John
1:47, "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an
Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"
This
morning, we see Scriptural prophecy and testimony being manifested and
confirmed over and over again. When certain things occur in our world
that the Bible told us would either come or remain here, we should not
act surprised when we see them. Paul told Timothy that evil men and
seducers would wax "worse and worse." (II Timothy 3:13) These perilous
times that Paul told Timothy of are most certainly upon us today, for
all of the warning signs in that passage from II Timothy 3 are flashing
brilliantly today. However, did Paul mean to convey to the young
minister that men would become worse in the sense that the depravity of
man would increase and be worse than it was before? Are men today in
these days worse in the sense of heightened depravity than they were in
yesteryear? Since mankind was completely and wholly condemned by the
act in the Garden of Eden, he was already wholly set in the deeds of
wickedness. You cannot push beyond what is complete and total. But,
friends, man's depravity will always manifest itself to the fullest
extent that it can under the current circumstance it is in. For
example, man's wicked nature wants to do more than is perhaps feasible
for a certain setting or situation. A man cannot commit adultery on his
wife with her right there with him. Though he might have that desire,
he cannot act upon it under the present circumstance. Yet, as evil men
wax worse and worse, the text makes a prophecy that days are coming when
the circumstances are such that man's depravity becomes worse and worse
in manifestation. He will have circumstances available to him to push
the envelope further than it was pushed before.
In our
study verse, we see a statement made by the Master that should make us
sit up and take notice. Sadly for me, I passed over this verse quite
often in my reading of it, though this passage is quite special to me
personally. My name comes from verse 45 (Philip findeth Nathanael),
which makes this passage a personal one. Still, before we get to the
famous "fig tree" discussion that Christ has a little later with
Nathanael, He makes a statement that shows us something not only about
the man but also about our Lord. Notice the word that Christ used:
guile. The same word is used by Peter in I Peter 2:22 to state the same
thing about Christ. Peter says that there was no guile found in the
mouth of Christ, and here Christ Himself says there is no guile in
Nathanael. Are these statements equal? Certainly the men were not, but
are these equal statements?
Above
we mentioned that men today are not more depraved in their nature than
they ever have been but the circumstances are such that it is manifested
more and more. Without bounds and checks upon the world, man will
fulfill more and more in manifestation of those things that his hearts
conjures to do. When no guile was found in Christ's mouth, He
manifested what was already the underlying quality of His character.
The word guile means "craftiness or deceit." Furthermore, the word
stems from a family of words that implies the tactic of baiting someone
dishonestly. In other words, guile is one of the worst forms of
falsehood and dishonesty because there is absolute malice and
destruction at the center of it. When someone tries to bait someone
else in conversation or otherwise, there is the sense of delight that
they try to fulfill by seeing someone else "fall for it" or "fall into
it." Christ not only was completely honest, but there being no guile in
His mouth, He did not then nor does He now delight in seeing people fall
into things. A man filled with guile delights when other people "get
it" while he is left unscathed.
Knowing
then that Christ's character and purity was fully displayed by His
righteous conduct and behavior, what does Christ's statement to
Nathanael mean? Was Nathanael as pure as Christ? Certainly he was
not! However, Christ says that his behavior and action show something
else about him. Not only does he have some quality of goodness - that
He Himself put into Nathanael - but it is fully evidenced in his life.
Nathanael was known as an Israelite of the highest moral integrity.
What you saw was what you got with him. He did not try to trap anybody,
nor did he take delight in watching others stumble. This tells us a lot
about the man. How much/little guile someone has speaks volumes to
their character.
When I
was growing up, there were levels of punishment in my parent's home
based on the level of transgression. Certain sins were punished more
severely than others. The hardest consequences were reserved for
matters of falsehood. When I lied about doing something and was
discovered, I would get a few licks (spanks) for what I did initially
that was wrong, but I got many licks for then lying about it. Dad
always stated why lying was so abominable, "Son, no matter what you have
done wrong, honesty about your behavior at least allows us to keep
talking to one another about it. When you lie to me, I can't trust
anything you tell me, and it kills our conversation." Furthermore, the
hardest spankings for lying in the house came for those lies that were
told with more malevolent intent (guile). For example, if you told a
lie to save your hide, that was still a grave offense, but a graver
offense came when you lied either to hurt someone else or seemed to
delight in your own falsehood.
When
Christ Jesus told the people gathered around that Nathanael was without
guile, He spoke volumes about him. Those standing there that might not
have known who he was would immediately get a good impression of him and
feel able to trust him. However, this statement not only tells us
something about the man, it also tells us something about the Master.
Doubtless, Christ was the reason that Nathanael was good at all, for
short of the grace of God in regeneration, Nathanael would have never
done anything that was good, and instead of having no guile, his mouth
would have been full of the poison of asps and like an open sepulchre.
(Romans 3) Still. God's children can develop a reputation of being
habitual liars. Jacob - though loved of God - lied on numerous
occasions in his life to try to get ahead - his very name means
supplanter or deceiver. Nathanael's life was not known in such a
fashion. To people that knew him, they thought of him as honest and
full of integrity. But greater still, so did his Lord.
Too
often, we can play the dangerous game of thinking of ourselves as
worthless. By nature, we are. By His grace, we are not. Further
still, a godly and faith-driven walk is not worthless either. Christ's
very statement shows that He thought of Nathanael in a positive light.
Christ commended his behavior and course of life. When you read through
those godly characters in Hebrews 11, you are not reading a record of
perfect people. Nor are you always reading a record of people who
always acted faithfully in the matters recorded about them. For
example, Sarah is mentioned as having the faith to conceive and bear a
son in her old age. Yet, the Genesis account records her laughing about
having a son in her condition. Did God get it wrong when He inspired
her to be spoken of in such a glowing fashion in the New Testament? No
friends, it shows that even though we fall so short of perfection, we do
not always fall short of His commendation.
Good
advice for a young preacher is to never undervalue his sermons and
ministerial efforts if they bless those he serves. Surely, they are not
perfect, but that does not mean that they do not bless anybody. Good
advice for young parents is to never undervalue their efforts in
bringing up their children. Again, they will not be perfect, but God
has and does bless us when we seek to go the right way in that regard
looking to Him and His Book for the answers. Nathanael was a sinner,
and I have little doubt that he had told a lie(s) at some point in his
life. Perhaps he even had delighted in baiting someone else just to
watch them fail. However, his manner of life was known more for honesty
and uprightness. Christ smiled on his behavior and plainly and
unequivocally stated it.
Today
friends, we are going to fall short of the mark on a daily basis. Thank
God His grace has been given us to have the capacity to serve Him with
reverence and godly fear. May our lives be known as Nathanael's was.
May people see in us an honest people that do not delight in what the
evil men and seducers delight in. Though their manifestation of sin and
carnality may increase and get worse and worse, may our sense of moral
integrity shine brighter and brighter than at any other time. Since
these men are not any more depraved than anyone else but manifest it
more, I am convinced that we are no more righteous than any other of
God's children that have ever lived (we were all saved completely and
equally by Christ), but may we manifest that righteousness more than any
others that have gone before us. Just as Christ was pleased with
Nathanael's conduct and efforts, I feel certain based on His
immutability that He will be just as pleased with us if we try to follow
a similar course.
In
Hope,
Bro
Philip
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