If you remember back to our study of Peter, Jesus didn't actually say follow me to Peter until the end of his earthly ministry (John 21:19) after his failure on the night of Jesus the trail. All of this will be our focus in guiding your youth group through Episode . However, from the beginning to the very end, Nathanael proved to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ, a keen student of Scripture, and a bold witness to the power of Gods grace and forgiveness. 48 How do you know me? Nathaniel asked. Given the fact that Peter and Andrew were also from Bethsaida, and possibly even James and John, the sons of Zebedee, (John 1:44), the likelihood that many of the disciples knew each other, were close friends, and possibly even coworkers and fellow fisherman prior to meeting Jesus becomes more conceivable. He said we have found him. The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Thats where we werelost, wandering aimlessly, not looking for God. Nathanael is convinced by Jesus' knowledge of things He couldn't possibly know by any other means than they were revealed to Him by God. [5] Some scholars hold that Jesus' quote "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you", is based on a Jewish figure of speech, referring to studying the Torah. When you know the Lord, it affects the way you speak and act and live. In John 6, we read the story and of the feeding of the 5000. Nathanaels name is never directly mentioned again in the New Testament. The New Testament lists all twelve apostles four timesMatthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:13-16, and Acts 1:13-16. His response, displays Nathaniel's character. Bartholomew literally means "son of Tolmai." He immediately went to tell Nathanael that the Messiah had come. Thats how it was for Philip. Nathanael recognizes Jesus as "the Son of God" and "the King of Israel". Another says he was beheaded. It was inconceivable to Nathaniel that the messiah would come from a tacky place like Nazareth. How can we get there., The disciples think theyre going to the Fathers house soon, and Jesus responds, If you really know me, you will know my Father as well., Philips basically trying to demonstrate his faith by saying, I dont even care about the details. And he introduced the Jews to Jesus. In John 1:46-50, Nathanael is introduced to Jesus for the first time. Proud member Rabbit trail: 1 denari is equal to one day's wages. Jesus answered, I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.. Following Philips breaking news, however, a second insight into Nathanaels character is revealed. ",[4] but nonetheless, he accepts Philip's invitation to find out. While its easy to gloss over this quick interaction, a few key insights into Nathanaels character can be gleaned from this verse. Jews in Jesus day looked down on the Galilean's. If we stretched the metaphor, we might consider it to be the wrong side of the tracks. Jesus answered, I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you., 49Then Nathanael declared, Rabbi,(L) you are the Son of God;(M) you are the king of Israel.(N), 50Jesus said, You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You too will be a Philip, filled up with the joy and excitement that comes from knowing the Lord. But Phillip didn't bring them to Jesus did he? Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wroteJesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." "Nazareth! We need to take a little rabbit trail here in so that you can get the scope of his prejudice. So we know that like Philip, Andrew and Simon, Nathanael was from the region of Galilee, and specifically he was from the town of Cana. Moses: The Old Testaments Greatest Prophet, Two of Johns disciples followed Jesus (John 1:3537), The Bible only tells us that one was Andrew (John 1:40), The encounters seem to happen in the same location, Jesus may have been actively looking for Philip. Did the fig tree reference indicate his occupation, as a fig-gatherer? John, however, refers to the apostle almost exclusively as Nathanael in his gospel. As common tradesmen (possibly fishermen), their study of the Old Testament would have been something they had undertaken as both a hobby and a passion, not a profession. And presumably, if he did not use distinguishing details, the early church wouldve assumed he meant Philip the Apostlethe most well-known Philip. Like Andrew, Philip was ready in his heart to receive Jesus as his Master. Just like he finds us. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. He is the way and the truth and the life for everyone, include you. Now you dont have to dump the whole load in the first conversation, but you can at least say something, just like Philip did when he basically told Nathanael: We have found him, the one who makes all the difference in life.. And so Nathan-el, Nathanael is a gift of God. Hes one of four people named Philip in the Bible, and hes often confused with Philip the Evangelist, who plays a minor role in Acts. He found Nathanael, presumably someone he knew or had some kind of relationship with. Its really saying the same thing. Nathanael appears.) Now what does Philip do next? Nazareth was the smallest, most unimportant town I could think of. Let me tell you about him. Nathanael - The True Israelite Believed to Be the Apostle Bartholomew. There's no reliable record about how he died. John says this was to test him because Jesus already knew what he would do. Or stoned to death. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. As a result, the church has doubted Eusebius account of Philip for nearly a millennia. Thomas says, We dont know where youre going. And when they come, what they will find here is Jesus giving out his gifts. Or I know that you praise me all the way to work, 49 Then Nathaniel declared, Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.. Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. Excitedly, he tells Nathanael, We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote. In other words, Philip is telling his fellow Jew, Nathanael, We have found the Messiah. The Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed Onethe promised deliverer prophesied in the Scriptures, the one who will fulfill all the promises God made to our fathers: Guess what, Nathanael? 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. When Jesus spoke out against the religious establishment in Jerusalem, the religious leaders just chalked that up to his coming from lowly Nazareth. There was nothing fake or insincere about him. "Come and see," said Philip. He is here to open heaven for us. At this point Phillip speaks up and says, 8 Philip said, Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us., How could Phillip say such a thing immediately after Jesus had just told them that he and the father were one? 46 Nazareth! But Jesus just couldnt be contained in Phillips book. [2] Because his heart was sincere his faith was real. We know this because when each of the Gospels lists the apostles they list Phillip and Nathaniel (or Bartholomew) together. The good. Nathanael would be an Apostle, too. Philip and Nathanael were brothers as were Andrew and Peter. Okayalthough you can reclaim at least some of that joy. