and honest as he could be. Now, when our Lord then said, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. The first thing Nathanael asks is, How do you know me? We've never met before. And our Lord says, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Wow. What our Lord is saying is, Nathanael, I know you. I know your faith. I know your character. I know everything about you. Our Lord is revealing to Nathanael his omniscience. He said, now watch what he said in verse 48, Before that Philip called thee. In other words, he knew already that Philip had invited him to come to see him. He also knew not just of the invitation, but the objection that Nathanael had raised, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? He knew everything that had transpired between Philip and Nathanael. And then he says this, look in verse 48, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
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I want you to pay close attention to this. Our Lord did not say, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under a fig tree, I saw thee. There were multitudes of fig trees in Israel. We have a half a dozen or more in our yard. No, it is a specific fig tree, the Greek is tēn sykēn. Literally, look what he says in verse 48, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree. That is a particular, specific fig tree. Our Lord knew where Nathanael was. He knew where that fig tree was that He was under. He knew everything about Nathanael. Fig trees are not only leafy and beautiful and aromatic and cool. And so here was one specific fig tree that Nathanael often resorted to for prayer, for meditation, for Bible study. And so our Lord is saying, look, Nathanael, I not only know your name. I know the deepest recesses of your heart. I know everything about you.
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Do you realize that godly men usually have a certain place where they pray and meditate? Have you ever thought about that? Everybody knows that Judas betrayed our Lord. But the question has to be asked, how did Judas know where Jesus Christ was in order to betray him? Well, look in your Bibles at John chapter 18, and look, if you would please, at verse 2. John 18. Let's read verse 1 and 2. John 18, verse 1. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden into which he entered and his disciples, watch verse two, and Judas also, who betrayed him, knew the place. For Jesus oft times resorted thither with his disciples. So our Lord had a specific place to pray. And Judas knew exactly where that was. So godly men, men of faith are consistent in their prayer, their study, their meditation of the scriptures. And many times they have special times as well as special places that they frequent for spiritual activity. It is their closet.
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It is their chosen place to be with the Lord. Now I'm going to tell you, I think, that there is a hint given to us in this verse concerning the specific truth that Nathanael was meditating upon under the fig tree. And I believe that Nathanael understood the implication. In fact, he had to understand it because look what he said in verse 49. Now watch it. Let's read 48 and then 49. Nathanael said to him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said to him, Before that Philip called thee when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and said to him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel. Isn't that interesting? The answer of Jesus Christ immediately removed all doubt and indecision from Nathanael, and he immediately confessed that Jesus Christ was the King of Israel, the Son of God and the Messiah. Well, all this shows you is that God had already worked in the heart of Nathanael.
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For instance, I want you to turn to two passages, hold John chapter one, but going your Bibles to the book of Matthew 11. And notice, if you would please, verse 27, Matthew 11 and verse 27. Look what our Lord says, Matthew 11 and verse 27. He says, All things are delivered unto me of my Father. And no man knoweth the Son, but the Father. Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
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Now, the only way anyone can savingly know God the Father is that there has to be a revelation of the Father by Jesus Christ. The only way that anyone can know Jesus Christ savingly is the Father has to reveal him. So what is Nathanael doing? He's confessing that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He's confessing that he's the Messiah. He's confessing that he's the King of Israel. God evidently had revealed to him in his heart who Jesus Christ was.
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Now, let me show you. Turn right on over to Matthew 16. Look at Matthew 16. And let's begin reading there with verse 13, Matthew 16 and verse 13. Watch. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Watch, and Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Now watch closely, verse 17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for thou hast figured this thing out, but no one else could do so. Thou art smarter than all men.
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Is that what that says? No. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. He said, the only reason you know who I am is God revealed it to you. God showed it to you. So when Nathanael is confessing that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, he's saying that God the Father has opened his eyes and he has revealed the Son of God to him.
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Now, here's the hint that I think that our Lord gave us that we might possibly at least guesstimate what Nathanael was thinking about under that fig tree. If you'll look in verses 50 and 51, after Nathanael makes this confession, Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree. Again, it's the definite article in front, it's a certain fig tree. Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these.
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And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. Now, why would Jesus Christ mention angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man? Could it be that under the fig tree, Nathanael had been reading and meditating upon Genesis 28? I want you to hold John 1, but turn back in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 28. And let's begin reading there with verse 10.
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Jacob is fleeing to Haran. And he has to stop and rest and spend the night. And something really happens that is extraordinary. And Genesis 28 verse 10, the Bible says, And Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place and tarried there all night because the sun was set. And he took the stones of that place and put them for his pillows. And he lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed and behold, a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac, the land whereon thou liest to thee will I give it and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth.
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And thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee and will keep thee in all places where thou goest. And I will bring thee again into this land, for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
