. Phillip was already in the presence of the living and eternal God. It was Jesus who found Philip! How about you? Nathanael, also referred to as Bartholomew in the gospels, was one of Jesus original twelve disciples. Four of those mentions are just lists of the apostles. Nathanael (Bartholomew) was called after Philip told him about the Lord. Early church records suggest that he ministered in Persia and India and took the gospel as far as Armenia. This time were going to look through Phillip's eyes. However, this tradition largely originates with Acts of Philip, a dubious fourth-century text which intermingled true accounts with legends, including a narrative involving a dragon. I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.. This is where he can be found. No one comes to the Father except through me. Instead he told Jesus that I couldn't be done. Here are the facts, you can only drawl one conclusion. Now was late in the day, and there were no fast food franchises. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. [2][6], Although Nathanael is sometimes identified with Bartholomew the Apostle mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts 1:13. Second Sunday after the Epiphany While hanging there, Philip preached, and the crowd was moved to release them. Same thing today. And so we follow, as he guides us out into the highways and byways of life, where we will find people for us to talk towhere we will find our own Nathanaels. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. As a result, the church has doubted Eusebius account of Philip for nearly a millennia. When Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, some God-fearing Greeks want to see him, so they come to Philip: Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. Others hint of the apostle being tied up in a sack and thrown into the sea. Phillip had studied the scriptures and everything lined up. Though not much is known about Nathanael beyond the gospels, church history suggests that Nathanael traveled beyond Judea to minister to parts of Persia and India, perhaps going as far as Armenia, whose church claims him as their saint and founder to this day. In the Gospel of John, Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Philip, from Bethsaida (1:43-44). After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Nathanael was present with the other disciples in the upper room when Jesus first appeared to them (Matthew 28:9-10; Mark 16:14-20; Luke 24:36-49; John 20:19-29). 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 Bible scholar, he could have said, but wait, the messiah comes out of Bethlehem not Nazareth.. (Micah 5:2) or he could have said, But scripture tells us that he rules from Jerusalem, not Nazareth. The Synoptics describe the actual calling of these men to . 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. He'd rather have a yes or no answer. 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 . Jesus proved that in His interactions with these men. Let's see, one denari can buy 12 wheat biscuits. He was familiar with what the prophets had said. Likewise, Philip, when Jesus called him, went to his brother Nathanael and said, We have found Him (meaning the Messiah foretold by Moses and the prophets). He was not a hypocrite. Its really saying the same thing. Phillip, Nathaniel and Thomas were fishermen from Galilee. By now it should have been clear that he was going to his father in heaven and the only way for them to get there was through faith in Christ. Nathanael is described as initially being skeptical about whether the Messiah could come from Nazareth, saying: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. Hes just pleasantly persistent, inviting Nathanael to find out for himself. Yes, Jesus is here, present in our midst. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Jesus finding you and saving you and leading you day by day, all the way into eternal lifethis is what life is all about. After the resurrection, Nathanael would go on to be a key leader in the early church, taking the gospel to the ends of the earth as commissioned by his lord and savior. From Philips perspective, this was a great discovery, and in his excitement he expresses it the best way he knows how: We have found him, the Messiah.. 46 Nazareth! Philip died sometime in the first century, possibly around 80 AD. A fig tree near house provides a large, shady, protected place outdoors. Some people won't listen to a female minister. Remember how the people of his hometown felt about him? To be a leader, you have to have a sense of vision. In John's Gospel, Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Philip, from Bethsaida. And presumably, if he did not use distinguishing details, the early church wouldve assumed he meant Philip the Apostlethe most well-known Philip. I suppose we would be equally surprised if Jesus said, I know what a faithful servant you are because I know that you get up every morning at 6:30 and go into the family room to pray. God knows just what it takes to reach each of us. We can conclude that he interpreted it literally because it was so easy for him to believe that Jesus was the messiah. It says in John 21:2 that Nathanael was from Cana not Bethsaida. Philip and Bartholomew are frequently mentioned together in the Synoptic Gospels, although Nathanael is never mentioned. Learn how your comment data is processed. Instead he says "can anything good come out of Nazareth?" This was one Jesus could transform and equip for His glory. But when he saw the size of the crowd he began to feel overwhelmed by the impossible. Wait There Were How Many Herods?! 