GREATER THINGS YET WHO SHALL SEE THEM? – Charles Spurgeon
GREATER THINGS YET: WHO SHALL SEE THEM?
John 1:50-51
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these. And He said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Henceforth you shall see Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
We cannot help but make a few remarks upon the narrative before we proceed to the distinct subject of discourse. Certain catchwords are exceedingly worthy of notice since they are abundantly full of instruction.
“Come and See”
When Nathanael had doubts about whether the Messiah could come from Nazareth, Philip answered him, “Come and see.” These were the very words Jesus had used to His earliest disciples when they began to follow Him. He said to them, “Come and see.” It is always safe for us to use words that God has blessed. Did the Master say, “Come and see”? Then, we cannot do better than repeat His words and use, as near as possible, the inspired expressions.
Was that short sentence, “Come and see,” made useful to other souls? Then those who would win souls cannot do better than use such gospel nets as have been tried and proven efficient in their own cases. Let none of us say that we cannot speak to others about their souls. There was one passage of Scripture that was the means of our conversion, and we cannot do better than repeat it to others, hoping that what God has blessed to us, He may bless to others.
Short as were the inviting words, “Come and see,” they were full of wisdom. Our Lord knows the philosophy of the human mind and understands how best to produce faith in doubting hearts. “Come and see” is the sure cure for unbelief. Some would tell doubters to sit down and think and create faith by reflecting on the nature of things. We may long consider the state of man and our own nature before we shall be enlightened as to the way of salvation. If we would judge of Christ, we must consider Christ, Himself. He is His own best argument! The cobweb spinnings of conceited brains are easily broken through, but the facts—the indisputable facts—of the Savior’s life and death hold the understanding and the heart as with iron bands.
As our Savior said and as His servant, Philip, said, even so, we say to all who would know Christ, “Come and see!” Be not blinded by prejudices or misled by preconceptions, but read His story for yourselves. Seek His face for yourselves and taste and see that the Lord is good! Personal communion with Jesus is still the best evidence of His personal excellence and His power to save. Brothers and Sisters, have you any doubts about the Master? “Come and see.” Do you say within yourself, “Can He save such an one as I am?” “Come and see.” Do your sins cast you down and cause you to despair because you fear that even the Redeemer’s blood cannot cleanse you? “Come and see.” See Him as the Son of God and the Son of Man! See Him in His life of holiness and in His death of substitution! Or see Him, if you will, up yonder at the right hand of God, making intercession for sinners! And as you are looking upon Him, faith will steal in upon you through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the mind’s eye that must look, and by that look, repentance and faith find entrance to the soul.
“Come and see,” for nothing will save a man but a personal sight of a personal Savior. Therefore, “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.” The Lord Himself says, “Look unto Me, and be you saved, all the ends of the earth.” Our Lord Jesus Christ seems to have so approved of the advice of Philip that He, Himself, followed it up and kept to the same form of expression.
“You Shall See Greater Things”
Did Philip say, “Come and see”? Then the Lord Jesus says, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you: you have come to see Me, but I have already seen you: there has been an antecedent look on My part: I saw you before you did know anything about Me, or had even heard of Me from Philip.”
Nor does our Lord change His note even to the end of the conversation, but closes it by saying, “Because I said unto you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” There, you see, is the great plan of salvation as it works in us! First, the Savior sees us, even when we are a great way off. Then we come and see, and our hearts find rest in our Redeemer. And then, in later days, He gives us yet brighter and clearer views of Himself and of His Kingdom! Oh, who would not come and see if this is so? If at our first coming and seeing, we find life and rest, what must those still greater things be which are yet to be revealed? All that faith has yet discovered is but a foretaste and an earnest of more glorious sights which shall yet be opened up before our favored eyes, for Jesus Himself says, “You shall see greater things than these.”
