Session 2 John 1:40-51
how Nathanael’s attitude changed
during his encounter with Jesus.
47 Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him
and said about him,
“Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.
49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied,
“You are the Son of God;
you are the King of Israel!”50 Jesus responded to him,
“Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.”
51 Then he said,
“Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
change can sometimes be hard.
Jesus’s reference to the fig tree
why was that significant?
Under the fig tree was an idiom.
Since people couldn’t gather a crop from a fig tree or a grapevine for some years after it was planted,
being able to sit under it indicated a prolonged period of peace.
It meant the plants had not been destroyed by war, indicating an era of peace (see 1 Kings 4:25).
By the New Testament era, the phrase had come to refer to the place where
men of faith, especially rabbis, could study the law in tranquility
and in the relative comfort that the fig tree’s shade provided.
To say that He had seen Nathanael under the fig tree
was Jesus’s way of acknowledging that Nathanael was a dedicated student of the Word.
John also used this account to further validate Jesus
as God’s Son and the Messiah.
Titles: Jesus’s own description of Himself,
“the Son of Man.”
This was a title Jesus liked to use for Himself
because it revealed both His deity and His humanity.
In this case, He was sharing that God would no longer reveal Himself
in a single location, as He had
when Jacob saw angels on the stairway at Bethel.
Instead, the Father was revealing Himself through Christ the Son.
Discuss responses.
Call attention to Apply the Text on page 23:
Discuss as a Bible study group some of the misconceptions people have about the identity of Jesus.
What actions might our group take in light of these misconceptions and concerns?
Challenge the group to consider what their lives say about Jesus.
Choose one title from today’s list and use it in your prayer time this week.
Ask God to help you live it out in a way that points others to Him.
Share that you will be available to speak with anyone who wants to know more about following Jesus.
Conclude the group time with prayer,
utilizing the names and titles of Jesus
to praise Him.
Reinforce the session by following up with anyone who spoke with you after group time about their struggles in following Jesus.