Phillip was pessimistic, narrowly focused, and obsessed with identifying the reason that things can't be done. Remember that? And at the same time, our Lord calls us to follow him in faith. Imagine that, this is the first time Nathaniel meets Jesus and Jesus calls him a true Israelite without deceit. The Lord Jesus Christ is here in his church, where his gospel is preached, his word is taught, and his life-giving sacraments are administered. All of this will be our focus in guiding your youth group through Episode . 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. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. Our final look at Phillip comes a short time after the Last Supper on the eve of the crucifixion. (LogOut/ Jesus honored Andrews faith by multiplying and feeding 5000. These men were called the 12 Disciples. Well, thats what happens now in Jesus. Yes, Jesus is here, present in our midst. Prior to this eventful day, however, none of the Twelve had been ordained or set apart to their sacred office. And regardless of the fact that Jesus came from Nazareth, he was omniscient. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Dont you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? 46 Nazareth! . What did Andrew do? . Whats that? Because his heart was sincere his faith was real. 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. Philip said to him, "Come and see." John 21:1-6. He had the ability to read Nathaniel's heart. Remember how Phillip had announced in Nathaniel that he had found the messiah. Well, thats all right. 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 . Found me when I sought him not.. Jesus responds (seemingly harshly), Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 9:60). This is where people will meet Jesus, their Savior, the author of life and the giver of salvation. [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. Either that or because he was the administrator of the group. Logos Bible Software 10 review: Do you REALLY need it? These were Andrew, John, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael, James, and Levi Matthew. The words I say to you are not just my own. 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? So When Jesus tested his faith, Phillip responded with unbelief. How dare he tell them what to do? One of the main routes going north and south between Jerusalem and Lebanon passes through Nazareth. It was. Wait There Were How Many Herods?! Join our email list, and well send you some of our best free resourcesplus well tell you whenever we make something new. Just like he finds us. Indeed, in the Sacrament of the Altar, heaven and earth come together. Now was late in the day, and there were no fast food franchises. Nathanael is the Hebrew of the Greek word Theodorus, God's gift. The principal obstacle to the identification of Philip as the Baptist's disciple is the failure of the Gospel to supply that identification. In John 6, we read the story and of the feeding of the 5000. But the important fact is that Philip followed Jesus and he went immediately to invite his brother Nathanael to follow Him. For less than $5/mo. 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. Let's go! Philip and Nathanael were brothers as were Andrew and Peter. Or crucified upside down. 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. But maybe youll put it a different way, perhaps like this: I have found my Savior, and hes your Savior too. You are the King of Israel! Jesus replies: Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? Jesus finding you and saving you and leading you day by day, all the way into eternal lifethis is what life is all about. Aside from the lists of apostles in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts, Philip appears in four narratives in the Gospel of John. Rabbit trail: 1 denari is equal to one day's wages. John, however, refers to the apostle almost exclusively as Nathanael in his gospel. In fact, it is your life! From Philips point of view this was the end of his search. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going., 5 Thomas said to him, Lord, we dont know where you are going, so how can we know the way?. 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. This is where he can be found. You know what life is all about. And when they come, what they will find here is Jesus giving out his gifts. These cookies do not store any personal information. Prejudice is feeling base. You are a dear child of your heavenly Father. Like the Apostle Thomas, Philips only significant mentions come in the Gospel of John (and theyre still not that significant). Jesus wasn't physically present to see Nathaniel under the fig tree, and Nathaniel knew that. Philip died sometime in the first century, possibly around 80 AD. How he really died, we dont know. Nathaniel is also called Bartholomew, which is a Hebrew name meaning God has given". It was then that Jesus made a statement concerning his own death, using the grain of wheat dying in order to spring forth to bear much more grain: He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25).Philips request, Show us the Father brought forth a mild rebuke: Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He was not a hypocrite. In Nathanael, Christ had found a genuine and authentic believer. We know that Judas was in charge of the money, so it made sense that someone else would be in charge of coordination and distribution of meals and supplies. Can anything good come from there? Nathaniel asked. 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. Most Bible scholars believe Nathanael and Bartholomew were the same person. Fun fact: Johns desire to tell us who said what is the reason Thomas got stuck with the infamous moniker, Doubting Thomas. For some reason Practical Philip didnt catch on, though. Virtually everything we know about Nathaniel comes from Johns account of his call to discipleship in the wilderness shortly after Jesus is baptized. The Gospel of John recounts Philip's calling as a disciple of Jesus. 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. Furthermore, both Philip and Nathanael had studied the Word of God on their own. No, he probably ran through a list of rules of regulation in his mind and tried to figure out whether Jesus should talk to these Gentiles. But Phillip is the first disciple whom Jesus physically sought out, as well as the first one to whom Jesus actually said, "follow me". Phillip was already in the presence of the living and eternal God. Jews in Jesus day looked down on the Galilean's. 