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. He knew his prejudice. We know this because after the resurrection these apostles returned to Galilee with Peter and resumed their fishing trade (John 21 ). These men were part of Jesus' inner group. Philip preached the Faith in Greece and he was martyred at Hierapolis in Persia in the year 62. Those are all good. Well, Phillip has my job. He was not a hypocrite. If we look at that phrase in the Greek, its translated as truly, genuine Israelite. Papias also refers to the Philip in Acts 21 as an apostle, and that title was usually (but not always) reserved for the Twelve. 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. Notice, by the way, Philip says, We have found him, even though in reality its the other way around. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! ",[4] but nonetheless, he accepts Philip's invitation to find out. Phillip, Nathaniel and Thomas were fishermen from Galilee. 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. When you know the Lord, it affects the way you speak and act and live. But what does this actually mean, and why would Jesus compliment someone who had expressed such obvious prejudice? Bartholomew literally means "son of Tolmai." After all Jesus didn't fit his picture of the messiah. Andrew and his brother Simon Peter sought to find Jesus, but in the case of . Luke writes: So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 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?. The Synoptic Gospels list Philip as one of the apostles. 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). He found Nathanael, presumably someone he knew or had some kind of relationship with. Or to put it another way: Whom have you found? Finding Philip, he said to him, Follow me. Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.
How did the Twelve Apostles die? - NeverThirsty 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. Follow me, Jesus says to each one of us. 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. Its easy to read the gospels and Acts and not even notice that there are two different Philips. Nathaniel is also called Bartholomew, which is a Hebrew name meaning God has given". James and John were brothers. Phillip eventually got the message. Like the Apostle Thomas, Philips only significant mentions come in the Gospel of John (and theyre still not that significant). The Nathaniel was a true spiritual offspring of Abraham. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. Or I know that you take your devotion time every day before you go to work to study the scriptures. 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. But theres good reason to believe there are probably two different people named Philip.
Who was Bartholomew in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org Come and see! (John 1:46). Nathanael declares, Rabbi, you are the Son of God! Trust in God; trust also in me. I have found the one who forgives my sins. Well, thats what happens now in Jesus. Were about to discover that Phillip is not usually a very decisive person. 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. As a result, the church has doubted Eusebius account of Philip for nearly a millennia. All of this will be our focus in guiding your youth group through Episode . The Synoptics describe the actual calling of these men to . My friends, this is surely good news! Prior to this eventful day, however, none of the Twelve had been ordained or set apart to their sacred office. Nathanael is described as initially being skeptical about whether the Messiah could come from Nazareth, saying: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Trees were planted around houses to keep them cool and shaded. In other translations, Jesus refers to him as the one in whom there is no guile.. Philip was from Bethsaida, the same city as his friend Andrew. In fact, it is your life! As we discussed earlier, these Greeks may have come to Philip because they knew him, or simply because he had a Greek name and spoke Greek the best. 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. (C) 45Philip found Nathanael(D) and told him, We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law,(E) and about whom the prophets also wrote(F)Jesus of Nazareth,(G) the son of Joseph.(H). 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.
Nathanael: the man who saw for himself - British Bible School Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 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. [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. He also was among those surrounding John the Baptist when the . It was Jesus who found 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). 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. He would walk with Jesus during His subsequent forty days on earth, witness His miracle on the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-8), eat breakfast with Jesus on the shores of Galilee (John 21:9-14), receive Christs great commission (Matthew 28:19-20), and observe Jesus final ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). It is interesting to see Jesus characterization of Nathaniel, 47 When Jesus saw Nathaniel approaching, he said of him, Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.. Blind and dead in our sins, enemies of Godthat is our natural state. We know Jesus called them all before the foundations of the world.
Common Men, Uncommon Calling: Nathanael - Grace to You While its easy to gloss over this quick interaction, a few key insights into Nathanaels character can be gleaned from this verse. 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. We dont know. In fact, Jesus sees Nathanael approaching and he says, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit! Nathanael can tell that this Jesus somehow knows something about him, that he has divine insight. How does he respond? Jesus wasn't physically present to see Nathaniel under the fig tree, and Nathaniel knew that. Phillip told Nathaniel about the messiah from the standpoint of the Old Testament prophecy. As John relates how the disciples were called, Philip and Nathanael were the 3 rd and 4 th men named as disciples. Notice Philips reply to the problem that Nathanael has with Nazareth. No thanks. The Philip we call the Evangelist or the Deacon is first mentioned in Acts 6 when the church selects seven people to distribute food. Here are the facts, you can only drawl one conclusion. How can you say, Show us the Father? What is known is that Nathanael was almost certainly martyred for his faith like the rest of the apostles, with the exception of John. Phillip had a lack of vision. Maybe the excitement has worn off. 48How do you know me? Nathanael asked. 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. 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. God knows just what it takes to reach each of us. 46 Nazareth! 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. . 'Come and see,' said Philip." John 1:43-46 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). If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. What you saw was what you got. Nathanael: Oh, Hello! Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 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. Phillip was the first one to hear those words and obey them. 