Like we sang earlier: Love that found mewondrous thought! Dont you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? Trust in God; trust also in me. Again let me say that it is probable that they were all friends or co-workers. Who are you? Prejudice cuts a lot of people off from the truth. Go to Romans 9:6-7, the apostle Paul says, "For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are deceit and Abraham.". Jesus calls us, even as he called Philip. There's no reliable record about how he died. The Philip we call the Evangelist or the Deacon is first mentioned in Acts 6 when the church selects seven people to distribute food. Come and see. Despite these thoughts and feelings, however, they continued to be positive instruments in the hands of God. Phillip had studied the scriptures and everything lined up. Nathanaels name is never directly mentioned again in the New Testament. His response, displays Nathaniel's character. And thats Jesus. Nathanael would be an Apostle, too. We're not talking about physical dissent from Abraham or genetics, and but rather having a pure heart, without hypocrisy. 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 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). 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 . Of course, no reliable record exists of how Nathanael died. Beyond that, Nazareth may have carried some negative baggage for Nathanael. 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. Saw Nathanael Jesus certainly did. God knows just what it takes to reach each of us. Dont you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? John 14:610. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. 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. Phillip was good at finding ways to get out of doing things? Can anything good come from there? Nathaniel asked. No one ever passed through Cana. And regardless of the fact that Jesus came from Nazareth, he was omniscient. Wheres that? Nathaniel who came from an even lowlier village was simply echoing the sentiments of the Jewish establishment when he expressed his contempt for Nazareth. 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. 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. He simply says, Come and see. Thats it. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. The day after that, Jesus went . Now Phillip had seen Jesus created wine out of water in Cana. Nathaniel was able to overcome his prejudice. That's all we know about Nathaniel. What you saw was what you got. Nathaniel was a genuine spiritual child of the Abraham. How well could you feed 5000 people? This may seem like a trivial detail, but later, when Jesus and the disciples come to Jerusalem, some Greek men from Bethsaida want to see Jesusand they come to Philip (John 12:21). Nathanael, also referred to as Bartholomew in the gospels, was one of Jesus original twelve disciples. Today I want you to see yourself as a Philip. 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. [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]. Once again, through their example we can see that we too can use our gifts to become all that Jesus wants us to become. Phillips closest companion is Nathaniel. Nathanael confesses something here that was even more than he may have known at the time. 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. Nathanael does come and he does see. 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. For less than $5/mo. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. We know Jesus called them all before the foundations of the world. In other translations, Jesus refers to him as the one in whom there is no guile.. But Phillip is the first disciple whom Jesus physically sought out, as well as the first one to whom Jesus actually said, "follow me". Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. Those are all good. He is here to open heaven for us. 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. Because he had a Greek name. Simon and, probably, James were brought to Jesus by their brothers. Thats why we invite people. Jesus honored Andrews faith by multiplying and feeding 5000. Most of the earliest traditions seem to point to him being martyred in Hierapolis. 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. 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. Some people won't listen to a female minister. He who has seen Me has seen the Father. (John 14:8-9).Philip and Nathanael were ordinary men with an extraordinary calling. He loved God with a pure heart and desired to see the messiah. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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.. Philip preached the Faith in Greece and he was martyred at Hierapolis in Persia in the year 62. But Jesus came and sought us out. The principal obstacle to the identification of Philip as the Baptist's disciple is the failure of the Gospel to supply that identification. In Nathanael, Christ had found a genuine and authentic believer. Philip was from Bethsaida, the same city as his friend Andrew. Origin:Hebrew. Follow me, Jesus says to each one of us. Phillip, Nathaniel and Thomas were fishermen from Galilee. Who Was Herod? (This is one of the main arguments for assuming that all New Testament references to Mark are talking about John Mark, the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. Save 15% for life on BibleGateway+ with code SPRINGSTUDY15. He doesnt get sidetracked. -- His response to Jesus to follow him was without hesitation. James and John: the two sons of Zebedee, who were called next: Philip and Bartholomew; the latter of these is by some thought to be Nathanael. Jesus wasn't physically present to see Nathaniel under the fig tree, and Nathaniel knew that. Thomas says, We dont know where youre going. He also was among those surrounding John the Baptist when the . Philip died sometime in the first century, possibly around 80 AD. Obviously Phillip knew that scripture was important to Nathaniel. 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). One of the first things we learn about Philip in the Gospel of John is that like Simon Peter and Andrew, he comes from Bethsaida, a town by the Sea of Galilee (John 1:44). "Come and see," said Philip. You may meet resistance when you tell others that you have found Jesus and his gifts present here at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. Trees were planted around houses to keep them cool and shaded. They had the same background, the same experiences in following our Lord. 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. Jesus brings Philip to Himself personally and then Philip witnesses to Nathaniel and brings him to the Lord. He knew that he had longed to know God, sitting alone under the fig tree to study His Word. Thats life-changing! Jesus responds (seemingly harshly), Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 9:60). Come and see, said Philip. John 1:4346. Now what does Philip do next? But that Jesus can heal the blind and the deaf, that he can cleanse lepers, that he can forgive sins, that he can raise the dead. Invite the folks you knowyour friends and neighbors and your family membersinvite them to come and see. Cana is off the beaten track, sort of like the little town pastor lives in. No thanks. The Nathaniel was a true spiritual offspring of Abraham. . Joel Ryanis an author, writing professor, and contributing writer for Salem Web Network and Lifeway. One tradition says that he was tied up in a sack and cast into the sea. 46 Nazareth! The same word introduces Simon Peter in vs. 41, and Nathanael in vs. 45. Andrew responded to the situation and brought Jesus a boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus is quickening faith in his heart. The differences between John's account and the Synoptics' account are easily explained. Apostles Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew . We know this because when each of the Gospels lists the apostles they list Phillip and Nathaniel (or Bartholomew) together. In Luke and Matthew, an unnamed disciple asks Jesus if he can bury his father before following him. Nathaniel is also called Bartholomew, which is a Hebrew name meaning God has given". No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus answered, I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Maybe the excitement has worn off.

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