John 1:35-51 | What's the connection?

   8      Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
    Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
-Psalm 34:8

This is the verse that is resonating in my mind as I am reading through this section. The continuous theme that is played throughout this section is the invitation to come and see. Upon John the Baptist's announcement of Jesus being the Lamb of God and then to the interaction these early disciples had with Jesus testifies of Him being the Messiah, the Anointed One. From Andrew and the unnamed disciple in this passage and then to Simon Peter, the testimony of Jesus rang true when they took upon the invitation to meet with Jesus.

As it came to Philip, the same interaction was had. As Philip encountered Jesus, he was convinced that this is the one testified of in the Law and Prophets. Though as he announced it being Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael had questions. The question was less about the man and more about the origin. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" This is not because Nazareth was a bad place as much as it was an insignificant place. No prophet had come out of such a place, nor was Nazareth named among the prophecies concerning the Messiah. But then the invitation was given, "Come and see."

When Jesus meets with Nathanael, it is not an insignificant thing that Jesus highlights seeing him under the fig tree. There are quite a few reasons this can stand out. It can be a call back to the fall where Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves. It can be a reference to this being a meeting place where the Lord had revealed himself to Nathanael in study of the Law. It was a common sign of prosperity for Jews to study the Law and Prophets under the covering of fig trees. In any case, this proved to be a significant thing to Nathanael given his response.

After a promise was given to Nathanael by Jesus to see greater things than these, Jesus makes another statement that shows the testimony of the Messiah.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
-John 1:51

This is a statement that should draw us back to Genesis 28 where Jacob had a vision that uses this same imagery.

10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
-Genesis 28:10-15

Jesus is saying that He, the Son of Man, is Jacob's ladder. He is heaven come to earth. He is the bridge between the gap of man and God. He is the intermediary. He is the One who established the covenant of the Messiah.

What connections are you finding in this passage?