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." Philip then probably went with Jesus and found Nathanael at or near Cana ( John 1:48 ). 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. The three Gospel-writers who make record of the organization of the Twelve place Simon Peter first and Judas Iscariot last in the category; they agree also in the relative position of some but not of all . In all likelihood they probably studied scripture together. Wide open stand the gates!. He went and found someone he could share his joy with. We have to remember that even though he had a Greek name, he was still a Jew and would have heard Jesus say that he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He is called Nathanael in John 1. Some scholars speculate that Philip may have also been a disciple of John the Baptist, since: Before Jesus famously fed the crowd of more than 5,000 people, he decided to test Philip: 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? He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. He knew his prejudice. 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. The one who gives me eternal life as a free gift. 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. 45 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." 46 "Nazareth! 10 Dont you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? And so the church then is our Bethel, the house of God where we find Christ, where heaven is opened to us. 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Though flawed, Nathanael was as honest and sincere as they come, and for his eagerness and willingness to embrace Jesus as his lord and king, Christ performed a mighty work in his life, taking an ordinary man and turning him into an outspoken leader and pillar of His church. No? Well, Nathanaels initial objection is overcome by Philips pleasant persistence and his clear invitation. Virtually everything we know about Nathaniel comes from Johns account of his call to discipleship in the wilderness shortly after Jesus is baptized. It is Elohim, a portion of Elohim. John writes, 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 (John 1:45). They were both disciples of John the Baptist who preached to Israel of the coming deliverer. Youll remember that John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to Peter, Andrew and John and then and they approached Jesus. But the Gospel of John and the early church fill in some blanks and help us understand a little more about who he was. 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.. Many believers came to Christ under his preaching. Peoples ears are closed to the gospel by many kinds of prejudice. As John relates how the disciples were called, Philip and Nathanael were the 3 rd and 4 th men named as disciples. Its the story of Philip and Nathanael: A Story of Witnessing. Now today let their story become your story also. By and large he didn't see the whole picture, or the end of the road. I am going there to prepare a place for you. He was so engrossed in his commonsense calculation, that he couldn't see an opportunity for the supernatural. What have you found that you can tell others about? And that was enough to convince Nathaniel that he was messiah. Again let me say that it is probable that they were all friends or co-workers. What we do know is this: as one of the Twelve, Philip certainly held an important role in the early church, and he likely played a key part in spreading the gospel somewhere in ancient Eurasia. 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. [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]. Grow in your knowledge and faith. Jesus calls us to keep on following him, in a lifelong journey of faith. This comment has been removed by the author. He belonged to the town to which Jesus was going (Cana of, Galilee, John 21:2 ). But ultimately, above all, when we talk about our church, we want to talk about the one who is the very heart and center of our church, the churchs whole reason for existence. The formal training of the 12 was over and yet their faith was still weak. Jesus calls us, even as he called Philip. In most instances, Nathanael is listed among the twelve disciples as Bartholomew (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). In other words between all the disciples -- at least 12 of them and probably more like 70 -- all they had was eight months worth of a single laborers wages. Was it the right thing to do? This Philip is explicitly identified as the evangelist and one of the Seven. If this were Philip the Apostle, it would be odd for Luke to provide two distinguishing details and not call him the apostle. Most of the earliest traditions seem to point to him being martyred in Hierapolis. The twelve apostles opted out of this position, and then a man named Philip was chosen to be one of the Seven (Acts 6:5). 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. Come and see is subjective. They had studied the Law of Moses and read the prophets. He leads the way, every step of the way, all the days of our life. Because his heart was sincere his faith was real. Most Bible scholars believe Nathanael and Bartholomew were the same person. We see that Philip and Nathanael were faithful servants of Jesus who had questions and concerns, doubts and fears. We put God in a box and when he doesn't respond the way we want him to, we demand miracles and signs that suit our image of what God should be and do. Nathanael means "gift of God." El, e-l, is the name of God. But why does John refer to his fellow disciple as Nathanael while the other gospel writers list him as Bartholomew? It bothered them that the messiah and all his apostles came from Galilee. Why did Jesus single Phillip out? Origin:Hebrew. 