1.11 Synergy of the Kindred Spirits
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The day I am doing the final edit on this segment marks the third anniversary of the day all hope was withdrawn. Millie’s cancer had returned and returned with a vengeance. No hope. Hold close. Love hard! merry. christmas.
Days like today would best be forgotten - but can’t be. Shouldn’t be. So, once again our family watches as the clouds gather, the sky darkens, and we allow our precious memories to drop down into the deepest, most dangerous chamber of our hearts. Recollection becomes a necessary form of self-injury and a reminder of the fear of being torn asunder. However, in this pain, we feel. We feel her presence and cherish each sacred scar it leaves.
In the previous section, “1.10 Face to Face,” we saw how facing the truth forces us to adopt it or let it walk away. This section will introduce us to Nathanael, who has a similar choice – follow or walk away.
1:45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”It's time for John to introduce us to Nathanael, Nathanael to Jesus, and me to a conundrum. As Philip tells Nathanael about Jesus, his description of Jesus contains what we would now consider two mutually exclusive facts: the promised Messiah and the "son of Joseph from Nazareth.” There appears to be no consciousness of a virgin birth, and this is odd because John was with Jesus every day of his earthly ministry. He even cared for Jesus’ mother, Mary, for the remainder of her life. If anyone should have been acutely aware of the virgin birth story, it would have been the author of this story.
Several schools or rooms of thought appear to me as we wander down this theological rabbit hole:
John, unlike Luke, must have felt that it was not crucial to Philip’s understanding of who Jesus was.
Philip was unaware of the story then, and John wanted to avoid putting words in his mouth.
John emphasized Jesus' 100% humanity to help us witness the spirit animating him and thus understand how it can revitalize us.
John wanted to emphasize "how to believe,” showing how the words and actions of Jesus were to "become flesh" through ordinary people - Philip, Nathanael, you, and me.
Could any, or perhaps, all of these be true?
A Brief Word About Name Origins
I like how the RSV translation uses the more original spelling of Nathanael's name because it causes my eyes to focus more on the last two letters– EL. Nathanael is a biblical given name derived from the Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el), which means "God/El has given" or "Gift of God/El.” It's similar to Michael, which is of Hebrew origin and means “who is like God?” or “gift from God.”
That’s enough theology and linguistics for now. Let's explore the 100% human reaction of Nathanael.
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
I like this guy! If he's thinking it, he’s saying it. He didn’t question how the long-awaited Messiah could be the son of a carpenter but how he could come from Nazareth. It's like he's saying, “I didn’t see that coming!” Could Nazareth have a reputation as a backwater village with a “closed, orthodox consciousness”? Remember, they chased Jesus out of his hometown synagogue once.
I can see myself in this dialogue. We all have screenshots in our imagination to accompany our future expectations. As teenagers, we can envision what our spouses will look like and where they will come from. As parents, we have a hazy image of our children's spouses in our imagination long before they arrive on the scene. I was playing golf once with an older friend, who took a swing and said, "Now that's a son-in-law shot. It's not what I expected, but I'll take it!” When reality does not equal the expectation, it causes us to "pause.” And Nathanael was not expecting this.
Recognizing Your Vision When It Starts to Become Real
We've previously discussed the importance of having and refining a vision for our future. Still, it's essential not to get too specific that we cannot recognize it if it appears in a different form than anticipated.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.”I like how Jesus is not "thrown off" by Nathanael's derogatory comment about his hometown. As we carry out our purpose and walk in step with our inner voice, there will be many times that the opinions of and comments from other people affect us. The lesson Jesus demonstrates is to keep our “eyes on the prize."
“In whom there is no deceit” and “under the fig tree” are Old Testament references to sincerity and a time of peace. When Jesus said, "I saw you," did he mean he had actually seen him earlier, or did Jesus see Nathanael under the fig tree in his vision?
Looking back, it's easy to accept that Jesus had a superpower, like omniscience or clairvoyance, allowing him to see things happening elsewhere. Alternatively, Nathanael had been contemplating this predicted “time of peace," and Jesus sensed a “kindred spirit.” Remember, Jesus was watching for those who were anticipating change. Nathanael's reply supports this.
