A Johannine Study (John 1:51)

51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The repetitive use of the word amēn (Gk: ἀμήν), translated as “truly” or “verily,” does not appear in the rest of the New Testament. John is unique in recording Jesus’ words as such. Repetition was used by ancient Israelites for emphasis. In this case, “truly, truly” can mean “very truly” or “truly!” Jesus is making it abundantly clear that what he is about to say is not false. Since Jesus is speaking to Nathanael, it means that Nathanael would do well to heed Jesus’ words. But maybe, perhaps by implication, we should do the same.

When Jesus says, “I say to you, you will see heaven opened,” some may recall Daniel’s prophetic words: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.” (Daniel 7:13). Like Jesus, Daniel identifies the son of man as someone heavenly. The imagery is spectacular! If the clouds parted and someone that looked like a man descended, would there be a person that could honestly say, “That’s not a big deal!”? The Son of Man is a big deal. He is such a big deal that Daniel tells us in verse 14 that “to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” So, clearly this person is important!

Jesus then says, “and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” It is likely that Jesus is drawing on Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28:12: “and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!” It is not clear, in Genesis, as to why the heavenly hosts are traveling to and from earth. Heaven must be incomparably superior to the gutter that is earth! Why would any angel even want to leave the utopia that is heaven and visit earth? Jesus answers this emphatically: the angels do it for the Son of Man. No locale is made worthy by its position alone. Not earth. Not heaven. Not our homes or bedrooms. Only the Son of Man makes a place worthy.

The reality is that the Son of Man is Jesus. He is the one who is a big deal. No place is worth being without him. So, let us give praise to the one who reveals himself to us through the Gospel.