Nathaniel

Nathaniel’s Tears

Tear of Repentance, Tears of Joy

I hit bottom early in 1974: I could not see any reason to go on living. I was totally without hope. Born in 1945, I was a third-generation Jewish, atheistic, socialistic, materialist. The years from ‘64 to ‘74 were chaotic. Surprisingly, as ‘74 began, I found myself believing that Jesus is truly the Son of God and the Messiah of Israel, and yet I descended into utter despair. I believed God was all-powerful and could – and would – forgive all my sins. But I did not believe I was capable of true contrition and a true intention to reform. I didn’t believe I was worthy of God’s undeserved mercy.

When I was baptized June 15, 1974, I was desperate and uncertain, but I must have had a tiny mustard seed of faith. This faith in the God of Israel grew gradually and painfully, over many years.

These reflections on the Fourth Gospel must necessarily be autobiographical: I cannot read scripture any other way. Since Baptism, I have been fascinated by the story of Nathaniel under the fig tree (John 1:43-51ff). This reflection on Nathaniel is the fruit of decades of undisciplined and undirected “lectio divina,” even though, until quite recently, I was only vaguely aware of this ancient term and devotion. Autobiographical exegesis and canonical exegesis complement each other – perhaps we should say, depend on each other. The goal or purpose of Sacred Scripture and the Sacraments, the Liturgy, is a personal encounter with a Living Person, the Second Person of the Divine Trinity. In the divine Plan, humans encounter Jesus through personal experience. After years of meditation on the story of Nathaniel through the lens of my own experience, this exegesis recounts my personal encounter with Jesus of Nazareth.

I propose that “an Israelite without guile” (John 1:47) is the universal description for every true follower of Israel’s Messiah, whether Jew or Gentile.

The universality of this description deserves emphasis: the story of Nathaniel necessarily appears in the first chapter of the Final Gospel because it is universal. The “disciple that Jesus loved” and an “Israelite without guile” may be understood scripturally as different aspects of a generic (of any and every) follower of the Messiah.

We see the story of Nathaniel – uniquely in John 1 – in its context within a context: as concentric spheres, or a three-dimensional spiral going in and up to the center. “Nathaniel under the fig tree” (John 1:48, 50) is profound because it is integrated into the first chapter, and the first chapter is integrated into the whole Gospel. Our understanding of Nathaniel increases our understanding of the entire first chapter of John.

Israelite without guile

Only God knows if a person is without guile. Jesus, Nathaniel, and the Evangelist are well aware of this simple fact, even though many modern readers seem to ignore it. Nathaniel’s response, “How do you know?” (John 1:48) asks if Jesus has knowledge that only God could have. Does Jesus give Nathaniel a satisfactory answer? Does Jesus plainly say: “Yes, I know what only God knows”? Nathaniel’s next response (John 1:49) seems to indicate his satisfaction and belief that Jesus knows what only God knows.

I am not saying Nathaniel recognized, at this encounter, that Jesus is God. But he did recognize that Jesus – somehow – sees what only God can see. Later, Nathaniel will see more (John 1:51).

The first chapter of the Fourth Gospel compresses most of our faith into several “abbreviations.” The Apostles unpacked each of these “abbreviations” orally. This oral unpacking is Sacred Tradition.

One key to this oral unpacking is apostolic scripture exegesis, usually indicated with a phrase such as: “thus was fulfilled…”, or “thus the scripture was fulfilled…”, or “as Isaiah said…”. So we look at the abbreviation, “Israelite without guile.” What scripture passages did the apostles associate with an “Israelite without guile”? Psalm 32 is primary; Zephaniah 3 is secondary.