Other parts of the conversation are equally worthy of notice, as showing how fully the mind of the childlike Nathanael and the holy Child Jesus responded to each other, as all true and childlike minds always do. Our Lord, as soon as He saw Nathanael, called him, “an Israelite, indeed, in whom is no guile.” Jesus knew his simple, frank, open-hearted character and He produced an example of it. Nathanael did not blush with mock modesty or pretend to question the praise, but in the simplest and most unaffected manner, he tacitly admitted the description to be true and said, “From where do You know me?”
The Character of Nathanael
He felt in his own conscience that he was a true son of that wrestling Jacob who became prevailing Israel, and in accepting the title, he made his words responsive to those of Jesus. He said, “True, I am an Israelite, but You are the King of Israel.” To this our Lord seemed to reply, “You are an Israelite, and you have acknowledged Israel’s King. And now you shall have Israel’s privileges, for, like he, you shall see Heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Thus, as in water, face answers to face, so did the heart of man to man in the communion of these two guileless spirits! Their thoughts were so true that they harmonized like the parts of well-composed music! Their words so frankly bespoke their hearts that they answered to one another like the echo to the voice. This is the character of the communion between our Master and His sanctified ones. He says, “I am the Good Shepherd,” and the heart replies, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The spouse says, “Yes, He is altogether lovely,” and her Bridegroom replies, “You are all fair, My love, there is no spot in you.” Our Lord calls us, “My love, My dove, My undefiled,” and we, being in full communion with Him, reply, “My Beloved is mine and I am His.”
As upon the sea in time of storm, deep calls unto deep, so within the sanctified heart, in heavenly calm, truth calls unto truth—one word of love wakes up another—the commendation given by condescending love brings forth the praise of grateful affection. But to produce this mutual sympathy, there must be a common character—a similar absence of guile. This is the great condition of fellowship with Jesus.
The Promise to Nathanael
God’s ways toward us are made to meet our own in a most instructive way. “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful. With an upright man You will show Yourself upright. With the pure You will show Yourself pure, and with the obstinate You will show Yourself obstinate.” When His children open their hearts to Him, He opens His mind to them. When they are true Israelites, He gives them the true Israel’s privileges. When they acknowledge Him to be a great and glorious King, He makes them to see the great things of His Kingdom.
May it be ours, through Grace, to be as little children, even as Nathanael was, for so shall we behold the Kingdom of God!
The Promise of Greater Things
Let us now consider the promise of our Lord Jesus to Nathanael. This is the Savior’s first personal Word of promise, and it is instructive that He gave it, not to the most talented, but to the most simple-hearted of His disciples. It was, moreover, no mean promise, but full of the largest conceivable meaning. “You shall see greater things than these.” Those must be very great things which were greater than what Nathanael had already seen. There is room for boundless expectation in the words! It was a promise that brought another linked with it as part and parcel of it. How often one Divine blessing is like a link of a chain of gold and draws another with it—“You shall see greater things than these” is followed by, “Henceforth you shall see Heaven open.”
The Gracious Reward
By these words, our Lord meant that His perceptions would become more vivid. Do you believe? You shall see! If we demand to see first, we shall never believe! But if we are willing to believe, we shall, by-and-by, see. There is a growth in faith which renders it not the less faith and yet approximates it more and more closely to sense. I mean, “sense” in its best signification—so that what at first we believe simply upon the testimony of God, we come, by and by, to believe upon personal experience. We believe until we so realize the Object of faith that we look at the things which are not seen and see Him who is invisible.
From this, we go further, still, until we both taste and handle of the good Word of Life, and faith becomes the substance of things hoped for. From looking to Christ, we come to live, move, and have our being in Him. The eye of faith gathers strength. At first, it sees Christ through its tears and that look saves the soul, though it perceives comparatively little of Him. But in later days, the eye of faith becomes so powerful that it emulates that of the eagle which can gaze upon the sun at midday.
A Greater Vision of Christ
Faith becomes a second sight. Remember our Lord’s words to Martha, “Said I not unto you, that if you would believe, you should see the Glory of God?” “Do you believe? You shall see.” This was not all our Lord’s meaning. He virtually promised that Nathanael should discover other truths of God than he as yet knew. “You shall see greater things than these.” Now, what is there greater to be seen than the Omniscience of Christ? “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me: it is high: I cannot attain unto it.” Is there anything greater than this? Yes, so the Savior says!