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus immediately characterizes him as "an Israelite in whom is no deceit". No doubt Phillip had already begun counting heads. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? You likewise may encounter objections when you start to tell someone about Jesus. You will see greater things than these. Jesus here is telling Nathanael that he will see the divine power and blessing of God displayed in Jesus ministry time and time again. Now, let's go on and look at group two, and we're going to cover two of them this time, and two of them next time. For less than $5/mo. All four of these disciples of Jesus were from the town of Bethsaida. Nathanael was one of the first to express belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God ( John 1:49 ). That would have been left to the more academically gifted students at the time. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today! Nathanael is described as initially being skeptical about whether the Messiah could come from Nazareth, saying: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Cana, Nathaniels home town was a side trip from everything. The first thing he does is to find Nathanael and tell him what happened. And what did Philip do? Come and see is subjective. In that passage, Nathanael is said to have come from Cana in Galilee, the same town were Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water to wine at the wedding feast (John 2:11). Philip was from Bethsaida, the same city as his friend Andrew. How does he respond? After Philip finds Nathanael and tells him they have found the Messiah, the One who was promised in the Law of Moses and the Prophets, Nathanael makes his way to see this Jesus. He found Nathanael, presumably someone he knew or had some kind of relationship with. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wroteJesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see. John 1:43-46 [Read John 1: 43-51], Philip and Nathanael were brothers as were Andrew and Peter. In fact, it is your life! In the Gospel of John, Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Philip, from Bethsaida (1:43-44). Think of it this way: Think of where you would be without Jesus. If you are going from Chicago to Indianapolis, you might travel through Merrillville. You are the King of Israel!. How can you say, Show us the Father? Beyond that, Nazareth may have carried some negative baggage for Nathanael. However, John's account makes it very clear that each of the disciples had to encounter Jesus personally. Church tradition holds that Philip preached the gospel in Scythia (a region in central Eurasia), Syria, and Phrygia (Turkey). Nathanaels story may not be chronicled in much detail. Jesus called Philip, who had been a disciple of John the Baptist's ( John 1:43 ), and then Philip went and found Nathanael and told him about Jesus. You are headed toward heaven and eternal life with your Lord and with all his saints. Well, Phillip has my job. In both stories, the character of Philip (who in The Chosen is a disciple of John the Baptist) plays an important role as a kind of mentor/counselor, inviting Nathanael and Matthew to come and see the paradoxical Outside-In logic of the Kingdom of God and the meaningful role they can play in following the call of Jesus. Nazareth is the same way. All four of these disciples of Jesus were from the town of Bethsaida. 46Nazareth! The Bible doesn't say Nathanael and Bartholomew are the same person. Blog at WordPress.com.RSS 2.0Comments RSS 2.0, Philip and Nathanael: A Story of Witnessing (John1:43-51). The Synoptics describe the actual calling of these men to . ., Caius the Presbyter (a Christian writer in the third century) wrote: And after this there were four prophetesses, daughters of Philip, at Hierapolis in Asia. But it does seem clear that the mention of Nazareth was an initial obstacle in Nathanaels mind. Because this is where he has promised to be present. Whats that? . Philip, then, came to Nathanael and said to him: "We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth" (John 1:45). As John relates how the disciples were called, Philip and Nathanael were the 3 rd and 4 th men named as disciples. If we look at that phrase in the Greek, its translated as truly, genuine Israelite. You have a sure hope to carry you through all the trials and afflictions of this life. The town was located on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee and meant house of fish.We know Andrew brought Peter to Jesus. He was in charge of arranging meals and logistics for Jesus and his disciples. Just seeing the Father will be enough for us.. This was one Jesus could transform and equip for His glory. But maybe youll put it a different way, perhaps like this: I have found my Savior, and hes your Savior too. Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. In Christ, the kingdom of heaven comes down to earth. Jesus died on the cross as our substitute, taking our sin and death on himself, thus opening heaven and eternal life to us. Many believers came to Christ under his preaching. Does that have to do with Martin Luther King? Church? Still, there are some things we can learn about Philip the Apostle from the Bible, and we can glean a few insights from the early church as well. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Its worth noting that Nathanael is rarely mentioned apart from the listing of the twelve disciples. He wanted to go by the book all the time. It should be noted that James and John had the same father, Zebedee (Matthew 10:2) and Peter and Andrew were brothers (Matthew 10:2). And so it goes. He was not a hypocrite. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! We already looked at the passage were Philips says show us the father. [1] "Come and see," said Philip. The disciple named Philip was, along with Peter and Andrew, from Bethsaida in Galilee ( John 1:44; 12:21 ). (LogOut/ Andrew and his brother Simon Peter sought to find Jesus, but in the case of . Can anything good come out of Nazareth? This question may have been precipitated by the lack of culture, unpolished speech and moral laxity sometimes attributed to Nazareth. We can conclude that he interpreted it literally because it was so easy for him to believe that Jesus was the messiah. 50 Jesus said, You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. [9], "John Wesley's Notes on the Gospel according to Saint John: Chapter 1", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nathanael_(follower_of_Jesus)&oldid=1149908118, This page was last edited on 15 April 2023, at 05:57. Phillip was already in the presence of the living and eternal God. Peter and James came to the Lord because of the personal soul-winning of their brothers. It is interesting to note how Andrew and John came to Christ through the faithful preaching of John the Baptist.
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