“I tell you the truth (Amen, amen) you shall see heaven open and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:31).
Unfortunately, many translations of Christ’s words lose the idiosyncratic way He had of beginning the most portentous sayings with “Amen, amen,” the word used to conclude prayer and sacred comments. More, He would repeat it for emphasis. What usually follows is a reference to the Kingdom of God. In the gospel of St. John alone, this formula is repeated twenty five times, as in the example above.
The pop song made famous for being the theme of President Clinton’s inaugural, “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow,” is in a way a secular allusion to Christ’s own admonition. It gives a direction to time, something evidently lacking in a nation that seems to be spinning in a daze of hedonism, not only going nowhere, but not even planning worthwhile, achievable goals for the future.
Change “Tomorrow” to “Forever” and we have the makings of a Christian hymn. That’s what Jesus is proclaiming. Scholars point out that the double “Amen I say to you” is Jesus’ way of reminding those who know the Old Testament how the prophets would introduce a message they received from the Lord: “Thus says the Lord…” Just as the prophets wanted to make clear their dependency on the Lord God Himself as being proper credentials for what they (actually God) wished to convey to His people, Jesus speaks on His own behalf. He is more than a mere messenger, even more than an angel. Certainly more than a prophet. He is the God and unique Son of God on earth to offer humanity truth and direction.
For instance, the first chapter of John’s gospel takes us along with Jesus as He calls out the twelve apostles. At first we find the familiar tales of the sets of fisher brothers. Then we are privy to a very personal scenario, the meeting of Jesus and Nathaniel, friend of Philip. Nathaniel is skeptical, perhaps even cynical over Philip’s enthusiasm with Jesus. When, however, Jesus reveals His vision of Nathaniel alone under the fig tree, he is amazed. How could that be? Is this stranger possessed of mental telepathy?
“How do you know me?” Nathaniel asked Jesus. We recall the naive attempt of Adam and Eve to hide themselves from the Lord. Nathaniel puts this powerful question to Jesus not only for the apostle’s sake, but for our own. How did Jesus understand not only the location of somebody he had never met, but the surroundings. That he was sitting beneath a fig tree implies peace, which every Jew associates with that tree. Jesus made Nathaniel realize that He was not just there, but inside his mind. He fathomed what the man was pondering. Nathaniel was not alone with his thoughts. The Lord was with him. In our struggles for peace and inner serenity we are not alone. The Lord wishes us to have them more than we. When we feel we are at a crossroads of life, He knows which direction we should take.
Jesus overwhelmed the young man with His prescience; yet to the flabbergasted Nathaniel He said in effect: You haven’t begun to see what is to come. “You will see heaven opened.” Here indeed is a goal worth pursuing. Here is a real reason for following the One who will be always ahead of you, leading you to the Kingdom of His and our Father in heaven.