"AN ISRAELITE INDEED" (Pastor Tom Henry) ~ 7/15/25

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47)

When Jesus our Lord says, “Behold,” we can know for certain that there is something worth seeing. Surely, a man in whom is no guile is a sight to behold. How rare is it to find a man in whom is no pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy! Yet Jesus, who knows what is in man (every man) said of Nathaniel, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.” We learn from the Apostle Paul that “are not all Israel, which are of Israel.” (Rom. 9:6) That is because “...he is a Jew, which is one inwardly...” (Rom. 2:29) Therefore, we can determine that Jesus saw in this Jew an inward work of the Holy Spirit, an inward circumcision of the heart, if you will, that rendered him honest and without deceit.

Nathaniel was truly an Israelite, not merely in the natural sense, but also in the spiritual sense. He was of the seed of faithful Abraham, and a child of the promised seed, Isaac. He was of the remnant of honest Jacob, not cunning like Esau. Our Lord saw into this man’s heart and saw a transformed character from that of a natural man, Jew or otherwise.

As our Lord searches us, what does He see? Can He say, “Behold, a Christian indeed, in whom is no guile.” On more than one occasion Jesus exposed the pretense of would-be followers, and did not commit Himself to them, because He saw in them an impure heart. When Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover, “many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.” He did not acknowledge their “faith” because He saw their impure motive. (John 2:23-25) On another occasion a great multitude followed Him, even desiring to make Him King, but He saw immediately that they did not truly understand who He was or the nature of His Kingdom. Again, their hearts were fixed on temporal benefits, and nothing more. Many professing Christians may have no deeper reason for following Christ than these. How does the Lord see us? Does He see a guileless heart, in which His Kingdom is established, or does He see pretense for sake of temporal and future benefits?

It is a happy sign in a seeker of Christ when all doublemindedness and pretense is gone. As Mr. Spurgeon noted, “It is rare, if not unknown, to see the guileful, deceitful, doubleminded, and hypocritical come to Christ. God is sovereign, and saves all kinds of sinners, yet those who come to Christ are what they are openly. The habitual cheat will even cheat himself.” True seekers like Nathaniel may have honest objections or difficulties. He knew where Messiah was to be born, and therefore he asked, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” In other words, how can it be that Messiah should come out of Nazareth? If a person will state his honest objection, it can be met. “Come and see.” Come to Christ, believe on Him, and see for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

As an earnest seeker, Nathaniel was candid, and he was willing to examine. If half the people who object to the Gospel would examine, consider, and taste, they would find that it is true. Many do not find the Savior because there is guile in their heart, and they do not really want to find Him.

The person with no guile is open to the working of the Holy Spirit. In the matter of conviction of sin, he wants truth, not flattery. He accepts the verdict and confesses sin rather than excuse it. He is open to the Holy Spirit’s work in conversion. The honest heart wants to turn from sin. The natural heart is deceitful and wicked (Jer. 17:9), therefore an honest heart is evidence of the Spirit’s working. Let us pray for honest hearts, then we shall see plentiful conversions.