Daily Devotions
Have you ever thought you were in one place, in one situation, and then suddenly realized that the truth was completely different? That’s what happened to Nathanael in today’s reading. He starts off convinced that Philip is making a big deal about nothing—some nobody who comes from Nazareth, of all places!—and ends up realizing he is in the very presence of God.
Jesus catches the humor in this situation, too, and compares it to something that happened in the Old Testament with their ancestor Jacob (also known as Israel). Jacob was traveling to visit relatives after messing up his home life by deceiving his father and brother. He spends the night in the middle of nowhere, a place that had so little going for it he had to use a rock for a pillow. And in the middle of the night, God comes to him in a dream. Deceitful Jacob sees a ladder stretching from heaven to earth, with the angels going up and down on it. And when he wakes up, he is totally shaken: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it. … How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:16, 17b).
Jacob was a liar, a cheater, and deceiver—and yet he still found mercy and blessing from God. God forgave him and made him the father of the whole nation of Israelites, and ultimately of Jesus our Savior. That’s the kind of God He is.
Nathanael is the opposite of deceitful—he’s embarrassingly blunt with his opinions about Jesus!—but he, too, finds mercy and a mission in life from Jesus, the Son of God. Nathanael becomes one of the twelve disciples, and spends his life telling others about Jesus.
And us? We, too, may be totally confused about where we stand with God, or even whether He’s paying attention to us and what we say and think. But He is paying attention—and He’s showing kindness and mercy to us. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus has made Himself the connection between us and heaven—He is the real “ladder” that Jacob saw in his dream. Heaven is open to us, even when we completely mess up—because Jesus has made us His own.
THE PRAYER: Lord, thank You for hanging on to me, even when I’m confused about where I stand with You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever got turned around in the dark and ended up in the wrong place?
2. Did you ever think things were one way and God showed you the truth was very different?
3. What does Jesus’ sense of humor mean to you?