(Epiphany 2) Revelation 5:1 – 10 & John 1:43 – end
I’m sure you will remember the story of Isaac Newton sitting under a tree and how an apple fell on his head, and how that painful experience inspired him to formulate the law of gravity. In this morning’s gospel reading we have another man sitting under a tree. Two men sitting under a tree – one, Isaac Newton the scientist – and the other Nathanael, soon to be disciple of Jesus. Both sitting under a tree – possibly in a very contemplative mood – and then BANG! – one is knocked nearly unconscious by an apple – and the other completely gobsmacked by some news about the Messiah. Both of them experiencing a life-changing moment.
It's always amazed me how Nathanael immediately recognises Jesus as the Messiah simply because Jesus told him that he saw him under the fig tree. What’s so special about the fig tree? It’s obviously very important otherwise why would John have included such a detail? We’re obviously missing something important here, so we need to understand why the statement about being seen under the tree meant so much to Nathanael that it changed his life – forever.
Well, having researched the fig reference, it transpires that in the Old Testament the fig tree is symbolic of God’s perfect kingdom – there are references to the fig tree in the book of Zechariah and Micah – both speaking about the security, peace, prosperity, and blessing that God promises will arrive. The symbolism is clear in Nathanael’s case – he’s sitting under the tree, perhaps longing for the time when God’s kingdom will come about, and then he meets Jesus – and Jesus effectively says to him – ‘I know what’s on your heart. I know you’ve been praying for the Messiah. I know you want the kingdom to be restored’.
Now when Nathanael heard that the Messiah was from Nazareth, he was rather negative and quite prejudiced because Nazareth was a place that wasn’t held in great esteem by the Jews. Not only did it have a Roman garrison there, it also had a bit of a bad reputation in regards to morals and religion, hence, Nathanael’s harsh comment, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip responded, ‘Come and see.’ Thankfully, he did go and see Jesus and became a disciple. If he’d stuck in his prejudice without investigating further, he would have missed the Messiah! I’m sure you, like me, have friends, colleagues, or even family members who claim to be atheist’s and refuse to investigate faith in Jesus further, and that can be a challenge for us, especially if you’re the only believer in the room. But, as difficult as it may be, that shouldn’t prevent us from inviting them to ‘come and see’. Our faith is a faith of trust, assurance, confidence and hope in Jesus. Jesus calls us to follow him in the knowledge that God’s kingdom will come -in fact Jesus said it was already here, but it will come in its fulness at God’s appointed time – God has promised that his kingdom will come– and God is faithful to his promises. His kingdom will come – and that process begins with his Son.
The purpose of John’s gospel is to prove conclusively that Jesus is the Son of God. John discloses Jesus’ identity with the very first words of his gospel: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ God is, and always will be the maker of all things. And he became flesh. He became part of the creation because his love compelled him to come and save those who were lost and give them the gift of everlasting life. Jesus entered the world wrapped in strips of cloth. He grew to manhood and walked through the countryside touching individuals, preaching to crowds, and training 12 men to carry on his work. His divinity is revealed through miracles, or signs as John describes them, and through the way Jesus uses the phrase ‘I am’. ‘I am the bread of life.’ ‘I am the light of the world.’ ‘I am the gate.’ ‘I am the good shepherd.’ ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’ ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’ ‘I am the true vine.’ All through his ministry he was hounded by those seeking to rid the world of his influence, and finally he was crucified. Jesus, the God-man, gave his life so completely for the sins of all humanity so that all may live. Then, the greatest sign of all, of course is the resurrection and the promise that he will burst onto the world’s scene again at God’s appointed time to finish the last battle to bring all those who believe in him into the fulness of God’s kingdom.
This morning’s New Testament reading is taken from the book of Revelation and is a vision given to John about Jesus’ return. It’s written in the style of Jewish literature known as apocalyptic which in John’s vision, uses symbolic imagery to communicate hope in the ultimate triumph of God, to those in the midst of persecution. It’s quite tricky and sometimes very difficult to get our heads around this imagery, and we should investigate further in order to understand the vision and the imagery within it. This morning’s passage begins with John seeing a scroll that has 7 seals. The 7 seals indicate the importance of the scrolls content. Only Jesus is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll because he, symbolised as a lion in this passage, has authority and power over evil and death – and as the lamb of God, he is the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. The scroll contains the full account of God’s plan for the world, and the role of Christ, the Lion, will be to lead the battle where Satan is finally defeated. And Christ, the lion, will be victorious because of what Christ, the Lamb, has already done.
Revelation is a book of hope – although it was written 2000 years ago, we can take heart as we understand John’s vision. Jesus, the Son of God, the foundation of our faith, the churches one foundation, will return and vindicate the righteous and judge the wicked. This side of heaven we’ll experience tough times, and goodness knows that’s very prevalent in the world today. So, maybe, whenever you find yourself sitting under a symbolic tree – those times when you’re sitting by yourself and possibly thinking about the state of the world - call to mind Nathanael – who sat under the fig tree longing for the time when God’s kingdom will come. And have faith, trust, assurance, confidence, and hope in the fact that God is in control. His kingdom will come. Amen.