Despite Nathanaels initial prejudice, Jesus saw through the sinful, the imperfect, and the ordinary to the eager heart of one who was willing to leave everything behind to follow Him. We know this because when each of the Gospels lists the apostles they list Phillip and Nathaniel (or Bartholomew) together. (Funny sound is heard to indicate traveling in time. Let me just say a little about his name while you're turning there. According to John, Nathaniel came from the small town of Cana in Galilee, the place where Jesus did his first miracle. He had the ability to read Nathaniel's heart. Many believers came to Christ under his preaching. A fig tree near house provides a large, shady, protected place outdoors. Sir, they said, we would like to see Jesus.. Joshua in the Old Testament, which means Yahweh is salvation, or as Matthew 1:21 records for he will save his people from their sins. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today! 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. 47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, Here truly is an Israelite(J) in whom there is no deceit.(K). Who are you? Though not much is known about Nathanaels background or personality, the apostle is revealed in the gospels to be an honest, insightful, and faithful servant of Jesus Christ and student of the Old Testament. He was skeptical, analytical, pessimistic, and unsure. Peoples ears are closed to the gospel by many kinds of prejudice. Blind and dead in our sins, enemies of Godthat is our natural state. He'd rather have a yes or no answer. Youll remember that John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to Peter, Andrew and John and then and they approached Jesus. The ugly. First is verse 3: "Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector.". This suggests that both Phillip and Nathaniel knew the Old Testament prophecy. If anything will put some excitement and joy into your life, this will. Why Does God Compare Our Relationship with Him to That of a Bride and Groom? 46Nazareth! They walked with Jesus while he was upon earth. You are the Son of God! And they both probably had an earnest desire to see the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. And what did Philip do? How about you? They were companions and had probably known each other for years. Or I know that you take your devotion time every day before you go to work to study the scriptures. The first six disciples, then, were Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, and Bartholomew. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?. No one comes to the Father except through me. Or crucified upside down. The earliest identification of Nathanael with one of the Twelve Disciples is found in the 2nd-century Epistula Apostolorum, where he is identified with or takes the place of James, son of Alpheus. Jesus calls us, even as he called Philip. Simon and, probably, James were brought to Jesus by their brothers. They had studied the Law of Moses and read the prophets. Of Nathanael, Jesus said, behold, an Israelite, indeed, in whom there is no deceit! (John 1:47). But while the Judeans often looked down on the Galileans, it seems even the Galileans had a particular disdain for the rough, uncultured, and uneducated people of Nazareth. Nathanael appears.) Later they were present in the Upper Room in one accord, when the Holy Spirit, as promised, descended upon them and they were empowered to preach and witness in Jesus name.We dont know where Philip and Nathanael may have gone or what became of them at the end of their lives. Prejudice cuts a lot of people off from the truth. Nathanael would be an Apostle, too. Bartholomew literally means "son of Tolmai." Invite the folks you knowyour friends and neighbors and your family membersinvite them to come and see. 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). Does the Bible Condemn Using Tarot Cards? 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. Bartholomew is a Hebrew surname meaning "son of Tolmai.". Houses could get full smoke and stuffy. They had the same background, the same experiences in following our Lord. And we should talk about them. Can anything good come from there?' Nathanael asked. In fact much of Israel rejected their messiah because of their prejudice. Nathanael recognizes Jesus as "the Son of God" and "the King of Israel". Not only had he introduced his brother Nathanael to Jesus, but when Gentiles came inquiring, he and Andrew went to Jesus for and answer. And so Jesus not only is the King of Israel, he is the king who ushers in the everlasting kingdom of heaven in our midst. Prior to this eventful day, however, none of the Twelve had been ordained or set apart to their sacred office. Prejudice is feeling base. How dare he tell them what to do? 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.. Clement of Alexandria, who lived in the second and third century, claimed that this unnamed disciple was Philip: If they quote the Lords words to Philip, Let dead bury their dead, but do thou follow me . When hes not writing stories and defending biblical truth, Joel is committed to helping young men find purpose in Christ and become fearless disciples and bold leaders in their homes, in the church, and in the world. To this Jesus replied, before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you(John 1:49). It was inconceivable to Nathaniel that the messiah would come from a tacky place like Nazareth. Why do you think the Greeks would seek out Phillip? Nathanael: It is believed that Bartholomew had ministered in Armenia and was flayed to death with knives in . He knew that he had longed to know God, sitting alone under the fig tree to study His Word. Lets look at his response to Phillip. Finding Philip, he said to him, Follow me.. 