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. Jesus response to him, 9 Jesus answered: Dont you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Thats wonderful! Hes also clearly one of the Twelve in the Gospel of John, though John never explicitly lists them.This means Philip was one of the people who was closest to Jesus, and that he spent about three years living with him, witnessing his miracles, and hearing his teachings. Here we receive a foretaste of the feast to come. That would have been left to the more academically gifted students at the time. In fact, its possible that Philip the Apostle was confused with Philip the Evangelist as early as the first or second century. He had witnessed creative and recreative miracles. Houses could get full smoke and stuffy. Nazareth on the other hand is at a crossroads. Sure his mind was tainted by prejudice, but his heart was pure. Meaning:God has given. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. So if you wanted to escape the noise and the stifling atmosphere the house, you could go outside and rest under the fig tree. Bartholomew literally means "son of Tolmai." How does he respond? (The other two Philips are both sons of King Herod the Great.). He is speaking to you today. 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. If anything will put some excitement and joy into your life, this will. 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. We know Jesus called them all before the foundations of the world. The bad. He loved God with a pure heart and desired to see the messiah. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Thats where we werelost, wandering aimlessly, not looking for God. 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. Or stoned to death. 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). We have found him! That's group two. 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. Nathanael: It is believed that Bartholomew had ministered in Armenia and was flayed to death with knives in . After this, Nathanael would return with the remaining apostles to the upper room in Jerusalem, joining with them in prayer as they selected Matthias as a replacement for Judas Iscariot, who had recently hung himself (Acts 1:12-26). Philip and Bartholomew are frequently mentioned together in the Synoptic Gospels, although Nathanael is never mentioned. 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? After all Andrew could introduce anyone to Jesus. Can anything good come from there? Nathanael asked. 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?. Some people are so afraid of others religions that they closed themselves off from branches of the body of Christ. They were companions and had probably known each other for years. Allegedly, he converted a proconsuls wife, which angered the proconsul enough to have him and Bartholomew crucified upside down. In the synoptic gospels, the writers simply tell us these exchanges took place between Jesus and the disciples, and the dialogue cuts to the chase a little more. Learn how your comment data is processed. Follow me, he says to each one of us. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? How well could you feed 5000 people? In Luke and Matthew, an unnamed disciple asks Jesus if he can bury his father before following him. Nathanael (Hebrew , Greek: , "God has given"), also known as Nathaniel[1] of Cana was a disciple of Jesus, mentioned only in chapters 1 and 21 of the Gospel of John. How can you say, Show us the Father? But that was Philips spiritual side. A second difficulty is the way in which Philip's name is introduced. He had found the messiah. Its the story of Philip and Nathanael: A Story of Witnessing. Now today let their story become your story also. So when Jesus said these things to him, he might have questioned if Jesus was just flattering him? Did you see that Jesus sought Phillip out? This site uses cookies to analyze traffic and ensure you get the best experience. There he is called, "Nathanael of Cana in Galilee.". Thomas says, We dont know where youre going. After all Nazareth didn't exist in the Old Testament. Those are all good. 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. 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 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 . Nathanael means "gift of God." El, e-l, is the name of God. There's no reliable record about how he died. Who are you? My friends, this is surely good news! Most accounts say that he was put to death by stoning in Asia Minor eight years after the martyrdom of James. 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.. 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. Papias also refers to the Philip in Acts 21 as an apostle, and that title was usually (but not always) reserved for the Twelve. Nathanael also became Jesus' disciple. Jesus is quickening faith in his heart. . Blog at WordPress.com.RSS 2.0Comments RSS 2.0, Philip and Nathanael: A Story of Witnessing (John1:43-51). Unless you looking for the shrine built upon the supposed location of where Jesus turned water into wine you probably wouldn't want to go there. Heaven and earth meet in him. "It can't be done.". Early church records suggest that he ministered in Persia and India and took the gospel as far as Armenia. The Nathaniel was a true spiritual offspring of Abraham. You may meet resistance when you tell others that you have found Jesus and his gifts present here at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. The differences between John's account and the Synoptics' account are easily explained. 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. Instead he told Jesus that I couldn't be done. Ive already said that Phillip was a student of the Old Testament. After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Matthew received his calling as Jesus was leaving Capernaum. What am I talking about? And we should talk about them. Follow me, learn from me, as my disciples. Jesus proved that in His interactions with these men. 