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And Jacob awaked out of his sleep and said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. And he was afraid and said, How dreadful or that is how awful or how marvelous is this place? This is none other but the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. And what did he see? He saw the ladder. Angels ascending and descending and God speaking. What did our Lord say in John chapter one? Go back there.
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Look at it, if you would please, there in verse 50. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Now watch. Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see heaven open, just like Jacob, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. God promised Nathanael that he would see greater things than these. Those who believe always see greater things than those who are filled with unbelief. So.
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Here's the question that I want to ask you today. Have you been under a fig tree lately? Let me explain what I mean by that question. Has the Lord observed you in a special place of prayer, study, meditation? Do you have a special place where you read the scripture? Think about it and pray. I want you to note something. This text teaches us that our Lord not only takes note of our devotions, our private worship, he also takes note of the sincerity and the genuineness of our hearts. He knows what's really and truly in our hearts. He knows whether we're being honest or deceitful.
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Now, let me make some applications and try to tie this together for you. First of all, Jesus Christ sees us where we are and what we do, even when we do not see him. He sees our hearts. He knows whether or not our hearts are single or double, plain or false and deceitful. I've always said, you know, when it comes to prayer, you might as well be honest with God because He already knows what's in your heart anyhow. There have been times that I've prayed that I've had to say to Him, Lord, I just don't feel like praying. Have there ever been times in your life you haven't felt like praying? And what about times in your life that you wanted to pray, but you had no idea what to pray for?
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In Romans 8, the Bible says the Spirit knoweth our infirmities and he helpeth our infirmities for he makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Sometimes the Holy Spirit prays in us and through us and for us, even when we don't even know what to pray for. I mean, let's be honest. The Bible tells us very clearly that God knows what is in our hearts. He is omniscient.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 4 and look if you would please at verses 12 and 13. This is why I'm telling you we might as well be honest with God in prayer anyhow. If we're cold, we need to ask him to stir our spirits. If we're lethargic, we need to ask him to wake us up and motivate us and move us to some holy exercise. But notice, if you would, Hebrews 4, verse 12.
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The Bible says, For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. Now look, neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight, but all things are naked and open in the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." You can't fool God. You can fool man. You can fool preachers. But you can't fool Him. The Bible says in Proverbs 15 and verse 3, the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good. God sees. God sees.
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So we need to learn that we have to be honest with him wherever we are and whatever we're doing. The second application I want to give you is from Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry sums up Nathanael's confession in this one simple paragraph. Listen to what he says. First, he confesses Christ's prophetical office and calling him Rabbi, a title which the Jews commonly gave to their teachers. Christ is the great Rabbi at whose feet we must all be brought up.
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Secondly, he confesses his divine nature and mission in calling him the Son of God, though he had but a human form and aspect, yet having a divine knowledge, the knowledge of the heart, of things distant and secret, Nathanael then concludes him to be the Son of God. Thirdly, he confesses thou art the King of Israel, that King of Israel whom we have been long waiting for. Now, here's the thought. When Jesus Christ saw Nathanael coming.
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He said, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Lord, how do you know me? Oh, Nathanael, before that Philip called thee, I saw thee when thou wast under the fig tree. So here's my question. If Jesus Christ judged us by our private devotions and the genuineness and sincerity of our hearts, where would we stand before him? Think about that. Our Lord said to Nathanael, I know you, I know everything about you.
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Let me tell you something. What we are in secret before God is what we really truly are. It's not the profession that we make before everybody else. You remember those Pharisees? They love to pray in the open so that people would see them pray. They love to give alms so that people would see them give alms. They love the chief place seats in the synagogue. They wanted to be high and honored. No, no, no.
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Our Lord, our Lord knows all of that. What we are is not what we are out in public, but what we are in secret. Character is what a man is in the dark. If you would tell me what you would do if you knew that no one else would ever find out about it, I'll tell you exactly what you are. You say, boy, if I knew nobody would ever find out about it, I'd go down that bank and I'd steal everything in it. You're a thief. If I knew nobody would ever find out about it, I'd run off with old sister so-and-so. You're an adulterer. If I knew nobody would ever find out about it, I'd take my vengeance out on that man. You're a murderer. Character is what a man is in the dark. And our Lord is saying our spirituality is what we are in our devotions before him, not what we do out in public. May I remind you that our Lord himself demands secret devotions.
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You know what he said in Matthew 6 and verse 6? Listen carefully. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret, and thy Father who seeth thee in secret shall reward thee openly. So the question has to be asked. Where is your fig tree? And have you been under it lately? You need to read the Bible every day. You need to pray every day. You need to meditate every day.
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You may not have time to spend hours in study, but I can assure you, you have time to read a chapter or two chapters, or you have time to read several verses and at least just think about those verses. God expects us to have our own particular fig tree. And you need to have it and stay under it. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to you this day.
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We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. Lord, help us to worship thee privately as well as publicly. Help us to love thee, Lord. To study your word, to think upon it, to meditate upon it. And give us, Lord, your grace and your mercy. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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so
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T21:27:24Z