The Greater Things to Come
I suppose He means this: First, as you have seen My Omniscience in your own case, you shall go on to see it in the case of all mankind, for by My Cross shall the thoughts of many hearts be revealed, and by My Gospel, men shall be revealed unto themselves. The Word of God is quick and powerful and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart—and when Nathanael came to preach it in later years, he found it so and saw for himself that Christ read every man’s heart.
How wonderfully do we know this to be true in our time and in this place, for here the Word of God finds us out and lays us bare to our own consciences! You have been startled in your seats sometimes. You have wondered how it could be that not only in the gross has your experience been set before you, but even in little details, there have been minute touches which have amazed you with the distinctness of the Divine knowledge! Our Lord did not say, “I saw you under a tree,” as if it might have been an oak or an olive, but He spoke definitely of “the fig tree.” Even so does He cause His ministers to be very minute and particular so that you wonder where their knowledge comes from!
Seeing Greater Things in Christ’s Power
And so, when this is done on a large scale—as it is done whenever Christ is preached—then it is true that we see greater things than when, for the first time, we perceive that our own character is revealed. He would see “greater things,” next, because he would see more of the Godhead. Did you see Omniscience? You shall see Omnipotence! Did you discover that I could read your heart? You shall learn that I can change your heart! Did you find that My eyes could glance into the secrets of your soul? You shall find My Word casting out devils, healing the sick, and hushing the storms! You shall see clearer ensigns of My Godhead than this one experiment in the reading of the heart.
The Lord, in calling Himself the Son of Man, opens up to Nathanael one of those greater things. He had perceived Him to be the Son of God by His reading his heart and it was a great thing to perceive the Godhead, but it was a greater wonder still to see that Godhead linked with humanity! Jesus, as Son of God, is glorious, but at the same time as Son of Man, He has a double Glory!
The Opened Heaven
Our Lord seemed to say to Nathanael, “You have believed that I am the Son of God—you shall see the Son of Man.” And is this a greater thing? In one sense, it is a descent for Jesus to be the Son of Man, but yet, you who know how to read the riddle aright will say that the Godhead is not half so wonderful in itself as when it comes to be united with our humanity. The Incarnation has about it a mystery which is not seen, even in the mystery of the Godhead!
Nathanael had only seen an opened heart, but now he was to see an opened Heaven. He had seen Christ’s eyes entering into his secrets, but he was now to see communications established between the lowly hearts of men and the secrets of Heaven! He saw how Christ, Son of God, dwelt among men—he is now to see how the abodes of God and man shall be blended in one, and high communion maintained between earth and Heaven.
The Communion Between Heaven and Earth
I come back to the one thought, that the sight of greater things is reserved for guileless Believers. To those who already have much by faith, more shall be given. Beloved, as a Church and people, we have seen great things in this place in the work of the Lord among us. And we have lately celebrated with much joy and thankfulness the loving-kindness of the Lord to us—let us make this a new starting point and hear the Lord say—“From this day will I bless you.”
We desire to see much greater things than we have known and, in order to this, we must have more faith. And that faith must be more simple and childlike. The rule of the Kingdom is that according to our faith, so shall it be unto us. Unbelief bars the way of mercy. We tie the hands of Jesus if we have no faith. Is it not written, “He could not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief”? We must believe or we shall not be established, nor shall our works prosper.
Whatever we have accomplished has been worked by faith, but we believe that we might have done a hundred times more if we had manifested a hundred times more faith. May the Lord grant us downright, honest, simple faith, and then we shall see greater things than these, for all obstacles will be removed and eternal love will work wonders among us! Faith makes a man a fit instrument for God to use, and therefore, God does great things by him.