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. 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. By the grace of God, Nathanael was chosen to follow Christ. The Nathaniel was a true spiritual offspring of Abraham. [2] Join our email list, and well send you some of our best free resourcesplus well tell you whenever we make something new. Jesus brings Philip to Himself personally and then Philip witnesses to Nathaniel and brings him to the Lord. 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! Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!(John 1:49) Nathanael responded. In a letter to Pope Victor, Polycrates of Ephesus said: I speak of Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who is laid to rest at Hierapolis. In fact much of Israel rejected their messiah because of their prejudice. Knowing Nathanaels heart, Jesus greeted His would-be disciple, not with chastisement or contempt, but rather, with a remarkable compliment of his character. But that was Philips spiritual side. Another suggests Nathanael died by crucifixion. He who has seen Me has seen the Father. (John 14:8-9).Philip and Nathanael were ordinary men with an extraordinary calling. Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. Notice that: Jesus finds Philip, and then Philip finds Nathanael. 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. We create research-based articles and handy infographics to help people understand the Bible. After Nathanaels initial hesitancy and question, and Jesus statement that He had seen Nathanael under the fig tree caused him to take notice of this Rabbi. In fact, Nathanaels local knowledge and civic pride would come to light when called upon to follow Jesus. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. One of the main routes going north and south between Jerusalem and Lebanon passes through Nazareth. He wanted to go by the book all the time. Phillip doesn't like maybes. Even Nathanael, who was probably caught off guard by Christs compliment following a previously bigoted assumption, responded by asking Jesus, how do You know me? (John 1:48). Did the fig tree reference indicate his occupation, as a fig-gatherer? No doubt Phillip had already begun counting heads. Let's go! So dont be afraid or ashamed to invite your friends and neighbors, your family membersanyone who needs Jesusinvite them to come and see. Come and meet Jesus here at St. Matthews. Wheres that? 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Dont you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? He found Nathanael, presumably someone he knew or had some kind of relationship with. But Phillip is the first disciple whom Jesus physically sought out, as well as the first one to whom Jesus actually said, "follow me". Not linked to together using the conjunction and like we see what the brothers Peter and Andrew or James and John. There he is called, "Nathanael of Cana in Galilee.". Its worth noting that Nathanael is rarely mentioned apart from the listing of the twelve disciples. Remember how Phillip had announced in Nathaniel that he had found the messiah. But it does seem clear that the mention of Nazareth was an initial obstacle in Nathanaels mind. These were Andrew, John, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael, James, and Levi Matthew. He seeks us out, even when we were not looking for him. Peter and James came to the Lord because of the personal soul-winning of their brothers. Think about it, If minimum wage is $5.50/hr x 40 hours x 33 weeks = $7260. Does the we in Philips declaration mean that he, Andrew and Peter (who may have already known each other in Bethsaida) had found the Lord? Some traditions tell of Nathanael being flayed alive in Armenia. "It can't be done.". And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And Jacob called that place Beth-El, the house of God, the gate of heaven. Philip was from Bethsaida, the same city as his friend Andrew. Their branches are low and spread as far as 25 for 30 feet. Jesus has just told them that his Fathers mansion has many rooms and hes going to prepare a place for them and come back and get them. Meaning:God has given. Nathanael: Oh, Hello! But what does this actually mean, and why would Jesus compliment someone who had expressed such obvious prejudice? Phillips closest companion is Nathaniel. The former is found in Numbers 1:8; 1Chronicles 2:14. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Nathanael, probably the personal name of Bartholomew, is later referred to in John 21:1-3 as Nathanael of Cana when seven of the disciples were together and went . When Jesus appeared to Philip, Philip quickly identified Him as the chosen Messiah and the one he and Nathanael had read about in the Old Testament. Its easy to read the gospels and Acts and not even notice that there are two different Philips. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. You are the King of Israel! Jesus replies: Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe?
Patricia Healey Funeral,
Sierra View Country Club Membership Cost,
Articles W
