“Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel!” –John 1:49
How would you describe Jesus?
In our reading today, we meet Nathanael, who wasn’t convinced of who Jesus was. His friend Philip came to share the great news of finding “the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” But Nathanael was skeptical and doubted Philip.
I don’t know about you, but I can identify with Nathanael. If I was going about my daily business and a friend came to share such good news, I would doubt it, too. I would want to hear all the proof and all the facts before I believed.
However, when Philip took Nathanael to see Jesus, things changed. Everything always changes when you meet Jesus. Jesus, of course, knew Nathanael, and He greeted him with supernatural knowledge. You see, Jesus didn’t know only who he was—He knew his heart, too. Jesus knows our hearts and our attitudes, as well as what we need. He knew Nathanael had doubts and He provided exactly what Nathanael needed to believe.
And here comes our power of words and verbal communication—Nathanael’s response to Jesus knowing him and proving Himself to be the Messiah was to exclaim, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel!”
What a change of heart!
In a few short verses, we see a complete turn of events.
From doubt to faith. From death to life.
When I asked at the beginning how you would describe Jesus, perhaps you thought of what He has done for you, His qualities, or the gifts you receive through Him. All of these are good things, but how powerful is Nathanael’s reminder to us about who Jesus is: the Son of God and King of Israel who brings life!
If you haven’t put your trust in Jesus, I would love to encourage you today to get to know Him more. Learn about who He is, read the Bible, and ask Christians around you to tell you who Jesus is. Hear their testimonies, just like Nathanael heard Philip’s. Then go closer and meet Jesus yourself. God says in His Word, that we will find Him when you seek Him with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Jesus died for you, and God loves you dearly. Keep being curious, let others tell you about Him, and if you choose to put your faith in Him, you will experience the most amazing life transformation!
If you have been following Jesus for some time, take a moment now to remember His faithfulness to you and the grace, love, and forgiveness He has extended to you since you first came to love Him. Let your heart be filled with His goodness until it overflows, until you cannot help but proclaim out loud to all who will hear, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”