The Vision of Greater Things
If you are unbelieving, God will no more use you than a warrior would use a reed for a weapon! He works no wonders by unbelieving ministers and unbelieving churches, for these are not prepared to be blessed—they are not vessels fit for the Master’s use—rust is upon them of the worst kind. When your heart is resting in the Lord, expecting to see His arm made bare and quietly waiting to see how He will glorify Himself and fulfill His promises, then will you see greater things!
When faith fails, it disqualifies us and sets us aside, even as in the case of Moses and Aaron, to whom the Lord said, “Because you believed Me not, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation unto the land which I have given them.”
We must have faith, for faith fulfills the condition that is virtually appended to every promise. Has not the Lord promised to answer the prayers of those who cry unto Him believingly? But as for the wavering, He has said, “Let not that man expect to receive anything of the Lord.” Is not faith our very life? “The just shall live by faith.” Is it not our entrance into blessedness? We see that Israel in the wilderness could not enter into Canaan because of unbelief. All the promises are for Believers—there are none for unbelievers. “As you have believed, so be it unto you,” stands as the measure of blessing—there is no other.
Strong faith, coupled with a guileless character, brings a man into the special, complacent love of God, for, albeit that He loves all His elect, He does not delight in all alike. There were Apostles among the disciples—there were three choice ones out of the twelve—there was one peculiar favorite out of the three! He is dearest to God who trusts Him most completely and is most childlike and true. God will do most by that man who is most reliant upon Him and most open with Him.
David, who makes the Lord, alone, to be his confidence, is the man after God’s own heart. And Abraham, who in faith could even give up his only son, is the friend of God. We shall never be full-grown with God until we become too little to dare to doubt; too insignificant to venture to question and too true to suspect the Lord. Increase in faith is the one thing necessary to our advance in the Divine life and work—and may the Holy Spirit work it in us for Christ’s name’s sake!
The Special Sight Promised
We have only a minute or two in which to mention the special sight promised to Nathanael. He was to see an opened Heaven. The gates of Glory are not only opened now to Believers, but they are carried right away, and Heaven is laid open to all its citizens, even to those who dwell below. This is a great joy to the believing heart, for free communion with Heaven is the delight of our spirit.
I cannot enlarge upon this, which is worthy of another sermon, but I may not say less than this—that in Christ, the saints are brought very near to God, for even now they have come to the heavenly Jerusalem. The franchise of the new Jerusalem is extended to these low-lying regions in which we sojourn. The veil is torn, and we have access to the holiest. The wall of separation is removed, and now the abode of the Church below is an adjunct of Heaven, a suburban district of the metropolitan city of the New Jerusalem.
The gates shall not be shut, nor a division created, nor communion suspended. Is not that a glorious thing, that in the Person of Christ Jesus, Heaven is laid open to earth and earth laid open to communications with Heaven? Do you know that, Beloved? It is a simple thing to talk of, but do you know it? Have you taken up your citizenship, so that you can say, “Truly our citizenship is in Heaven”?
While you are sitting under that fig tree, do you know what it is to sit in the heavenly places together with Christ? Are you risen and reigning with Him even now? If so, this is a joyful state of things and one which should cause you much assurance! We are now dwelling in the house of our God, or at the very least, we are sitting by the very gate of Heaven! Our condition is known to the Lord, and He is near to help us. We suffer not unseen and labor not unobserved. Nothing hinders God from helping us—nothing hinders us from securing His aid.
Then the Lord went on to promise that he should see that the communion between Heaven and earth, by the way of the Mediator, is not only possible, but actual. The ladder is set, and there are angels ascending and descending upon it. God hears, helps, and speaks with believing men of pure heart.
Observe that, according to the text, the angels ascend first. It does say, “Descending and ascending,” as we might naturally suppose, but they ascend first because when Jesus was on earth, they were already here and ascended at His bidding to carry His messages upward! When Jesus Christ was here, He was never without His bodyguard of angels, and these were His messengers to the courts above. We, today, Beloved, are surrounded by the forces of the Eternal—they have not to come to us for the first time—lo, they have, these many years, kept watch and guard around the fold of the redeemed! And when a new danger comes, they are prompt to do the part of watchers and guardians and to carry tidings to the sentinels of Heaven.