“Blessed the sinner whose fault is removed, whose sin is forgiven. Blessed those to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile.” (Psalm 32:1-2) Jesus’ greeting (John 1:47) would immediately call to Nathaniel’s mind this Psalm. As I will explain shortly, being described as one “under the fig tree” indicates that Nathaniel was thoroughly familiar with Hebrew Scripture and especially the Psalms. We also know that speaking the first verse of a Psalm communicated the entire Psalm to the hearers; the best example is Jesus’ citation on the Cross of Psalm 22 (“My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?”). Nathaniel thought of all of Psalm 32 when he heard Jesus’ greeting. His focus would be, I propose, on these verses:

As long as I kept silent, my bones wasted away; I groaned all the day. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength withered as in dry summer heat. Then I declared my sin to you; my guilt I did not hide. I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord,” and you took away the guilt of my sin. For this shall every faithful man pray to you in time of stress. (Psalm 32: 3-6; emphasis added)

Psalm 32 is essential to the Good News of Salvation: only sinners who repent and confess their sins will receive God’s merciful forgiveness. “Only God can forgive sins.” (CCC #1441; see Mark 2:5-12, Luke 5:20-26, and Matthew 9:2-8) And, we know from Psalm 32, oral confession is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. The Gospel testifies to the practice of oral confession in First Century Judaism: “They were coming to John the Baptist and confessing their sins.” (Matt 3:6, Mark 1:5) “Penance requires the sinner to… confess with the lips.” (CCC #1450; Roman Catechism II, V, 21) “Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance.” (CCC #1455)

“The Holy Spirit will teach you everything,” Jesus promised (John 14:26); and the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost to begin this slow process of teaching. Acts of the Apostles recounts how they continued to learn painfully and gradually after Pentecost. But before the laborious instruction by the Holy Spirit, no one imagined a Church with power to forgive sins. Nathaniel had no idea how his sins might be forgiven. He knew “it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4) He desired and prayed to be like the person in Psalm 32 “whose fault is removed, whose sin is forgiven, in whom there is no guile.” He knew it was necessary to “turn” to God, to “repent.”

“Your sins are forgiven.”

“Every faithful person” (Psalm 32:6) hoped to be found without guile. But it was a vague hope, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians long after Pentecost – still not certain how God’s Plan for the Church was unfolding: “At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror… At present I know partially; then I shall know fully.” (I Cor 13:12) The Fourth Gospel confirms that God really does forgive sins; and God’s Plan is to transmit this divine power to forgive sins through the Church. (See my previous article on “Institution of the Apostolic Church.”) The episode of Nathaniel in John’s first chapter points to this forgiveness of sins; John takes the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:5-12, Luke 5:20-26) to a higher level, to a deeper understanding – up and in.

Struggling with this vague hope of forgiveness for years and years can be discouraging. “Since the Law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year…. Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:1, 11) Nathaniel could not be certain that his sins were forgiven. This discouragement is evident, perhaps, in Nathaniel’s response to Philip: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46) Father Paul Quay, SJ, describes this response as “caustic [marked by biting sarcasm].” (Mystery Hidden for Ages in God, page 297)

We are all sinners; we all fall short. (Romans 3:23) The likeness of God has been disfigured in all the children of Adam. (Gaudium et Spes, #22) Every person senses this primal defect, and only in Christ is man fully restored. (cf. Gaudium et Spes, #22) Before his encounter with Jesus, Nathaniel – I believe – had a deep sense of his own inadequacy, so it is no surprise that Nathaniel did not believe Philip.

Everything changed for Nathaniel when Jesus said, “Before Philip called you I saw you under the fig tree.” Suddenly Nathaniel believed! John emphasizes Nathaniel’s “Hallelujah moment” by reporting Jesus’ analysis: “You believe because I said I saw you under the fig tree.” (John 1:50; my translation) I propose that in this moment Nathaniel sensed that his sins were truly washed away and he burst into tears of joy.

How can we explain Nathaniel’s sudden change of mind and heart? The Evangelist makes it clear in the text that Jesus’ words, “I saw you under the fig tree,” set off this conversion of heart and mind. Without casting any doubt on the historicity of this account, we can also understand this conversion as a universal type for every one of us. It is included in the first chapter of the Final Gospel because of this universality. This conversion experience is Nathaniel’s “Hallelujah moment.” I imagine Nathaniel bursting into tears at this moment, “Tears of Repentance, Tears of Joy.” (see CCC #1429 and #1434) I imagine Nathaniel’s tears and this brings me into a closer relationship with Jesus. My experience in the Sacrament of Confession is similar: when the priest says to me, “Te absolvo,” I burst into tears of joy.