49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Nathanael experiences a sudden shift in his mindset, indicating an underlying lesson to be learned from the text. Although the lesson may not be explicitly stated, Nathanael's reaction and my own experience can provide insight into its meaning. Nathanael, Philip, and Jesus lived in the present with a vision of the future. ("The Best Is Yet to Come!" ) I can imagine them singing the words of Sam Cooke,
“It's been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon' come
Oh yes, it will”
What Is the Hidden Life Lesson?
Living in the present, with an apparent anticipation of the future, allows them to find each other - additional resources to carry out the vision. Often, we have a vision of our future that seems "too big for us" or unachievable for various reasons: lack of money, too little education, and not enough time, or all of the above. So, we allow the vision to evaporate.
Conversely, a well-defined vision, when regularly focused on, generates positive energy that moves me toward my goals and attracts the right people, resources, knowledge, and other necessary elements to help me achieve them. It's like a magnetic force that drives me toward my vision and pulls in the elements needed to make it a reality.
Insight From Meditation: As you release the responsibility for controlling external conditions and sink into yourself, you will discover the peace and joy your actual being craves.
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This increases the mass at the core of your being, strengthening the gravitational pull around you and attracting all you need: friends, experiences, resources, health, etc. You can release the idea of making things happen.
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Insight From Meditation: As you release the responsibility for controlling external conditions and sink into yourself, you will discover the peace and joy your actual being craves. 〰️ This increases the mass at the core of your being, strengthening the gravitational pull around you and attracting all you need: friends, experiences, resources, health, etc. You can release the idea of making things happen. ~~
You'll See the Word Become Flesh
50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”In my words. “When we give a vision to our inner voice, surprising things will happen. But when we combine efforts with others who share a similar vision, unimaginable things will be accomplished.” Verse 51 is a passionate endorsement of the power and process of corporate faith: Voice. Vision. Resources. Results!
In the ancient texts, Paul rephrases this notion when he writes to a group of like-minded or vision-sharing people, "he is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
In verse 51, Jesus used the word angels as a literary device to describe thoughts and ideas of divine intelligence flowing in/out of the silenced mind - “ascending and descending.” I agree that imagining these angels as real beings appearing to speak their thoughts and ideas makes it more vivid. However, I could easily overlook 1000 viable ideas while waiting for an angel to tap me on the shoulder and say, "Fear not."
It seems more likely that this is a metaphor for living out of my consciousness by silencing my mind, listening for the inner voice, focusing on its vision, and locking arms with others who do the same. Jesus was modeling and teaching this new way of life - converting perceived truth into acts of love and grace. It’s “HOW” to believe.
It’s how the word becomes flesh.
In the preceding paragraph, notice how Paul says “us," not you or me, but you and me “us." In another place, he says, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Again, them is plural, not singular. To Jesus’ enthusiastic endorsement of the faith process, Paul expands it to clarify the crucial component that gives faith its explosive power – synergy.
At this point, Jesus, Andrew, John, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael are the beginnings of a team that would demonstrate this “synergy of the kindred spirits.”
I have experienced this synergy a few times in my life. Far too few, but once experienced, you can always remember it. The most vibrant memory is of a men's fish fry in south Georgia in the 1970s, attended by a group of about 40 men who had discovered the voice of their Creator within themselves. Their shared vision was to awaken that voice in other men, and dozens of men, including me, had their lives changed through their efforts. Joe Glenn Smith and Bill Thomas were instrumental in awakening the voice within me. Bill has remained my mentor and friend for almost 50 years and has impacted my life more than any other man. He is my kindred spirit and has exemplified the power of shared vision and synergy. I mentioned this personal note to voice my gratitude and to share my hope that each person will have a friend and mentor like Bill.
The author of our story, John, spent his first chapter making sure we had the appropriate context for understanding who Jesus was, how he believed, and how we are to believe. He wanted us to know that the gifted rabbi, Jesus, was enlightened by the universe's creator through meditation and contemplation.* Through his teachings and actions, he enlightened others, modeled how to spend time daily in contemplation, and put inspired ideas into actions of grace and truth.
(*) This prompted the question in me, “Why didn't John show us Jesus spending time teaching about contemplation and meditation?” My research showed that meditation was already a common practice in 1st-century Israel. Jewish prayer always had a contemplative component, and it could be assumed. For more on the subject, check out Jewish Meditation.
In the next section, we will jump into chapter 2 and walk into a first-century Jewish wedding. Wine anyone?