Have You Been Under A Fig Tree Lately?

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver explores the encounter between Jesus and Nathanael in John 1, focusing on Jesus' statement that He saw Nathanael under the fig tree. He highlights the significance of figs in Scripture, the omniscience of Christ, and the importance of private devotion. The message challenges believers to examine the sincerity of their hearts and to maintain a consistent, secret place of prayer and meditation.

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Reading of John 1:43-51, the account of Jesus calling Philip and Nathanael.

John, chapter one. John, chapter one. And let's be in reading there, if you would, please. John one. John chapter one. And notice, if you would please, beginning with verse 43.

Scripture Reading — John 1:43-51

The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee and findeth Philip and saith unto him, Follow me. Now, Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Nathanael said unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou?

The Significance of Figs in the Bible

Figs were a common and important food in Israel, used in various biblical narratives, and symbolize blessing or judgment.

The Calling of the First Disciples

Jesus calls Andrew, Peter, and Philip; Philip invites Nathanael, who questions if anything good can come from Nazareth.

Nathanael's Skepticism and the Prophecy of Nazareth

Nathanael knew the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem, not Nazareth; the name Nazareth means 'branch,' connecting to messianic prophecies.

So this is what he's talking about. There is a twig or a branch coming up out of the stump. David is gone, but he who comes up from David is not gone. Okay.

Scripture Reading — Zechariah 3:8

Hear now, O Joshua, the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee, for they are men wondered at, for behold, I will bring forth my servant, the branch.

He says, well, just come and see, come investigate for yourself, come and find out for yourself. That's exactly what we did.

Jesus' Testimony of Nathanael

Jesus declares Nathanael an Israelite without guile, revealing His omniscience and Nathanael's genuine faith.

The Fig Tree and Divine Knowledge

Jesus specifies He saw Nathanael under 'the' fig tree, indicating a particular place of private devotion, and Nathanael immediately confesses Jesus as Son of God and King of Israel.

The Ladder of Genesis 28 and Greater Things

Jesus promises Nathanael will see heaven opened and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man, likely referencing Nathanael's meditation on Jacob's ladder.

Application: Have You Been Under a Fig Tree Lately?

The message applies the text by urging believers to have a consistent, secret place of prayer and meditation, emphasizing that God sees and knows the heart.

Have You Been Under A Fig Tree Lately?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	5ciPtZ44pZA
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Praying Against the Wicked
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-04-19
Dictation Name
Book	Book 137: Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations - Volume 2 — Chapter 34
Source Timed Segments	66

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Scripture Reading: Reading of John 1:43-51, the account of Jesus calling Philip and Nathanael.
The Significance of Figs in the Bible: Figs were a common and important food in Israel, used in various biblical narratives, and symbolize blessing or judgment.
The Calling of the First Disciples: Jesus calls Andrew, Peter, and Philip; Philip invites Nathanael, who questions if anything good can come from Nazareth.
Nathanael's Skepticism and the Prophecy of Nazareth: Nathanael knew the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem, not Nazareth; the name Nazareth means 'branch,' connecting to messianic prophecies.
Jesus' Testimony of Nathanael: Jesus declares Nathanael an Israelite without guile, revealing His omniscience and Nathanael's genuine faith.
The Fig Tree and Divine Knowledge: Jesus specifies He saw Nathanael under 'the' fig tree, indicating a particular place of private devotion, and Nathanael immediately confesses Jesus as Son of God and King of Israel.
The Ladder of Genesis 28 and Greater Things: Jesus promises Nathanael will see heaven opened and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man, likely referencing Nathanael's meditation on Jacob's ladder.
Application: Have You Been Under a Fig Tree Lately?: The message applies the text by urging believers to have a consistent, secret place of prayer and meditation, emphasizing that God sees and knows the heart.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Jesus' specific knowledge of Nathanael's location and character proves His deity.

By stating He saw Nathanael under 'the' fig tree, Jesus revealed omniscience, leading Nathanael to confess Him as Son of God.

Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. (John 1:48)

Nathanael's question about Nazareth stemmed from his knowledge of Old Testament prophecy.

Nathanael knew the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem, not Nazareth, showing his scriptural literacy.

Nathanael knew his Old Testament. Because in Micah chapter five in verse two, the scripture says, But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah... (Micah 5:2)

The fig tree symbolizes a place of private spiritual discipline.

Godly men, like Jesus and Nathanael, had specific places for prayer and meditation, which God observes.

Our Lord had a specific place to pray. And Judas knew exactly where that was. (John 18:2)

True Israelites are defined by inward faith, not outward lineage.

