We speak of Peter as making the first formal confession that Jesus is the Messiah, and it’s appropriate that we do so; it’s our tradition and Peter was pre-eminent among the disciples. But… A year and a half before Peter’s confession (and upon just meeting Jesus) Nathanael calls Jesus the “Son of God” and the “King of Israel." Both are titles for Messiah. And Nathanael does this all because Jesus saw him under the fig tree. What’s going on? I suspect it’s more than just Jesus’ minor miracle of a word of knowledge about Nathanael’s whereabouts. It’s not just that Jesus knew where Nathanael was when Philip found him, but what Nathanael was doing when he was under the fig tree in Bethsaida.