John 1:43-51
43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Jesus tells Nathaniel, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathaniel responds, “How do You know me?” Jesus says to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Jesus could see what Nathaniel was doing because He is the eternal Son of God in human flesh and “in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:9).
The Lord says in Jeremiah 23:23, “Am I a God near at hand,’ says the LORD, ‘And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?’ says the LORD.” David confesses in Psalm 139 that the Lord knows all his ways. He even understands our thoughts from afar. The intertestamental wise man writes, “No thought escapes him, and nothing is hidden from him” (Sirach 42:20). Nathaniel experiences Jesus divine omniscience and confesses, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Christ knows us as He knew Nathaniel. He is acquainted with all our ways. He even knows the thoughts that we hide from others. Christ’s omniscience is both law and gospel for us. It is law in that He knows every thought in our heads and each wicked imagination in our sinful hearts. Just because others may not know our sinful impulses, Christ knows them. This should lead us to repent of our sinful thoughts and ask God to purify our hearts and minds as soon as we experience those thoughts.
Christ’s omniscience is also gospel for us. He knows us entirely—our concerns, our anxieties, and our hopes. We can pray with David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties” (Ps 139:23). He knows our anxieties and worries and invites us to cast them upon Him because He cares for us. We can also pray with David, “See if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps 139:24).
Let us pray: O Lord Jesus Christ, cleanse our thoughts by Your Holy Spirit. Give us pure thoughts and desires that we may serve you joyfully. Remind us always to cast all our anxieties upon You because You care for us. Amen.
