John 1:49-51 --- Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered 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, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Well today closes out the journey in chapter one of John. The entire point of this adventure with the Lord in John has been to look at Jesus closer, to study Him, to really watch and hear Him. Since we're called to walk as He walked, it seems to be a wise choice to really, deeply, KNOW, how He walked, what He did, and what He had to say.
1 John 2:6 --- whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.
So, with today's verses, we see Jesus did not shy away from making clear who He was. He'd just met Nathaniel and we find one of the first things he does is connect Himself all the way back to Jacob's dream in Genesis 28:10-17.
Genesis 28:10-17 --- Jacob's Dream
10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder[a] set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Nathaniel, being a genuine Israelite with no deceit in him as Jesus said, would've been quite familiar with the Torah, which included the book of Genesis. So, when Jesus tells him, "You'll see the heavens open up and angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.", you better believe Nathaniel knew what Jesus was saying.
He, Jesus, WAS the very ladder (in Hebrew: sullam), between Heaven and Earth that Jacob saw in His dream!
So, Jesus didn't just show everyone a way, He IS the way! He IS the very bridge between Heaven and Earth.
John 14:6 --- “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
So, if Jesus was bold about who He is, then let us be bold about who He is today! He is the way, the truth, and the life!
Be the Berean and get into your bible today. Don't take my word on things, let God show you directly! It is an amazing adventure to walk and talk with Him every day!
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