People of a certain age all have some shared television experiences. First, when we were sick and home from school we would watch The Price is Right. Second, when we stayed up late watching something on TV we would inevitably see something called an “infomercial.”

These long form commercials somehow would suck you in and you just couldn’t turn it off. The salesperson would be doing their pitch and then they would say, “But wait! There’s more!” Then they would sweeten the deal.

A whole generation was trained by television to wait for something more. Perhaps this is why my generation is typically unimpressed by many things and always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because, it turns out that, “wait, there’s more,” isn’t only for good stuff.

As I was reading through this next conversation with Jesus that is recorded in John’s Gospel, I couldn’t help but think that there might have been a narrator in the background saying, “but wait, there’s more…”

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote —Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” -- John 1:43-51, NIV

Once again we have someone immediately inviting another to follow Jesus. I think something interesting here is that we only Philip followed Jesus because of what he did. Did you catch that? Philip doesn’t respond to Jesus' call to follow by saying anything. Jesus calls him and then he goes to find Nathanael. It was in his going to find Nathanael that we assume he is following Jesus.

Philip didn’t need to say a word. He simply acted in response to the call. His actions displayed his following.

This has me thinking, what do my actions display to a watching world? If my story was in the narrative would it be obvious through how I lived that I was following Christ?

The narrative here continues to a longer interaction with Nathanael. After he’s invited to follow to Jesus by Philip, as he’s walking up, Jesus exclaims, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

Nathanael’s response cracks me up.

“How do you know me?”

There’s no sense of “gee, that’s kind of you,” or “who me?” Nope, no false humility here. Simply, “wow! that’s right and you just now saw me, how could know of my awesomeness?” We shouldn’t be surprised though, should we? Nathanael literally mean, “God’s gift.” If walked around and everyone referred to me as “God’s gift” I would probably have a pretty healthy sense of self too. This whole scene wreaks of comedy. I hope you see the comedic value in this interaction!

Jesus replies by telling Nathanael that he could see him under the fig tree. This in Nathanael’s mind was an impossibility and so specific that it proved Jesus' identity as Messiah. So much so, that he declares his belief right then and there.

The NIV renders Jesus' response as a statement but I think that the NET Bible has it more correct by rendering the response as a question, “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe?" It is almost like Jesus couldn’t believe that is all it took for him believe.

It is interesting the two different responses of Philip and Nathanael. One responds in action and the other with words.

Jesus now drops the, “but wait there’s more.” He tells Nathanael specifically that he will see even greater things. It’s like, “You thought that was good? Just you wait.”

But, then he turns to all the disciples and tells them, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” The “you” here is plural and again, I like the way the NET Bible makes that clear by translating this as, “I tell all of you…” Jesus is quoting here from Genesis 28:12 and the vision of Jacob,

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. -- Genesis 28:10-15

Jesus puts himself in the place of the stairway. He says they are going to see how he is the bridge that connects God and man. Moreover, in him or better through him they will see heaven opened up. Also, by identifying himself with Jacob (who becomes known as Israel) he is placing himself as the New Israel, the Israel that would keep the covenant perfectly and therefore bridging the gap the between God and man.

If Nathanael was blown away by Jesus simply knowing that he was under a fig tree, he would have his life transformed by glimpsing the divine as Jesus opens heaven for him and the disciples. As I think about this interaction, I am reminded of the little parable that C.S. Lewis tells in the Weight of Glory.

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

I think that if I am easily satisfied by some trivial thing like Jesus being able to see me under a tree, it will not very well prepare me for when things get difficult. I think that Jesus is going to show them these deeper realities to solidify their faith. He wants them to see things greater so that when life and faith in him gets difficult, they will have these deeper stories to draw on.

As I consider my life, I am struck by the ways that God has provided for me in so many different ways. Whethery are financial, relational, spiritual, or emotional. Every time I think I’ve plumbed the depth, I go deeper still.

It’s as if there is a narrator out there saying, “but wait, there’s more!”