John 1:50-51 Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, believe you?… Notice this incident — I. AS A GLORIOUS END WHICH MERGES INTO A STILL MORE GLORIOUS BEGINNING. 1. The Lord who receives His disciples. He first appears as "walking alone," waiting for the Father's first gift. The preparations for the kingdom are complete, but as yet He is without an avowed disciple. How will He win them? (1) The first announcement which sent men to Christ was "Behold the Lamb of God." This is the sovereign secret of our Lord's attraction all through time. (2) But He who takes away our sins also seeks. Two disciples follow Him, but find Him not till He turns with the searching question: then He finds Philip. 2. Those who come to Him. (1) They are representatives of the devout in Israel waiting for His coming. (2) They represent those who are prepared by repentance and faith. (3) They illustrate the manner in which His disciples come to Him. Two by the preaching of another. Two seek their fellows and communicate the glad tidings. One is directly sought by Himself. 3. The communion between Christ and His disciples that day begun. It was reserved for the last to declare on behalf of all what Jesus was to their devotion: Divine Son, Supreme Lord. This, however, to them was but the beginning of joys, and the Redeemer promises greater things. II. THIS FIRST PROMISE is an encouragement to the faith of these humble disciples, and a prologue to all the wonders of redemption. 1. Our Lord here utters in figurative language the mystery of His mediation between heaven and earth. Christ here gives us in His first exposition of those Scriptures which testify of Him the meaning of Jacob's vision. The disciples were to see the Son of Man opening heaven and earth. 2. But though the Son of Man is the great word here, the angels have their specific meaning, viz., that heaven is always open to earth, that abundant blessing answers to abundant prayer, and that Christ's servants have all heaven ministering to their good. Both worlds are thus made one, and earth to us, as to Jacob, becomes the gate of heaven. What an encouragement to expect larger communications! We need not make the angels the bearers of our prayer: that office Christ appropriates We need not make them bearers of the Divine response that office the Holy Spirit appropriates. They are nevertheless the symbols and instruments of the providence of God. Their ministry to Christ he has transferred to us. 3. This glorious introductory saying which passed from prophecy to promise now returns to pure prophecy again, and our Lord fore-announces the day when heaven and earth shall in the fullest sense be made one. (W. B. Pope, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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