Under the fig tree

What did the biblical symbol, “under the fig tree,” mean to First Century Jews? We have abundant references to the “fig tree” both in the Hebrew Scripture and in the Apostolic commentary on Hebrew Scripture known as the “New Testament.” Fig is the first plant specifically named in scripture: its leaves are used in covering “nakedness.” (Gen 2:25 and 3:7) This identification in the Genesis story, indicates a primal symbolism in human society for “fig leaves” and “fig trees.”

Luke recounts a parable told by Jesus about a “fig tree” (Luke 13:6-9), while Matthew and Mark place Jesus’ historical encounter with a fig tree in juxtaposition with cleansing the Temple (Matt 21:12-22 and Mark 11:12-25). Matthew and Mark recount the “cursing of the fig tree” and the “cleansing of the Temple” in reverse order indicating an important relationship between the two events.

Looking at Matthew’s and Mark’s parallel accounts of the “cleansing of the Temple” and the “cursing of the fig tree” in their symbolic sense, we see they have this in common: Jesus rebukes both the money changers and the fig tree because they are not properly performing their assigned functions – one inside the Temple and one outside. So we ask: what is the proper biblical function of the fig tree? It is primarily to provide a place and time outside the Temple for prayer and penance. There are many other functions for fig trees and fig leaves but we may focus on this primary function. And, in this context, prayer and penance includes oral confession of sins.

The Hebrew Scriptures inspire much rabbinic literature on the subject of figs, fig trees, and fig leaves – beginning with the archetypal use of fig leaves by Adam and Eve. Figs and fig trees also have a legal role in the Torah, the Law of Moses, and a somewhat different symbolic role in the Age of the Prophets. Church Fathers also comment extensively on rabbinic interpretations of “fig tree,” and on Christian interpretations of the story of Nathaniel.

Here is my conclusion, after years of studying these sources: Jesus’ references to Nathaniel “under the fig tree” (John 1:48 and 50) indicate a private place and time for prayer and penance. “Under the fig tree” symbolized many varied activities, but the primary activity was the praying of the Psalms. This praying of the Psalms was – perhaps – the highest form of prayer for First Century Jews. The Divine Office, Liturgy of the Hours, is the post-Incarnational form of praying the Psalms!

In this sense, we could say that Nathaniel was – among other things – praying the Liturgy of the Hours under the fig tree. But Nathaniel’s prayers were exceptional, he prayed with great reverence and zeal and hope and tears. He memorized Torah and studied the Prophets, he sang and chanted the Psalms from the depths of his heart, begging and hoping the Messiah would come and liberate captive Israel. This was the source and center of a devout Israelite’s life in First Century Judaism. This activity under the fig tree, simply by praying the Psalms with sincere devotion, includes Confession of sins and begging God’s forgiveness. (Many Psalms include confession of sin and begging God’s forgiveness.)

Anyone reading this today has probably memorized more useless information than he or she cares to admit. In contrast, Nathaniel would have memorized the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. His whole life centered on the Liturgical hours of prayer and study, seeking the Coming of the Messiah. He would respond immediately to Messianic references. Philip did not mention the “fig tree” and Nathaniel was cynical. The Evangelist uses symbolic abbreviations to communicate the calling of the Apostles and the basic human types included in the Twelve. As soon as Jesus said “I saw you under the fig tree,” Nathaniel burst in to tears, Tears of Repentance, Tears of Joy. The Evangelist is communicating here, I believe, that Jesus’ words to Nathaniel signified something similar to: “I heard your Confession, and God has accepted your Confession. God knows that you are without guile. You are blessed as the man in Psalm 32 whose sins are forgiven, in whom is found no guile.”

For this shall every sane man pray!

When I was baptized in June 1974, I began saying two prayers every day: the Prayer before the Crucifix and a prayer to Our Mother of Perpetual Help composed by St. Alphonsus Ligouri. The words in the Prayer before the Crucifix stay on my lips and in my heart every day: “Good and gentle Jesus: Fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and True Contrition for my sins and a Firm Purpose of amendment.” In this traditional language of the Church, an “Israelite without guile” simply means one with “True Contrition for his sins and a Firm Purpose of amendment.” For this shall every Catholic pray! Every Saint is – finally – an Israelite without guile.