Paul teaches that a true Jew is one inwardly, with a circumcised heart, paralleling Jesus' commendation of Nathanael.

He is a Judahite, which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of a heart in the spirit... (Romans 2:29)

Jesus' reference to angels ascending and descending connects to Jacob's ladder.

Jesus likely alluded to Nathanael's meditation on Genesis 28, revealing Himself as the true ladder between heaven and earth.

Hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. (John 1:51)

Scripture References

John 1:43-51: The primary text of the sermon, describing the calling of Philip and Nathanael.
Numbers 13:23: The spies brought back figs along with grapes and pomegranates from the Valley of Eshcol.
Numbers 20:5: Israel complained in the wilderness about the lack of figs, vines, and pomegranates.
1 Samuel 25:18: Abigail gave David two hundred cakes of figs as part of a peace offering.
1 Samuel 30:12: An Egyptian slave was revived with a cake of figs and raisins.
2 Kings 20:7: Isaiah instructed that a lump of figs be placed on Hezekiah's boil, and he recovered.
Jeremiah 8:13: God's judgment included no figs on the fig trees.
1 Kings 4:25: Under Solomon, every man dwelt safely under his vine and fig tree, symbolizing blessing.
Micah 4:1-4: The millennial reign will feature every man sitting under his vine and fig tree.
John 1:35-42: Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus after John the Baptist's testimony.
Matthew 2:23: Jesus dwelt in Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken by the prophets, though no specific prophecy names Nazareth.
Micah 5:2: Prophecy that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem.
John 7:40-42: People questioned whether Christ could come from Galilee, citing the prophecy of Bethlehem.
Isaiah 11:1: A rod/branch shall come from the stem of Jesse, connected to the meaning of Nazareth.
Zechariah 3:8: God will bring forth His servant the Branch.
Zechariah 6:12: The man whose name is the Branch will build the temple.
Matthew 3:9: John the Baptist warned not to boast in Abrahamic descent without faith.
John 8:39-44: Jesus told the Jews that if they were Abraham's children, they would do his works, but they sought to kill Him.
Romans 2:28-29: A true Jew is one inwardly, with circumcision of the heart.
Psalm 32:1-2: Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile.

Historical References

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary: Cited to explain the Hebrew word 'netzer' meaning twig or branch, connecting Nazareth to Isaiah 11:1.
Matthew Henry's Commentary: Summarized Nathanael's confession of Christ as Rabbi, Son of God, and King of Israel.

Important Quotes

Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

Jesus reveals His omniscience by specifying the exact fig tree where Nathanael was, leading to Nathanael's confession.

Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.

Jesus commends Nathanael's genuine faith and character, contrasting with the hypocritical religious leaders.

Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?

Nathanael's skeptical question reflects his knowledge that no prophecy mentioned Nazareth as the Messiah's origin.

What we are in secret before God is what we really truly are.

The central application: true spirituality is measured by private devotion, not public display.

Character is what a man is in the dark.

Emphasizes that a person's true nature is revealed by what they do when no one is watching.

Have you been under a fig tree lately?

The sermon's title and key question, urging self-examination of one's private devotional life.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What does Jesus' statement 'I saw thee under the fig tree' reveal about His nature and knowledge?

[Context]

Jesus' omniscience is demonstrated by His specific knowledge of Nathanael's location and character.

[Question]

Why did Nathanael ask, 'Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?' and what does this show about his knowledge of Scripture?

[Context]

Nathanael knew the Messiah was prophesied to come from Bethlehem, not Nazareth.

[Question]

How does the meaning of 'Nazareth' as 'branch' connect to Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah?

[Context]

Isaiah 11:1 and Zechariah 3:8; 6:12 refer to the Messiah as the Branch.

[Question]

What is the significance of Jesus referring to 'the' fig tree rather than 'a' fig tree?

[Context]

The definite article indicates a specific, familiar place of private devotion for Nathanael.

[Question]

How does Nathanael's immediate confession of Jesus as Son of God and King of Israel demonstrate the work of divine revelation?

[Context]

Jesus said that flesh and blood did not reveal this to Peter, but the Father; similarly, Nathanael's confession came from God.

[Question]

What is the connection between Jesus' promise of angels ascending and descending and Jacob's dream in Genesis 28?

[Context]

Jesus likely referenced Nathanael's meditation on Jacob's ladder, revealing Himself as the true ladder.

[Question]

According to the sermon, why is private devotion more indicative of true spirituality than public religious activity?

[Context]

What we are in secret before God is what we really are; character is what a man is in the dark.

[Question]

What practical steps can you take to establish or maintain your own 'fig tree'—a consistent place and time for prayer and Bible study?

[Context]

The sermon challenges believers to have a specific place for private worship, as Nathanael and Jesus did.

Applications

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