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. To be a leader, you have to have a sense of vision. Instead he says "can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip and Bartholomew are frequently mentioned together in the Synoptic Gospels, although Nathanael is never mentioned. Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. All four of these disciples of Jesus were from the town of Bethsaida. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. He puts me right with God. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 Nathanael said to him, "Can anything . So that would be pretty strange if that was Philip the Apostle.Much later in Acts 21:89, Paul and his companions stay at Philips house in Caesarea with his four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy. Because he had a Greek name. [2] The first disciples who follow Jesus are portrayed as reaching out immediately to family or friends: thus, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.[3]. Now of course, there are many things about our congregation we can talk about, positive things, the various aspects of our life together: the camaraderie and the fellowship, the friendliness of our members, the potlucks and the friendships we enjoy. Their association with the Lord made them disciples who learned from Him, but their faithfulness and commitment sent them forth as apostles to proclaim the good news that Jesus is Lord. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. Philip and Nathanael, on the other hand, are listed jointly in John's tale. Photo credit: Getty Images/Ascent/PKS Media Inc. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. In this instance, Nathanaels prejudice was confronted with the obvious, observable, and undeniable truth of who Jesus was. "Son of Man" was one of our . Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Nathanael declares, Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are a dear child of your heavenly Father. 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. He said, 45 Philip found Nathaniel 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.. New International Version (NIV). Nathaniel however did not receive the message well. As John relates how the disciples were called, Philip and Nathanael were the 3 rd and 4 th men named as disciples. Now remember I just told you Jesus went to Phillip and said follow me, and then Phillip turns around and tells his buddy we found him. Now Phillip had seen Jesus created wine out of water in Cana. Never-the-less Phillip had a good heart and took the Jews to Andrew. No doubt Phillip had already begun counting heads. But rather than just being casual readers, Philip and Nathanael had become passionate about the Word of God, even developing an interest in the prophecies of the promised Messiah. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. By the grace of God, Nathanael was chosen to follow Christ. Barley is cheaper, so with one denari we could buy 20 barley biscuits, and if we get the small ones, and break them in half no it simply cannot be done. Wheres that? January 14, 2018, Philip and Nathanael: A Story of Witnessing (John 1:43-51). So if you wanted to escape the noise and the stifling atmosphere the house, you could go outside and rest under the fig tree. By his death on the cross, Jesus bridges the gap between us and God. )Most scholars believe that either Papias was talking about Philip the Evangelist (due to the reference to his daughters) and using the term apostle more broadly, or else Papias confused the two. 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 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). You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. We have to assume that Nathaniel was still questioning whether Jesus is the true messiah. Nathanaels story may not be chronicled in much detail. He in turn went and found his brother Simon, who would come to be called Peter. And so it goes. But what does this actually mean, and why would Jesus compliment someone who had expressed such obvious prejudice? [1] "Come and see," said Philip. He immediately went to tell Nathanael that the Messiah had come. How well could you feed 5000 people? Bartholomew would have been Nathanaels Hebrew surname, meaning son of Tolmai. Nathanael, his first name, means God has given. Nathanael, therefore, would have been known formally as Nathanael, son of Tolmai, or Nathanael Bar-Tolmai. And presumably, if he did not use distinguishing details, the early church wouldve assumed he meant Philip the Apostlethe most well-known Philip. They even tried to take them to a cliff and throw him off. His prejudice caused him to be skeptical when Phillip told him that the messiah was the Nazarene. In Johns gospel, the author mentions that Jesus had sought out Philip shortly after calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be His disciples (John 1:43). Then Philip identifies this Messiah by name, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. But notice Nathanaels response: Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Apparently Nathanael, as one well-versed in the Scriptures, knew that there was no particular prophecy linking the Messiah to the city of Nazareth. Rabbit trail: 1 denari is equal to one day's wages. He went and found someone he could share his joy with. I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.. That is our starting point, and it is a dead end. Our final look at Phillip comes a short time after the Last Supper on the eve of the crucifixion. Furthermore, both Philip and Nathanael had studied the Word of God on their own. Follow me, learn from me, as my disciples. 