Philip’s Apostolic Kerygma

Catholic Theology today includes an area known as Apologetics. The primary text for Apologetics is Acts of the Apostles. Throughout Acts of the Apostles, Luke records the Apostolic Apologetic: Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled all the Scriptures, all the Prophecies to Israel, all the Promises of a Redeemer. The details explain “how” Jesus fulfilled these Prophecies, Promises, and Scriptures. The entire proposition is summarized in one statement, Philip’s Apostolic Kerygma: “We have found the One that Moses, in the Law, and the Prophets, talked about, Jesus, the son of Joseph, of Nazareth.” (John 1:45) Pope Benedict writes: “Providing an explanation and a basis for this claim is ultimately the aim of Jesus’ discourses.” (Jesus of Nazareth, page 235)

Pope Benedict does not exaggerate: this is ultimately the aim of Jesus’ Preaching and Teaching, and ultimately the aim of all the Apostolic Preaching and Teaching. This illustrates the universality of everything in chapter one of the Fourth Gospel. The Nathaniel pericope is not placed in chapter one haphazardly. The Nathaniel pericope is necessary to interpret everything else in chapter one and the entire Gospel! This is canonical exegesis.

Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31; emphasis added)

There are many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25)

The Wedding Banquet

I said the revelation to Nathaniel was only partial. Jesus’ statement that Nathaniel “will see greater things” unites this story with the Wedding at Cana episode. Two texts give evidence of the coherence of the stories. In the last chapter of the Gospel we are told that Nathaniel is from Cana of Galilee. It is no coincidence that the Wedding Banquet in Cana of Galilee immediately follows the story of Nathaniel who is from Cana. Secondly, the Evangelist ties the two stories directly with the words: “And on the third day…” (John 2:1) Our modern chapter divisions often obscure the textual continuity here. Immediately following Jesus’ prophetic statement, “you will see greater things than this,” the Evangelist says, “and on the third day.” This reference to the third day goes back to the first “Call” of Apostles Andrew and Simon. (John 1:35) Counting the days designated by the Evangelist places the Nathaniel story on the fourth day: the Wedding Banquet – three days later – is the Seventh Day. Many exegetes see a parallel here with the Seven Days in Genesis 1. This view is supported by the wording of the first verse of this Gospel, an obvious paraphrase of Genesis 1:1.

What happens on the Seventh Day? God rests. It is the Sabbath Rest. It is the Day of the Banquet. John’s Gospel appropriately places the Wedding Banquet on the Seventh Day. This also illustrates unity with the Evangelist’s Book of Revelation where the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb is described. The Wedding Banquet at Cana (John 2:1-11) may be seen as the historical foreshadowing of the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb.

Jesus says, “Amen. Amen. I tell you, you will see greater things than this.” The “double Amen” indicates an emphatic proclamation with Divine Authority (translated today perhaps as “Pay Attention! This will be on the test for sure!”) (Jesus’ double Amen may be equivalent to the Prophets’ expression: “Thus says the Lord.”) Jesus then tells Nathaniel what he will see: “heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” This is a figurative reference to the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb. The Wedding Banquet of the Lamb is celebrated daily in the Eucharist. Jesus is telling Nathaniel in symbolic language that before Nathaniel dies he will “see” the Eucharist on the Altar. Beginning after Pentecost, in every Eucharistic Sacrifice, “heaven is opened and the Angels of God ascend and descend on the Son of Man.” The Wedding Banquet at Cana prefigures the Eucharistic Banquet that Nathaniel saw after Pentecost.

Remnant of Israel without guile

Now, we will look at the “secondary reference” for an “Israelite without guile”: the Remnant of Israel. The Remnant of Israel has an essential role in Salvation History. The Church’s self-understanding, expressed in Lumen Gentium, has its roots in the Remnant of Israel. Prophecies of the “Return of the Remnant” reveal the continuity of the People of God through Salvation History.

