Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Second Sunday after Epiphany

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 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.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” 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.” Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 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.” 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.” (John 1:43-51)

In order to reassure those who were coming to him, our Lord began to speak more clearly to them so that he might reveal his secret omniscience. Thus also when Simon came to him, he told him the name by which he was called and whose son he was. When Philip wanted to follow him, but was prevented by reticence, Jesus said, “Follow me,” in order to reveal the desire of his heart. And finally, when Nathanael was in doubt, Jesus praised him by saying, Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no guile, and what he said was true. He did not praise him for anything that he was not. With these words, in whom there is no guile, he means that Nathaniel did not engage in subtlety but rightly said what he thought. Therefore, Nathanael was in doubt about what Philip had said, and naively and frankly revealed his thoughts. But even though he was praised, he did not yield to that praise but immediately asked where Jesus had found out about him. The Lord, even though he was not present, clearly pointed out the place and the tree under which he was before he had been called by Philip, so that he might show the excellence of his power in this way.

Therefore Nathanael, convinced by those deeds, said to Him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the king of Israel; that is, “You are the Messiah who has already been announced.” The Messiah was certainly expected by them as someone more intimate with God than anyone else—like a king of Israel—even though they conceived of him in a fairly obscure and carnal way.…

What did the Lord answer him? Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these. Therefore He shows that nothing He had said was great or sufficient to demonstrate fully who He was. And then He declares what the greater things are that he would have seen, Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Now, if Nathanael had called Him “son” according to divine birth, what greater thing would he have seen? And how could seeing angels ascending and descending upon Him be greater than that? Certainly that is the greatest and most wonderful thing!—not only because it is consistent with His confessed divine nature which is the beginning of everything, so that Nathanael would know that angels ascend and descend upon Him (which always happens for the benefit of all humankind)—but also in order that Nathanael might understand that He is the creator of the angels. Now, after that confession, He says that something greater than what had appeared from the title “Son of God” (used in the sense of which we spoke) was expressed by Nathanael.

Theodore of Mopsuestia, Commentary on John 1.1.47–51