Rev D. A. Macfarlane*
Preached in 1961, transcribed from notes by listeners, and edited.
Text: “Philip findeth Nathaniel, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man,” John 1:47-51.
I SHOULD like, as enabled, to remark on the case of Nathanael, and on some things which are brought before us in connection with him. From the Saviour’s words about him, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile,” we can safely infer that Nathanael was a God-fearing man, though not that he was perfect. None are so in this world, but when the Lord begins the good work in a soul He will carry it on until the day of Jesus Christ.
When Nathanael was coming to the Redeemer, he already had spiritual insight and discernment. He was a spiritually healthy man – a man in whom was no guile, desiring to shun all appearance of evil. His desire was to be in harmony in mind and heart with the Holy Ghost, and to be consecrated to the service of the Most High. He may have been a gracious man for years before this meeting with Christ; or it may have been on that day that he got spiritual enlightenment. In any case, the Redeemer knew full well what was in his heart. And He knows what is in ours! Let us be acknowledging, as David did:
“My footsteps and my lying down,
thou compassest always;
Thou also most entirely art,
acquaint with all my ways.”
* The Rev. Donald A. Macfarlane, 1889-1979. After graduating from Glasgow University and his divinity course, he was licensed to preach the gospel by the Northern Presbytery. He became the pastor of the joint charge of Dornoch, Lairg, Rogart and Bonar in 1914 at the age of 25. He was translated to Oban in 1922, and then to the Dingwall and Beauly Congregation in 1930. He continued as the pastor of that congregation until he retired in 1973, after a ministry of 59 years. He was also a theological tutor in the Church from 1933 until his retirement. He died at the age of 90.
We have every reason to conclude that Nathanael was an Israelite indeed in the sense that grace reigned in his heart; he was a living member of the mystical body of the Redeemer. Christ said of him, “Behold an Israelite indeed,” saying as it were, “He is coming to Me, desiring to be totally in harmony with the truth in love.” Nathanael was steeped in the spirit of the godly under the Old Testament dispensation, and steeped in the spirit of holy love to the whole counsel of God, as far as he understood it. He had spiritual light, which is another way of saying that he had spiritual discernment. He had a measure of God-given entrance into the Word of God as given under the Old Testament dispensation. We cannot say that Old Testament believers had light on the fulfilment of the promises and types (which are the same thing, inasmuch as they are both setting forth the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow) in the same measure as New Testament believers had – and which they had “by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” Still, they knew sufficient, and indeed they knew a great deal. They knew very well that everyone, by nature, is dead in trespasses and in sins: and we ourselves should lay this fact to heart. “As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse” – under the sentence and power of death.
Nathanael was of the same spirit as Abel who saw Christ in the first promise: that the Seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent, or death, hell and Satan, and that He was to procure life for the soul and immortality for the body through the gospel. May this truth be in us as the leaven hid in three measures of meal. Nathanael also walked in the footsteps of Abraham and of Moses. In the house of God there are little trees and there are palm trees, but all are trees, though differing in manifold ways in the graces of the Holy Spirit.
Nathanael pastured in the pastures of the Old Testament Scriptures, and in this mountain doctrine: “Without shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.” This doctrine was in the garden of Eden, in the first promise. And it was in the first sacrifice, which, as a type, was just a promise that the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was to cleanse His people from all sin. May God the Holy Ghost enlighten us in this truth. May He give you that entrance into it whereby you would be a believer. If we do not believe in the blood of Christ and in the Christ of the Blood, then we are frittering away our time this Sabbath evening. This is a holy, sanctifying truth, as well as a justifying truth. It is impossible to believe in the blood of sprinkling without beginning to love the Father, and the Redeemer, and the salvation of the gospel, and without eschewing all appearance of evil. We have the blood of sprinkling in the Passover lamb in Egypt. Ask yourself this evening, “Is the blood of sprinkling on the door posts of the faculties of my soul?” and, “Am I a lowly, intelligent debtor to the Saviour?”
We have this great truth, “Without shedding of blood there is no remission of sins,” declared also in the Covenant ratified at Sinai. “For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people.” Although the Book was holy, the promises in it were sprinkled with blood. What does this mean? This blood was typical blood, setting forth the divine excellency. The excellence of the efficacy Christ’s atoning death was sprinkled on the promises in the Book on Sinai. If you receive that truth, the Book is to you the house of God and the gate of heaven, causing you to desire more and more obedience to your Lord and Master. Old Testament believers did indeed know much of what was necessary unto salvation. They meditated on the truth.
“Moses and Aaron ‘mong his priests,
Samuel, with them that call,
Upon His Name, these called on God,
and He them answered all.”
Can you say with Jeremiah, “Thy words were found and I did eat them and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart,” Jeremiah 15:16. Did you eat Psalm 1? Can you digest a little of Psalm 2? Seek to be at home in these pastures. Most people can repeat Psalm 23, but we should seek to get spiritual understanding of it. Seek to understand Psalm 10 – not so well known, but containing a great and precious promise:
“The poor commits himself to thee,
thou art the orphan’s stay.”