Let us pray, for as we pray, our prayers ascend to Heaven, and our praises, too. If we lead an angelical life, our thoughts will always be going up to Heaven or returning. Beloved, have you realized this—that as you have believed in Christ upon the testimony of His Word, you have now the right of access to the Eternal Throne at all times? You have but to speak, and God will hear you! Some of God’s people do not know much about this. Praying is a religious exercise with them—a very proper exercise, but it is not speaking with God—it is not doing business with God and obtaining supplies at His hands. It is a ladder without angels, or, if you please, with ascending angels only, but none coming down with heavenly gifts!
Beloved, I hope you have not fallen into this error. What? Is not prayer real with you? Do you expect nothing from it? Would you send an angel on a fool’s errand? Do these ascend to Heaven in mere sport and rush up and down to do nothing? Let us mean business when we pray, or we shall be mockers of the Divine Majesty! Too many come before God and ask for everything in general but nothing in particular—and they get but scant answers to their pointless prayers. Many more are very slack in prayer, and therefore they starve their souls. Many angels must go up if many are to come down! Prayer must be constant and real with us. We should live as if we really had power with God, as if like Elijah, we could go to the top of Carmel and pray a bronze sky away and deluge the earth with showers of blessings!
Are you unable to live like this? Then the fault lies at your own door. What was next? Nathanael was to see angels descending upon the Son of Man. That is to say, he was to see heavenly spirits and blessings coming down to man by Jesus Christ. He who truly believes in Christ and is without guile shall have continual blessings from on high—all Heaven shall be opened to him! God will help him by Providence, will help him by Grace, will help him by actual angels, and will help him spiritually by the all power which He has given unto Christ in Heaven and in earth.
How earnestly do I desire that this Church, this morning, may see for itself what my eyes have seen for myself—for my faith sees Heaven opened to supply the needs of Christ’s work and all the might of God working to achieve His purposes! I am just entering upon another work for God. We have had enough of these enterprises, some say, why not wait? I am forced to go forward and onward! I must go, nor do I fear, for lo, I see Heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending, by the way of Christ Jesus, to bring us help! We may venture. There is no venture in it—we may trust God for anything! We may trust God for everything and just go straight on! It looks like walking on water, sometimes, to trust Christ—especially about gold and silver—but we need not fear! The waters shall be a sea of glass beneath our feet if we can but simply trust!
But oh, we must purge ourselves! We must be without guile! There must be no self-seeking! There must be a simple-hearted desire for God’s Glory and for nothing else! We must sink self—Christ must reign! And then we must trust and go forward. I hope we are right in this matter. And if so, we shall see the salvation of God! Nothing can stop us. Behold, this day all things work together for good to them that love God. The stones of the field are in league with us! Yes, it is not on earth alone that we find allies, but the stars in their courses fight against our foes and all Heaven is on the stir to befriend us in the service of God! See how the ladder swarms with coming and going angels! Heaven surrounds those who are doing Heaven’s work! God Himself is with us, for our Captain and His host, which is very great, is round about us even as horses of fire and chariots of fire were round about the Prophet. All things shall be given that are needed and as our day, our strength shall be. Brace yourselves, my Brothers and Sisters, for a new endeavor! Be strong in the Lord and you shall see greater things than these. Full of weakness, yet stand in His strength, each one, and play the man! Say, “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.” Omnipotence is waiting to gird your loins! Buckle it about you and become mighty through God! Our Head, Christ Jesus, has all power in Heaven and in earth and that power He pours into all His members! By faith I commit myself and I trust, also, my beloved Church and Friends, to further efforts for our Lord, relying upon His Word, “You shall see greater things than these,” and fully believing that through Christ Jesus all the forces of Heaven are in alliance with us and the will of the Lord shall surely be accomplished!