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 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 . Jesus is quickening faith in his heart. By and large he didn't see the whole picture, or the end of the road. Thomas says, We dont know where youre going. That is the most important thing in your life. Jesus was a common name. James (son of Zebedee and John's brother) was called as he was mending nets inside a boat on the Sea of Galilee. The Acts of Philip provides the earliest, most detailed account of his martyrdom, but again, its hard to say how much we can trust it. Like Andrew, Philip was ready in his heart to receive Jesus as his Master. Blog at WordPress.com.RSS 2.0Comments RSS 2.0, Philip and Nathanael: A Story of Witnessing (John1:43-51). We do know that Nathaniel was to faithful to the end, because he was faithful from the start. Jesus proved that in His interactions with these men. Change). Before Philip invited his brother, already Jesus had an intention of calling the young man. Next group comes James, Lebbaeus or Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. John 1:35-46 "Come and See"Real Discipleship The cross of Christ is our Jacobs ladder. (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. Prejudice cuts a lot of people off from the truth. Found me when I sought him not.. Nathanael (Bartholomew) was called after Philip told him about the Lord. Those are the great things that Nathanael will see in Jesus ministry. He might have been the same person as Nathanael. I know I shared with you in an earlier study how each time I minister on one of the apostles I see a little bit of my own character in each of them. Not just that Jesus could see him under a fig tree. 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. Heaven and earth meet in him. But even a Galileans looked down on the Nazarene's. In John 1:46-50, Nathanael is introduced to Jesus for the first time. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. 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. [2][6], Although Nathanael is sometimes identified with Bartholomew the Apostle mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts 1:13. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. And he did. I would like to have a deeper walk with God through the study of the Bible. The latter is preserved in the names Theodore and Dorothea. I am going there to prepare a place for you. Go and tell. It bothered them that the messiah and all his apostles came from Galilee. 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). Jews in Jesus day looked down on the Galilean's. And when they come, what they will find here is Jesus giving out his gifts. One record says he died of natural causes. Its hard to say how Philip died, especially since he was confused with Philip the Evangelist early on, and there are conflicting accounts. All of your sins are forgiven. Like many in Israel, this was something (or someone) they were eagerly waiting and even searching for. Despite his flaws, if there was one thing Nathanael wasnt, it was a hypocrite. What does the name Nathaniel mean biblically? 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. 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. 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). Can anything good come from there? Nathanael asked. The Holy Gospel for today, from John 1, takes place very early in Jesus ministry, when he was first gathering his disciples. He knew their hearts. And thats Jesus. [8] The earliest reference to this theorywhich is based on Bartholomew being properly a surnameis found in Ishodad of Merv (c.850). It bears wonderful fruit and gives good shade.
Phillip doesn't like maybes. Never heard of it. Or Luthern? Philip was one of those people who could do math and his head. (LogOut/ 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). Hi, What proof do you have that Philip and Nathanael were brothers? Nathanael was doubtful at first. In fact much of Israel rejected their messiah because of their prejudice. The Apostle Philip is only mentioned a handful of times in the New Testamentseven times in the gospels and once in Acts. 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?. They were fisherman and worked alongside James and John. Its really saying the same thing. While hanging there, Philip preached, and the crowd was moved to release them. . He puts me right with God. The disciple named Philip was, along with Peter and Andrew, from Bethsaida in Galilee ( John 1:44; 12:21 ). Prejudice effectively causes people to remain cut off from the gospel. Nathanael, also referred to as Bartholomew in the gospels, was one of Jesus original twelve disciples. He in turn went and found his brother Simon, who would come to be called Peter.
Matthew 10:3 Commentaries: Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew 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.. In the verses before ours, John tells us that Andrew was one of two men who had been John the Baptist's disciples. Jesus immediately characterizes him as "an Israelite in whom is no deceit". Jesus responds (seemingly harshly), Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 9:60). Nathanael is a boy's name of Hebrew origin that means "God has given." In the Bible, Nathanael came from Cana in Galilee and was an early follower of Jesus. Come and see is subjective. But maybe youll put it a different way, perhaps like this: I have found my Savior, and hes your Savior too. Now that we've looked at Philips faults, and cited his inability to look at the whole picture. 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. Remember how Phillip had announced in Nathaniel that he had found the messiah. To this Jesus replied, before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you(John 1:49). We're not talking about physical dissent from Abraham or genetics, and but rather having a pure heart, without hypocrisy. All four of these disciples of Jesus were from the town of Bethsaida. Add to that the legendary accounts from the Acts of Philip and Letter from Peter to Philip, and it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction, too. 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. So, yes, you do have something to tell others about, something absolutely exciting and joyful! But Jesus just couldnt be contained in Phillips book. There he is called, "Nathanael of Cana in Galilee.". 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. It is Elohim, a portion of Elohim. He'd rather have a yes or no answer. This was one Jesus could transform and equip for His glory. He is here to open heaven for us. 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. Philip said to him, "Come and see." John 21:1-6. of (Funny sound is heard to indicate traveling in time. John seems more interested in telling us who said what, and using Philips answer to set up Jesus miracle. He knew his passion. Nathanael was one of the first to express belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God ( John 1:49 ). After all Nazareth was full of uncultured people. The first six disciples, then, were Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, and Bartholomew. 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. Jesus calls us, even as he called Philip. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools.
Who was Philip in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org Wheres that? So it is for us in our witness. Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. He told them to free Bartholomew, but not to take him down. We can conclude that he interpreted it literally because it was so easy for him to believe that Jesus was the messiah. (LogOut/ To be a leader, you have to have a sense of vision. Cana wasn't a prestigious town. He wasn't what you would call foreword-thinking. Can anything good come out of St. Matthews? Oh, yes! He didn't know what to do. 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. When Jesus spoke out against the religious establishment in Jerusalem, the religious leaders just chalked that up to his coming from lowly Nazareth. The same word introduces Simon Peter in vs. 41, and Nathanael in vs. 45. And what did Philip do? [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]. The bad. Did the fig tree reference indicate his occupation, as a fig-gatherer? The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Thats where we werelost, wandering aimlessly, not looking for God. There was nothing fake or insincere about him. 10 Dont you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The story begins with Jesus finding Philip and saying to him, Follow me. Notice that: Jesus finds Philip. Was it the right thing to do? 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?