In our lesson for today Jesus goes into Galilee, not Jerusalem to call Philip, Andrew, Peter and Nathanael. Philip when he was called was so excited that he went immediately to his friend Nathanael and announces; “We have found him about whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote; Jesus of Nazareth.”

Jesus came to show us the father. Jesus came so that we could see God. Just think for a moment about what Nathanael’s view of God was the day before he met Jesus. I am sure that he thought that God looked like he belonged in the holy of holies in the temple in the center of Jerusalem. Nathanael thought his task was to keep God happy so that God would bless him so he went to offer the proper sacrifices. Now Jesus stands before him saying; “You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the son of Man.”

Jesus never said anything just to make small talk. This quote refers to Jacob, the first Israelite, who falls asleep under a fig tree and has a dream where he sees a ladder and the angels ascending and descending. (Gen. 28:12) God promised this same experience to Jacob but with the difference that there is no ladder swung between heaven and earth, what Jesus is saying to Nathanael is that Jesus, himself is Jacob’s ladder.

Here at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus explains to his newly called followers that he will be the center point of their experience. By looking at and living with Jesus they will learn to see heaven open and angels ascending and descending on Jesus. The opening of heaven, the bypassing of the temple will make the father accessible through Jesus.

Now God is accessible through Jesus instead of the temple. The temple existed to protect God from the unholy. God was remote and he could not stand to be in the presence of anything that did not reflect his perfection. Now God is in Jesus, who lived in Galilee, touched lepers, and ate with sinners. All the social distinctions broke down because God was in Jesus. Purity is no longer an issue because Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. When Jesus called Nathanael he was asked where do you abide, what is it that makes you real? The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus and it abides in him.

This abiding is part of Jesus essential nature. Paul put it in similar language saying; “I live in Christ and Christ in me.” Jesus says of himself, “I abide in the Father and the Father in me.” But the world says it cannot abide, that is the problem, the world roots itself in the wrong place.

Jesus came to extend a relationship with his Father to everyone. This led to his death because that was blasphemy and treason. Every Jew knew God was only for them and that everything depended on keeping the temple open and running with sacrifices.

The opening of heaven to all is good news to those who can walk away from the old forms and be glad the temple is torn down. This is shown to us again in Acts when Stephen had to defend himself before the Sanhedrin just as Jesus did. His defense consists of an attempt to tell the story of Israel anew, a revisionist history that does not uphold tradition. Stephen tells the story everyone already knew from a different angle, through the Holy Spirit, with Jesus as the victim of Israel.

“But Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the son of man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55-56)

His listeners reacted as we might expect, they just heard an open blasphemy, that God was alive in a crucified man, so they stopped their ears and cried out with a loud voice so they did not have to hear his blasphemy and they stoned Stephen to death.”

Stephen was able to do what Jesus promised Nathanael. Stephen could see the heavens opened. He even prayed that is death would not be held against his executioners, just as Jesus did. He followed Jesus in renouncing revenge.

Philip doesn’t argue with Nathanael. Instead he says “Come and see.” Come and see is an invitation to check Jesus out for yourself and make your own decision. It also suggests that if you really want to really see the world the way it is, if you want to have vision that penetrates, if you want to understand the human condition and if you want to be able to see yourself as you really are and how all of this really works that Jesus’ vision will give you this vision too.

Today heaven is open and any of Jesus followers is able to tell everything about Jesus, how he lived and worked. Each of us are called to speak Jesus name and because we can see ourselves as we really are that we can create our own story of how Jesus light shines on us. That is the calling of the Church. The church is a place to share news about how Jesus has and is changing your life. Every Christian has a story to tell about how Jesus has forgiven them and changed the direction of their life from whatever temple they used to worship in to seeing the heavens opened before them.

1. What change do you think was made in Nathaniel’s view of God after he met Jesus?

2. There are so many references to an open heaven what does it mean that the heavens are open?

3. Why is seeing Jesus the most useful path to knowing ourselves as we really are?