This kind of poverty makes a soul rich for eternity. If you love the blood of sprinkling – the blood of the everlasting covenant, you love the covenant of God, and the God of the covenant. And the promises are for you, here a little, and there a little. Then we come to the promise in Isaiah, chapter 11, verse one: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” Jeremiah and the minor prophets (as they are called) also foretold the coming of the Redeemer. Now, go on to Malachi, who in writing of Levi, wrote of Christ the great High Priest and antitype of Levi: “The law of truth was in His mouth, and iniquity was not found in His lips. He walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.” Can you say that you are at home in these truths, walking in harmony with the God of truth?
Malachi, and Nathanael too, walked with God in peace. This was true of them through grace alone. There is no other way of walking with the Lord in peace and equity, but by grace. What is grace? We shall go to eternity without it unless the Holy Spirit teaches us. Let your prayer be, “Create in me an appetite and holy relish for grace.” Seek to be like David in Psalm 119 – praying without ceasing, longing and panting after sweet conformity to the will of God. When Philip came to Nathanael and said, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth,” it reminds one of a portion in the Song of Solomon: “Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flocks, and feed thy kids beside the shepherd’s tents” – feed the desires and longings of thy soul, seeking pasture in the word of God, and thinking on His name. We today have not only the law and the prophets, but the noonday light of the New Testament dispensation. It is good to be feeding the kids, or desires in our souls, seeking that they would be strengthened, but we should try to benefit others also, perhaps by giving a suitable tract, or by speaking a word carefully and in love. This is not easy. It requires the wisdom of the serpent and the harmlessness of the dove, and one must take a low place, feeling oneself to be a walking dunghill. We would shrink from a domineering spirit, but speak in holy love, with care and fellow-feeling, heeding the word: “Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” In every step we take, we need the application of “the blood of sprinkling”, and to have the publican’s prayer.
When Philip brought Nathanael to Christ, it was as if the Redeemer said, “O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely”. Come along now, dove Nathanael, let me see thy countenance.” Nathanael did manifest his countenance: were they not all seeing the countenance of his soul? And if the stamp of the character of your soul were shown up, would you be found saying, like Peter, “Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee”? We believe that this would have been the confession of Nathanael.
And the Redeemer heard him make this confession: “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel.” Only by the enlightening of the Holy Spirit did Nathanael know this. Philip and Peter and John could speak lovingly of the Redeemer, but they could not teach savingly. Pray now for the Holy Spirit to enlighten yourself. When Nathanael said, “Rabbi, thou art the son of God, thou art the King of Israel,” we could almost say that he passed into the New Testament dispensation; he was in the porch of it, on the very threshold of it. But, of course, many things had to happen before that dispensation would be ushered in. Nathanael had already seen Christ’s day afar off, but now, having a near view of it, he has holy worship and prostration of soul. He got a further exercise of faith, and was built up in his most holy faith. “Come ye into His courts and bring an offering with you” – a heart offering of holy worship.
We can grasp only a little of what is implied in what Nathanael said: “Thou art the Son of God.” He received this sanctifying truth from the Most High, and he would have grown into the meaning of it. “Thou art the Son of God”, and all the angels of glory are bowing to Thee.” The angels foretold His coming; they proclaimed his birth with praises, “Glory to God in the highest.” Philip said, “Come and see,” and the only thing Nathanael saw with his bodily eyes was Christ’s human nature. But Nathanael discerned, by the unction of the Holy One, that Christ was indeed the Lord of glory. It is He who “counts the number of the stars and names them every one”. He also counts the number of His spiritual stars and He calls them all by name. Is the light of holy love in you, dear soul? “Thou art the King of Israel,” said Nathanael. “He who was to come in the fulness of time.” Here we have grace reigning through righteousness unto eternal life. Nathanael was sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. The King of Israel was dwelling in him, and he was enabled to glorify God in his body and spirit which were His, and he is with Him now in Heaven.
In verse 51 we have the promise: “Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” This is a vast field, but I would point three things. First, probably this referred to the ascension of the Redeemer – note it says first, “ascending”, which suggests that the angels were down already at His command. If it does refer to the ascension, then Nathanael was present at it and saw some of the angels there. He believed the angels of glory went with the Redeemer as He ascended.
God is with shouts gone up, the Lord,
with trumpets sounding high.
Sing praise to God, sing praise, sing praise.
praise to our King sing ye.
Secondly, Nathanael is in glory now, “with the spirits of just men made perfect”, and has the fulfilment of the promise. He sees and discerns that angels are, and desire to be, consecrated to the Lord. And this also is part of what he enjoys: to know that the angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation. Angels carried the soul of Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom, and it is probable that they so minister to all the godly.
Thirdly, Nathanael was to see it on the Great Day. Above all else, this refers to the great day of judgement. The King of Israel is to come, and you and I are to be present. The dead in Christ shall rise first. Ask that you may surely believe this. Does it have an influence on you so that you have the stamp of the better world upon you? Are we of the blood-sprinkled saints? “He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe.”
The preparation for the Great Day is to be washed in the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness. May the Holy Ghost wash our souls for eternity by omnipotent grace, and an omnipotent resurrection in our souls. Break these nuts from the garden of nuts. He shall gather in His people from the four winds. May He grant that we be of them, and be enabled to say, “Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel.”