Jesus’ greeting of Nathaniel, “Behold, an Israelite without guile,” would call to mind Psalm 32, as discussed above; this greeting also evokes the Remnant of Israel prophecy in Zephaniah, chapter 3:

I will change and purify the lips of the peoples… I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly… the Remnant of Israel. They shall do no wrong and speak no lies; nor shall there be found any guile in their mouths…. Sing joyfully, O Israel! The Lord has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; the King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. (Zeph 3:9, 12-13, 14, 15; emphasis added)

Nathaniel’s second response to Jesus, “you are the King of Israel,” also evokes this passage.

The Apostles often cited “Remnant of Israel” prophecies. Isaiah’s Book of Immanuel, chapters 7 to 11, contains the primary Remnant prophecy (Isaiah 10:20-22). Chapter 31 of Jeremiah, known for the singular prophecy of the “new covenant,” contains the second Remnant prophecy (see entire chap 31). The above passage in Zephaniah is the third. Each passage speaks of the “return of the remnant.” This “return” is essential in Salvation History because it is the heart of the Church’s identity: the Apostolic Church fulfills the “return of the remnant” prophecies. The Nathaniel story is universal – and included in the first chapter of John – because it speaks to us of the “return of the remnant” prophecies, fundamental prophecies in Salvation history.

Son of Joseph

In First Century Judaism, “son of Joseph” and “son of David” were opposed. David was from the lineage of Judah; and Judah and Joseph were rivals. Matthew begins by identifying Jesus as “Son of David,” while the final Gospel begins by identifying Jesus as the Word of God. The contrast is apparent in the fact that the fourth Gospel never states that Jesus is the Son of David. (The sacred name, David, appears in the fourth Gospel only in the passage where the anonymous “crowd” shouts: “the Messiah must be the Son of David.” (John 7:32)) In sharp contrast, John includes Philip’s Apostolic kerygma identifying Jesus as “the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45) No one expected a Messiah that would be both the “son of Joseph” and the “son of David,” so the fourth Gospel’s omission of Jesus’ identity as “son of David” and the explicit identification of Jesus as “son of Joseph” carried tremendous significance in First Century Judaism and presented a powerful apologetic for the Apostolic Church.

The story of Joseph is about one third of the Book of Genesis. It is one of the greatest novels ever written – in any literature. Near the conclusion of this great story, Jacob gives his first-born blessing to Ephraim, Joseph’s younger son. In Israel’s history, from the time of David to the Incarnation, Ephraim will become synonymous with Israel.

The most common association of “Israel without guile” is with Jacob, the most guileful person in all scripture. Jesus’ reference to “the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51) is often thought to refer to Jacob’s dream of the ladder with the angels ascending and descending (Gen 28:12). Yes, the Nathaniel story evokes Jacob/Israel. It is also true, I propose, that the fourth Gospel takes the synoptic genre of Peter/Mark and Paul/Luke to a higher level, in to a deeper understanding of the Messiah. Similarly, when Jesus is formally identified by Philip as “son of Joseph,” our attention is lifted from Jacob to Ephraim, Son of Joseph, in the mind of First Century Jews, signified Ephraim, Israel’s younger grandson, to whom divine providence gives Israel’s First-born Blessing.

The “return of the remnant” prophecies all focus on Ephraim, the son of Joseph. The story of the Prodigal Son in the Gospel of Luke is a generic version of Ephraim’s repentance and return. The full significance of the title, “son of Joseph,” goes beyond the length of this article. In another article, I will unpack the role of Ephraim, and “son of Joseph,” and the Prodigal Son, in Salvation History.

Mark Drogin, MThS

Mark Drogin has a Masters in Theology from the University of Dallas and has written extensively on the Jewish roots of the Gospel and the Church. His parents and grandparents were atheistic, socialistic Jews. In 1974, at the age of 28, Mark was baptized; then he met Father Arthur Klyber, CSsR, a Jewish Catholic priest who had been ordained in 1932. Mark helped Father Klyber found Remnant of Israel in 1975 and worked closely with him for over 20 years. Today, Mark continues Father Klyber’s work as Managing Director of Remnant of Israel. He welcomes your comments at

info@remnantofisrael.net