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? He hadnt put on a show or pretended to be something he was not to impress anyone, let alone Jesus. Nathanael was one of the first to express belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God ( John 1:49 ). Come and see is subjective. In vs. 43 Jesus "found" (EdpltcKeL) Philip. Lets see what happens when his friend questions his set of facts. Simon and, probably, James were brought to Jesus by their brothers. John seems more interested in telling us who said what, and using Philips answer to set up Jesus miracle. Nathanael declares, Rabbi, you are the Son of God! Nathanael is described as initially being skeptical about whether the Messiah could come from Nazareth, saying: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Following Philips breaking news, however, a second insight into Nathanaels character is revealed. It wouldnt taken long for him to get past his prejudice and acknowledge Jesus for who He really was. Come and see, said Philip. John 1:4346. He knew who look for. If we stretched the metaphor, we might consider it to be the wrong side of the tracks. He leads the way, every step of the way, all the days of our life. (Since Taco Bell wasnt an option.). Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. So Jesus finds Philip and calls him to follow. He's not questioning his friend Philip, but a true Bible scholar would be sure to test the spirits. This time were going to look through Phillip's eyes. 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. Come and see. Come and see if you too wont encounter the Messiah, the Savior sent from God, in this person Jesus I want you to meet.. If we look at that phrase in the Greek, its translated as truly, genuine Israelite. Another says he was beheaded. Andrew responded to the situation and brought Jesus a boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! You will see greater things than that. 51He then added, Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see heaven open,(O) and the angels of God ascending and descending(P) on[d] the Son of Man.(Q). 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. Our Lord uses us as his instruments to invite others, so that they can hear Christs call to faith and discipleship. We dont learn much about Philip from the synoptic gospels or Book of Actsin fact, pretty much all we learn is that hes always listed with Bartholomew. 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. And what did Philip do? The Synoptic Gospels list Philip as one of the apostles. 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. Like Andrew, Philip was ready in his heart to receive Jesus as his Master. Phillip told Nathaniel about the messiah from the standpoint of the Old Testament prophecy. Of course. And so the church then is our Bethel, the house of God where we find Christ, where heaven is opened to us. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. When Jesus spoke out against the religious establishment in Jerusalem, the religious leaders just chalked that up to his coming from lowly Nazareth. Philip answered him, It would take more than half a years wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite! John 6:57, Jesus already knew exactly what he was going to do, but he asked Philip what it would take to feed these peopleperhaps as a joke, or possibly, to illustrate that it would take a miracle to feed this many. No? We create research-based articles and handy infographics to help people understand the Bible. The one who gives me eternal life as a free gift. He puts me right with God. Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!(John 1:49) Nathanael responded. Jesus calls us, even as he called Philip. 6 Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. (1) St John, who twice mentions the name of Nathanael, never mentions that of Bartholomew; (2) the three Synoptists mention Bartholomew but not Nathanael. So quite possibly, if Phillip had introduced the Greeks to Jesus, he might have been breaking a rule. Like the called out, Philip and Nathanael, may we, too be found faithful.c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Cana is off the beaten track, sort of like the little town pastor lives in. [1] "Come and see," said Philip. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Or to put it another way: Whom have you found? Maybe he didnt think very highly of that town, we dont know. Prejudice effectively causes people to remain cut off from the gospel. One record says he died of natural causes. He knew that he had longed to know God, sitting alone under the fig tree to study His Word. The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee and He found Philip and said to him, Follow Me. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 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. Many believers came to Christ under his preaching. 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. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Of course, this was not a racial or ethnic prejudice, as many Jews would have had for the Gentiles or, as we see from the disciples later in the gospels, the Samaritans. It's no doubt that this is where Nathaniel went to study the scriptures and pray. Nazareth is the same way. 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. "Come and see," said Philip. Nathanael was doubtful at first. In all likelihood they probably studied scripture together. And thats Jesus. 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. Follow me, Jesus says to each one of us. And he introduced the Jews to Jesus. By the grace of God, Nathanael was chosen to follow Christ. Another tradition says that he was crucified. Philip preached the Faith in Greece and he was martyred at Hierapolis in Persia in the year 62. 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. He gives me meaning and purpose and hope in life. Nathanael, also referred to as Bartholomew in the gospels, was one of Jesus original twelve disciples. by Ryan Nelson | Jun 10, 2019 | Bible characters | 2 comments, Philip the Apostle was one of the 12 main disciples of Jesus Christ. 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, He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life., Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? (One tradition also claims hes mentioned in another verse, though not by name.) Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. The disciple named Philip was, along with Peter and Andrew, from Bethsaida in Galilee ( John 1:44; 12:21 ). 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. 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. Rather, Nathanael had developed a regional prejudice and bias against those from a nearby town, perhaps in the same way crosstown rivals might deride each other, or residents of Los Angeles and San Francisco might disparage each other. Obviously Phillip knew that scripture was important to Nathaniel.