Who is Jesus? A good teacher? An extraordinary man? Or is he something else entirely?
If we look up to someone for long enough, we'll eventually notice their faults. Not so with a man name Nathanael and the hero he was looking for. Let's find out what Nathanael would eventually see in Jesus...
Giant heroes
Reflecting back on it, he would have admitted how unusual this was. He finally had a chance to meet his childhood hero. The one he had always dreamed about, and had always hoped he would meet some day. What he didn’t anticipate was that he would have a chance to meet his hero, AND that that person might actually exceed his giant expectations.
You more than likely have someone you’ve idolized in the past. Some person you looked up to and respected for their character and accomplishments. Maybe you even tried to model your own life after them in some ways. It could be a national hero, a beloved politician, an exceptional sports star, or a spiritual leader. Whoever it is, maybe you adored them so much that your expectations for them started to outgrow reality. Unfortunately, most people don’t usually live up to the kind of heroic standards that we imagine. If we idolize someone for long enough, we’ll eventually realize that they’re not perfect. They may even let us down in some way. They are human after all.
What was so rare for our character is that his hero did not disappoint. That is despite how big he had built him up to be in his mind. No, when he finally got to meet his hero, and eventually spend a considerable amount of personal time with him, he was even more amazed than what he had ever expected. That’s because his hero turned out to be nothing short of the great God of heaven.
Shared Values
The character we’re talking about is named Nathanael. And the hero he was looking for was the Messiah, the one who Nathanael believed would deliver his nation from an oppressive military regime. The Bible describes him in John 1, saying, "Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law and the prophets: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.' 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Nathanael asked him. 'Come and see,' Philip answered." At first, Nathanael was skeptical. He didn’t believe that his hero could come from the poor, insignificant village of Nazareth.
That happens to us sometimes too when we idolize someone. We only choose people to idolize who fit the mold of what we believe is admirable or successful. It could be those with only a certain amount of financial success or only those holding to certain political views. The problem with that is we are only upholding our own personal ideals — whether they are right, or even, if they are wrong.
Jesus knows this is the case with Nathanael, which may be the reason he appeals to Nathanael’s sense of moral character. He tells Nathanael when he sees him coming, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Jesus seems to be appealing to Nathanael’s highly esteemed sense of honesty. No doubt Nathanael felt some relief when he learned that this man claiming to be the messiah shared his values for honesty. That alone may have been enough for some people to follow Jesus.
Shared values are often the basis for which we look up to someone. Do you choose to follow someone just because you like what they teach? That’s great… if they’re always right. The problem is if that hero we idolize is just a man, or just a woman, then they’re not going to be right one hundred percent of the time about everything. They will eventually fall short and let us down. We should be looking to idolize someone who is more than just a good teacher.
Great accomplishments
Jesus was more than just a good teacher. When Jesus complemented Nathanael for his honest character, Nathanael asked, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” “Rabbi!” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!” And just like that, Nathanael knew he had met the Messiah because Jesus had just demonstrated the marvelous ability to know the heart of someone whom he had never met. Now as amazing as that was, is it really a solid enough reason alone to elevate someone as a great person and hero?
Sometimes feats and accomplishments are what draw us to idolize certain people. That make sense. We only want to look up to people who have achieved something significant in their life. However, accomplishments in of themselves are not reason enough to produce conviction. That would only produce a shallow devotion based on outward appearances. Our loyalty is more valuable than that! We should be devoted to someone who is more than just the wonderful deeds they perform.
More than human
Jesus did many extraordinary wonders and signs. However, Jesus was more than just the signs he performed. Jesus responded to Nathanael, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” 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.” What are the greater things Jesus is referring to that Nathanael would see? Some people think it is referring to all the great signs Nathanael would witness Jesus performing. Some people believe it is referring to Jesus ascending back to heaven after his resurrection. However, Jesus more than once called out those who had only a shallow belief based on miracles. Jesus was likely referring to something deeper. Jesus told Nathanael he would “see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Since there is no record of Nathanael witnessing such a literal vision during Jesus’ ministry, it is likely that Jesus wanted Nathanael to consider him as the ultimate representation of another great Bible vision— Jacob’s stairway.
In Genesis 28, Jacob had just received his father’s blessing and control over all his inheritance. Despite all this great affluence he gained practically over night, he still lacked one thing — a personal devotion to God Almighty. The Bible says in Genesis 28, “And he dreamed. A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching the sky, and God’s angels were going up and down on it. The LORD was standing there beside him, saying, 'I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your offspring the land on which you are lying. Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.' When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.' He was afraid and said, 'What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.'
This story would have undoubtedly been on Nathanael’s mind as he talked with Jesus. And He may have not realized at that precise moment... But what he would come to realize eventually... After hearing all the perfect teaching, after seeing all the extraordinary signs, and after seeing the greatest signs of all — Jesus being crucified as an innocent man, being resurrected after three days in the tomb, and finally ascending into a cloud back into heaven before pouring out the powerful Holy Spirit— Nathanael would see that Jesus, Himself, is Jacob’s staircase! Jesus, Himself, is the gateway to heaven. Jesus was more than just a great man worthy of our devotion. He was God Himself in the flesh, and our only way to heaven!
Summary
If we want to idolize somebody, we can do no better than God himself in the flesh. He is the way to understanding the spiritual realm, and the way to an eternal life of blessings and comfort. Just like Nathanael was challenged to look for greater things in Jesus, we need to watch Jesus carefully. We do that today by studying the Bible, and seeing for ourselves. Seeing for ourselves that Jesus is God... our Hero... and our Savior.