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. You are headed toward heaven and eternal life with your Lord and with all his saints. Nazareth on the other hand is at a crossroads. 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. His name means "God has given" in Hebrew. Those are all good. What we know about Bartholomew/Nathanael comes primarily from the account of . He should have said, "Lord, if you want to feed them, feed them." The Gospel of John recounts Philip's calling as a disciple of Jesus. Jesus immediately characterizes him as "an Israelite in whom is no deceit". All rights reserved worldwide. The one who gives me eternal life as a free gift. Now that doesn't say they Jesus didn't seek out the others and invite them to be part of the group, because they had been directed by John. Come and see is subjective. By and large he didn't see the whole picture, or the end of the road. (Since Taco Bell wasnt an option.). But we can assume that their commitment to Jesus was complete and that their lives counted in the spread of the gospel and the establishment of the church.Prayer. Nathaniel is also called Bartholomew, which is a Hebrew name meaning God has given". If we look at that phrase in the Greek, its translated as truly, genuine Israelite. 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. He simply says, Come and see. Thats it. They were fisherman and worked alongside James and John. He seeks us out, even when we were not looking for him. Thomas says, We dont know where youre going. Notice Philips reply to the problem that Nathanael has with Nazareth. Beyond that, Nazareth may have carried some negative baggage for Nathanael. Jesus has found you and called you to follow him. Nathanaels name is never directly mentioned again in the New Testament. In fact, the only time Nathanael is featured is in John 1 when he is first called to follow Jesus, and John 21:2, where he is mentioned along with those who returned to Galilee to go fishing with Peter after the resurrection. Geneva Study Bible Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES) Meyer's NT Commentary Luke 6:14-16. Notice, by the way, Philip says, We have found him, even though in reality its the other way around. Well, Phillip has my job. One of the main routes going north and south between Jerusalem and Lebanon passes through Nazareth. Just short and sweet, Come and see. Philip doesnt engage Nathanael in a prolonged argument about the merits of Nazareth. 46 Nazareth! He found Nathanael, presumably someone he knew or had some kind of relationship with. No one ever passed through Cana. He told them to free Bartholomew, but not to take him down. One tradition says that he was tied up in a sack and cast into the sea. Who Was Herod? James (son of Zebedee and John's brother) was called as he was mending nets inside a boat on the Sea of Galilee. In Nathanael, Christ had found a genuine and authentic believer. The disciple named Philip was, along with Peter and Andrew, from Bethsaida in Galilee ( John 1:44; 12:21 ). You know what life is all about. Nathaniel got right away. He gives me meaning and purpose and hope in life. Was it the right thing to do? Nazareth on the other hand was a rough town. Phillip was the first one to hear those words and obey them. Philip died sometime in the first century, possibly around 80 AD. He who has seen Me has seen the Father.. We've already looked at this passage in detail when we studied Andrew. After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. How do you know me? Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. This manifestation of divine knowledge sparks something in Nathanael. And so the church then is our Bethel, the house of God where we find Christ, where heaven is opened to us. Nathanael was one of the first to express belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God ( John 1:49 ). Now was late in the day, and there were no fast food franchises. Peter and Andrew were early followers of John the Baptist. We do know that Nathaniel was to faithful to the end, because he was faithful from the start. 48How do you know me? Nathanael asked. [8] The earliest reference to this theorywhich is based on Bartholomew being properly a surnameis found in Ishodad of Merv (c.850). Today I want you to see yourself as a Philip. Though Cana itself was not a particularly remarkable village, Nathanaels disdain for Nazareth indicates a certain civic pride and pretension on the part of the Nathanael. The Synoptic Gospels list Philip as one of the apostles. Bartholomew = son of Tolmai, probably to be identified with Nathanael. 6 Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. He knew his prejudice. What Do We Know about Nathanael the Disciple without Deceit. Thats life-changing! Sir, they said, we would like to see Jesus. Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. John 12:2022. In each of the listings of the disciples, the names of Philip and Bartholomew are linked, which could mean they were good friends or even related. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. Philip said, Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us. Jesus answered: Dont you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? 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.
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