Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth." But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (Jn 1:45-51)
Jesus has two types of qualification regarding his identity. One is based on the scriptures. That is his identity fits well with that of law and the prophets. The other identity is from his place of birth. This is human and a natural identity. The identity from the scriptures is ideal and the human identity is real. These two in fact make Jesus the person he is.
The persons who are able to see the two and see in these two the identity of Jesus become his disciples. There are those who refuse to see the scriptural identity and there are those who do not see the human identity. Nathanael is one of such who find it difficult to see the human reality. The conditions and the situations are so vivid that no good could come out of Nazareth for him.
Jesus reveals his identity to Nathanael. What is revealed is far more important than the scriptural and natural. What is revealed is divinely. This is like in the case of Peter when he said you are the Messiah. Jesus assured him that it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to him rather it was the Father from the heavens. Revelation is complete and ture.
