“Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!' Nathanael said to him, 'How do you know me?' Jesus answered him, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.'” John 1:47-48 (ESV).
Soon Jesus will come again, and all the true, spiritual Israelites in whom there is no deceit or falsehood, will be raptured.
Jesus was completely free from all kinds of falsehood and hypocrisy. His sacrifice was wholehearted and sincere, and it had cost Him His blood. But wherever He went, He met deceit and religious hypocrisy. They honoured God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him.
“In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.’” Luke 12:1 (ESV).
Here we can see how seriously Jesus saw hypocrisy. He hated it! Therefore we can understand why Jesus was so glad when He found Nathanael. Jesus did not give him just a superficial testimony. He had closely observed him when He saw him under the fig tree.
Open and honest, with their lives in the light
Jesus can give this same testimony to all spiritual Israelites—those who are part of His bride. Can He say this about you and me as we do our daily tasks? “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” If not, then we should make sure that He can say this about us as soon as possible, so we can be fully formed and ready for His coming.
The condition for being admitted in Jesus’ disciple school is to give up everything, and to put off all deceit and hypocrisy and all evil (1 Peter 2:1; James 1:21).
It is so good to be with such true disciples, knowing that we will never meet anything evil coming from them. They never have any hidden motives. They are open and honest; their lives are in the light. They think, speak, and do good. We never meet anything else from them. If we could look into their hearts, we would find even more goodness than what we can see on the outside. This is the true, sincere brotherhood in the body of Christ. It remains strong in both good and bad days here on earth, and for all eternity.
It will be a great day when Jesus comes back to fetch His “students” who were eager to learn and whom He Himself has fully trained, to His eternal praise and glory. They will be eternal stones in the New Jerusalem, and the nations will walk in its light and glory (Revelation 21). This glory is true through and through.
Keep your heart pure
The gospel is a real power to save us from every kind of deceit and hypocrisy. Peter preached the gospel, and the hearts of the Gentiles were made pure by faith (Acts 15:9). “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 (ESV). But keeping our hearts pure does not happen automatically. “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (ESV).
Temptations come as evil and impure thoughts from my flesh and want to get a place in my heart. This is where I need to fight in faith to keep my heart pure. It is not sin to be tempted, but if I open my heart to evil and impure thoughts, then I will become evil and impure. We must not give in to the devil. We must resist him, steadfast in the faith. We must stop all the flaming darts of the evil one with the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).
Through faith in Christ, it is really possible to keep our hearts pure, without deceit or hypocrisy, even in these last evil days when people have a form of godliness but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5).
A steadfast spirit
“Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.” Psalm 51:6 (ESV). If God does not have a place in the innermost and deepest part of my heart, He cannot give me what He treasures most—His wisdom, which above all is pure. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 (ESV).
This spirit is not shaky, wavering, or changeable, but it is steady and dependable – a spirit that both God and people can rely on in all that is noble, good, and true. This is the kind of brothers Jesus has, with whom He will rejoice forever in the greatest glory. And Jesus is the firstborn among such brothers (Romans 8:29).