The First Disciples (Part Two)

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

June 27, 2024

The First Disciples (Part Two)

Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”

John 1:49 

In my meditation on June 24, 2024, The Testimony of John the Baptist, I noted that John the Baptist modeled for all of us the importance of living our lives within the role God has designated for us, and that while I should not think more highly of myself than I ought to, neither shall I think I am insignificant in God’s grand plan of redemption. The disciple Nathanael exemplifies this. He is only mentioned in John’s Gospel and only in this brief passage. (John 1:45-51, other than an incidental reference to his hometown of Cana in Chapter 21.) Yet it is his conversation with Jesus that completes the foundation of John’s Gospel.

When Jesus engaged Nathanael in conversation, he made a reference to Jacob’s ladder in Genesis 28. Jacob had a dream in which he saw a ladder extending to heaven with angels coming and going on the ladder. He named the place where he had the dream, Bethel, which means House of God. Later, Bethel would become the site of a great sanctuary for God’s people. This belief that God comes to meet his people in worship, to interact with them, finds its fulfillment in the Jews’ understanding of the Temple where God’s presence dwelled. Jesus is telling Nathanael that the miracles he will witness are evidence that Jesus is the new Temple and God’s presence is within Jesus.

Jesus is saying that when you are with him, you are in God’s house. God’s presence is with you. Can you envision a sanctuary where all the disciples of Jesus have an awareness of God’s presence within them for their corporate worship time together? John, in the Book of Revelation, describes such a time as the saints of God gathering around God’s throne. However, as we continue in our journey through John’s Gospel, we will see that John doesn’t think we have to wait until we get to heaven to have this experience of God’s presence as we worship. We may have it every Sunday because the scriptures do say that God inhabits the praises of His people! (Psalm 22:3)

My Takeaway: God is in Jesus. As the followers of Jesus, we know that Christ is in us. Therefore, today we don’t have to wait for a corporate worship service to experience the truth of God’s presence. Our prayer closet is like Bethel, the House of God, as we sit quietly in the presence of God. 

Sē’lah

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.