A layman's commentary on John 1:47-51. What was it that captured Nathanael's attention and caused him to believe?

 Since I managed to lose my first attempt at this commentary on John 1:47-51, I will try once again.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael *said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And He *said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
(John 1:47-51 NASB)

This conversation was initiated with Philip, excitedly looking for Nathanael. Nathanael, it seems, comes back at Philip with the rather notorious statement, What good thing can come out of Nazareth. In spite of his bad attitude, he follows Philip to see Jesus; thus, we see the narrative above, where Jesus now sees Nathanael, and like the prodigal's son, He comes toward Nathanael.

I would not, even for a second, tell you that I see Nathanael as anything other than another Israelite who is willing to fight to preserve his right to be entrenched in the law.

And yet, what does Nathanael say in response?

How do you know me?

This is another of those events where we are not given the precise details. How much would your attitude change if you found out that Jesus may have run to Nathanael, arms outstretched, demonstrating the love He had for this young man?

Because Jesus said, I saw you under the fig tree, Nathanael declares, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; ...the King of Israel.”

Jesus replied, Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And He *said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

What was it that captured Nathanael's attention and caused him to believe?

It was the Signs, which were carried out through words and wonders.

I know many of you want to argue that there were no signs involved with the drawing of Nathanael. If that is what you believe, and it is based upon religious tradition, we can only fix that by adhering to the word of God.

The concept of signs is entwined in words, and everything Jesus said to Nathanael can be found in the Torah and the Tanach. The impact of signs is found in the 10 plagues.

“Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do. Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; and Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. He then performed the signs in the sight of the people.”
(Exodus 4:28-30 NASB)

In Genesis 1:14, we see the Hebrew word for signs – 'ôth. It means a signal, beacon, evidence, a mark or a sign.

Genesis 1:14-15 NKJV Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; (15) and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.

If God is explaining His actions to an entity, who would that entity be?

In our foolishness, we like to claim that it was Jesus or humanity. The problem with that thought process is that Jesus is God, and John's gospel tells us that He was the creative force that spoke everything into existence.

John 1:1-3 NKJV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

If you are going to cling to the idea that it was man or humanity, then your argument is pointless, for we have no evidence, by scriptural standard, that there was any trace of humanity upon the earth at this time.

In Deuteronomy 6, we see the LORD showing signs.

Deuteronomy 6:22 NKJV and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household.

Those words, passed through Moses, became the plagues (signs) that were poured out upon Pharaoh and Egypt.

Moses tells Aaron what he heard. Aaron believes and responds by performing the actions he is compelled to do.

“You are to speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt, and by mighty acts of judgment I will bring the divisions of My people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 7:2-4 BSB)

“In time “... the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.”
(Exodus 7:5 BSB)

The Berean Study Bible announces this plague to be the first.

“So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same things by their magic arts. Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.” (Exodus 7:10-12 BSB)

Is the event with the staff the first plague?

The answer to that question is not defined for us. However, is it possible that this is the first because God later says to Moses, “take the staff that was changed into a snake.”

The next thing we see is Aaron, at Moses' command, throwing down Moses' staff before Pharaoh and the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt. They, in turn, did the same thing, but Moses' staff, which had turned into a serpent, consumed all of their staffs, which had also turned into serpents. Quite impressive.

I suppose that for an event to qualify as a plague, it would have to touch the population. An event, such as turning all the water into blood, would have such an effect on the nation.

• Water Turned to Blood. The First Plague.

  “Go to Pharaoh in the morning as you see him walking out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the wilderness. But you have not listened until now. This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood. The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.’” (Exodus 7:15-18 BSB)

I think it is fair to say that this plague, right off the bat, puzzles me. It seems that God expressly speaks of the Nile River, and that would make sense, for how could God affect the water, in pots, in their homes?

What a ridiculous question to ask. God is not constrained by physics or our walled buildings in which we store our water jugs, no matter what they are made of. Besides that, consider that Jesus walked through a locked door when He came to be with the disciples who were gathered in the upper room.

John 20:19-20 BSB It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them. (20) After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

This demonstration by signs in Egypt continues.

“And the LORD said to Moses, 'Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers and canals and ponds and reservoirs—that they may become blood.’ There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the vessels of wood and stone.”
(Exodus 7:19 BSB)

So, nothing was excluded. If that is the case, then explain to me how this next phase of this plague happened.

“But the magicians of Egypt did the same things by their magic arts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.” (Exodus 7:22 BSB)

Where did the wizards get clean water so that they could make it bloody and useless?

Aside from the disgusting after effects, you would think that there was no fresh water left in the region, and yet, Pharaoh's sorcerers found some clean water and turned it into blood.
Where did they find fresh water?

I cannot imagine.

• Frogs, the second plague.

By themselves, or in small quantities, they might almost be tolerable, but to have frogs in everything would be unbearable.

So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls.”
(Exodus 8:3 NKJV)

Just a couple of fun side notes:

And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:7 NKJV)

What verse 7 tells me is that the dark work of the demonic is not to be toyed with.

Did you ever pay attention to how God got rid of them?

“Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. So the LORD did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said.” (Exodus 8:12-15 NKJV)

• The Third Plague: Gnats.

“So the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.' " And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.”
(Exodus 8:16-17 NKJV)

How could gnats be such a problem? The answer is easily understood just in numbers alone. There is dust everywhere. If you have been bothered by them while fishing or working around livestock. They will enter every available orifice on your body.

• The land is ruined by flies. Plague #4.

  “Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be." ' " And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.” (Exodus 8:21-24 NKJV)

This is right there with gnats in terms of annoyance. Aside from their ability to bite or lay eggs that can infest your body. The eggs can turn into meat-eating larvae. They are associated with death.

• The Egyptian Livestock Die. The Fifth Plague:

“then the hand of the LORD will bring a severe plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”
(Exodus 9:3-4 BSB)

Unlike the plague that is to come, where the “death” angel kills the firstborn of all who were NOT covered by the blood on the doorposts, it is possible that Moses had a hard time convincing the Israelites that God could do such things. He not only could but would.

“And the next day the LORD did just that. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.”
Exodus 9:6 BSB

• The Sixth Plague: Boils

  “So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 'Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt." Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.”
  (Exodus 9:8-11 NKJV)

• Hail, the seventh plague.

I feel like I am boring you with this information about all the plagues. If you wish, look them up for yourselves, as there are three more.

Why was God doing all this?

Exodus 9:13-16 NKJV Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me, (14) for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.

15. Now if I had stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence (so that you die), then you would have been cut off from the earth.

And finally, the 16^th verse speaks to us as well. When it says, “that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Open your mouth and declare the wonders.

15. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.