Jesus Calls Nathaniel

In today’s gospel Jesus meets Nathanael who is from Cana in Galilee. Cana was the place where Jesus worked his first miracle. Nathanael was most likely studying or teaching the Torah under the fig tree when Philip called him, something a true and perfect Israelite was expected to do. 

When Jesus sees Nathanael, Jesus declares that Nathanael is a true Israelite and of sincere heart. But Nathanael is puzzled by Jesus’ words and asks how Jesus knows him. Jesus replies that he was aware of him when he was sitting under a fig tree. Because of this demonstration of supernatural knowledge, Nathanael declared Jesus to be ‘Son of God and King of Israel’.  Jesus also foretells that Nathanael will see greater things than he has seen so far.  Jesus further explains that you will see the heavens opened and angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.  Jesus is the bridge between heaven and earth as he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. For the first time Jesus is identified as the ‘Son of Man’.

Jesus is inviting all of us to a higher vision: to see him as the new Bethel, the house of God and the person in whom there is the plenitude of divine presence. If we steadily grow in our life of faith, surely we will reach the climax of experiencing Jesus as he is.