The John 1:43–51 records a brief but profound exchange: Jesus calls Philip, Philip finds Nathanael, and Nathanael moves from scepticism to recognition. On the surface it is a simple story of disciples being gathered, yet symbolically it unveils the inner movement of consciousness, and the interconnectedness of Genesis throughout scripture.
Philip: The Lover of Horses
Philip’s name means “lover of horses.” In scripture, horses often symbolise strong inner forces — thoughts, impulses, drives — that can either run wild or be directed with purpose. The horse by itself is raw movement; the rider is what gives it meaning.
To be a lover of horses, then, is to be drawn to the mastery of these inner forces, to the art of guiding them rather than being carried off by them.
When Jesus calls Philip, it is a portrayal of awareness — the “I AM” — summoning this directing power of consciousness into harmony with itself. It is imagination 'taking the reins.'
Nathanael: The Gift of God
Nathanael’s name means “gift of God.” A gift is not earned, but received. Nathanael therefore represents the receptive aspect of consciousness, the state that must be awakened to receive insight.
At first, Nathanael doubts: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). This is the voice of scepticism, the mind’s suspicion that imagination has no real power. Yet the gift of God comes precisely through this movement — from doubt into recognition.
Under the Fig Tree
Jesus tells Nathanael: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” (John 1:48)
The fig tree is a recurring biblical symbol of the imagination’s hidden workings. Adam and Eve sew fig leaves to cover themselves (Genesis 3:7); Jesus later curses the barren fig tree (Mark 11:13–14). To sit under the fig tree is to dwell in the private, inner world of thought, searching and questioning.
Here lies the revelation: the true “I AM” sees us even in that hidden place. Our longings and doubts are already known within the depths of consciousness.
The Two Trees: Knowledge and Life
The fig tree cannot be separated from the two trees of Genesis:
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The Tree of Life (Genesis 2:9): symbol of direct awareness of eternal being — living from the centre, where all states are possible.
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The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:9, 3:6): symbol of divided perception, where consciousness falls into judgement, comparison, and limitation.
When Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of Knowledge, they immediately covered themselves with fig leaves (Genesis 3:7). The fig tree thus represents the mind clothed in appearances, bound by duality, striving to hide its sense of lack.
Nathanael under the fig tree shows the same condition: the human mind beneath the weight of appearances, sceptical that anything good can arise from what it sees. Yet Jesus — the I AM — calls him from this state into a higher vision.
The contrast is deliberate:
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Under the fig tree — limitation, appearances, doubt.
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Heaven opened — the Tree of Life, direct knowledge of being, the recognition that imagination is the source of all.
The Greater Promise: Jacob’s Ladder Revisited
Nathanael confesses: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” (John 1:49)
Jesus replies: “You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (John 1:51)
This recalls Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28, where a ladder reaches from earth to heaven, and angels ascend and descend upon it. Neville Goddard interprets this ladder as the mind itself — the ceaseless movement of states of consciousness.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus reveals that the ladder is none other than the Son of Man: awareness itself, the bridge where imagination (heaven) and manifestation (earth) meet.
The Movement of the Story
This short passage therefore charts an inner progression:
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Jesus calls Philip — the higher self summons the directing force of consciousness, taking hold of the reins.
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Philip finds Nathanael — the mastered energy awakens the receptive, sceptical state.
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Nathanael under the fig tree — the hidden imagination is recognised, clothed in appearances.
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Heaven opened and angels ascending and descending — the Tree of Life is unveiled, where awareness is the ladder of manifestation.
The call of Philip and Nathanael is not merely the gathering of disciples, but the gathering of the mind itself: force, receptivity, doubt, and vision, all drawn into the recognition of the “I AM.”