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). He was nothing but a carpenter son. Nazareth was the smallest, most unimportant town I could think of. Its hard to say how Philip died, especially since he was confused with Philip the Evangelist early on, and there are conflicting accounts. One of the main routes going north and south between Jerusalem and Lebanon passes through Nazareth. Of course. Jesus has found you and called you to follow him. 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. Frequently, the disciples have no idea what Jesus is talking about, and someone has to stick their neck out and ask a clarifying question (or often in Peters case, make a foolish statement). The bad. 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. Let's go! That's group two. Jesus died on the cross as our substitute, taking our sin and death on himself, thus opening heaven and eternal life to us. 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 [Read John 1: 43-51], Philip and Nathanael were brothers as were Andrew and Peter. Yes, Jesus is here, present in our midst. Philip and Nathanael, on the other hand, are listed jointly in John's tale. This site uses cookies to analyze traffic and ensure you get the best experience. This time were going to look through Phillip's eyes. . 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. Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!(John 1:49) Nathanael responded. Maybe the excitement has worn off. Nathanael (Bartholomew) was called after Philip told him about the Lord. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 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. But that was Philips spiritual side. We know Jesus called them all before the foundations of the world. What is known is that Nathanael was almost certainly martyred for his faith like the rest of the apostles, with the exception of John. Allegedly, he converted a proconsuls wife, which angered the proconsul enough to have him and Bartholomew crucified upside down. 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. Nathanael is the Hebrew of the Greek word Theodorus, God's gift. -- His response to Jesus to follow him was without hesitation. He was familiar with what the prophets had said. . In fact it isnt today either. Now what does Philip do next? You are headed toward heaven and eternal life with your Lord and with all his saints. John's gospel is the only one that mentions a man named Nathanael, who appears to be an apostle (John 1:43-51).John also never mentions Bartholomew. First is verse 3: "Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector.". Matthew received his calling as Jesus was leaving Capernaum. Polycrates seems to have clearly blurred the two Philips, and Eusebius never caught the mistake. Philips personality, led him to say, I don't think we can do that., 7 Philip answered him, Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!. He hadnt put on a show or pretended to be something he was not to impress anyone, let alone Jesus. That being said, we know Nathanael went on to play an important role in the formation of the early church, taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, as Jesus had commissioned His disciples to do before His ascension (Matthew 28:19-20). We have found him! Philip then probably went with Jesus and found Nathanael at or near Cana ( John 1:48 ). Nathaniel who came from an even lowlier village was simply echoing the sentiments of the Jewish establishment when he expressed his contempt for Nazareth. Phillip had a lack of vision. Now Phillip had seen Jesus created wine out of water in Cana. By and large he didn't see the whole picture, or the end of the road. 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). In fact, it is your life! The ugly. It was inconceivable to Nathaniel that the messiah would come from a tacky place like Nazareth. Save 15% for life on BibleGateway+ with code SPRINGSTUDY15. Heaven and earth meet here in Gods house, because Christ is present here. So when Jesus said these things to him, he might have questioned if Jesus was just flattering him? What have you found that you can tell others about? Another says he was beheaded. A second difficulty is the way in which Philip's name is introduced. He leads the way, every step of the way, all the days of our life. Jews in Jesus day looked down on the Galilean's. But even a Galileans looked down on the Nazarene's. Trees were planted around houses to keep them cool and shaded. What did Andrew do? Origin:Hebrew. He was a founding Father of the early church and among the first to be martyred. So, yes, you do have something to tell others about, something absolutely exciting and joyful! get to know the Bible better! Now days He would have been accused of spying on the brothers instead. Heaven and earth meet in him. He was so engrossed in his commonsense calculation, that he couldn't see an opportunity for the supernatural. 48 How do you know me? Nathaniel asked. 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. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. 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. What does the name Nathaniel mean biblically? In vs. 43 Jesus "found" (EdpltcKeL) Philip. 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." So quite possibly, if Phillip had introduced the Greeks to Jesus, he might have been breaking a rule. Phillip, on the other hand still hadn't gotten at two years later. 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. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. Acts 6:24. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. Because his heart was sincere his faith was real. Nathanael also became Jesus' disciple. Most accounts say that he was put to death by stoning in Asia Minor eight years after the martyrdom of James. His Greek name is Bartholomew. 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. Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. Nathanael - The True Israelite Believed to Be the Apostle Bartholomew. God knows just what it takes to reach each of us. Whether Philips statement was foolish or simply bold, it gave Jesus another opportunity to directly assert his divinity, and help us understand his relationship to the Father. You have the word of God as your anchor and stay. Its possible that they knew him personally, or perhaps he spoke Greek better than the other disciples (he did have a Greek name after all). He told them to free Bartholomew, but not to take him down. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. The cooking was done inside, so a fire was burning even in the summer. Philip replied that it would take two hundred denari to buy bread enough to feed them (John 6:7). Change). Or I know that you take your devotion time every day before you go to work to study the scriptures. Of course, no reliable record exists of how Nathanael died. Philip and Bartholomew are frequently mentioned together in the Synoptic Gospels, although Nathanael is never mentioned. Whats that? The Messiah has come! That's why they responded so quickly to Jesus. "It can't be done.". All rights reserved. Early church records suggest that he ministered in Persia and India and took the gospel as far as Armenia. The cross of Christ is our Jacobs ladder. Start for FREE. Because he had a Greek name. (The other two Philips are both sons of King Herod the Great.). Did the fig tree reference indicate his occupation, as a fig-gatherer? 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. Finding Philip, he said to him, Follow me.. (Funny sound is heard to indicate traveling in time. Think of it this way: Think of where you would be without Jesus. Like Andrew, Philips first reaction after meeting Jesus was to go tell someone about him. 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. Eusebius also quotes Polycrates of Ephesus, a bishop who lived during the second century, as saying: For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the last day, at the coming of the Lord, when he shall come with glory from heaven and shall seek out all the saints. Jesus wasn't physically present to see Nathaniel under the fig tree, and Nathaniel knew that. 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). If you are going from Chicago to Indianapolis, you might travel through Merrillville. 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. Philip was one of those people who could do math and his head. These men wanted an audience with Jesus. Yeshua in its Aramaic form. 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. Not just that Jesus could see him under a fig tree. No doubt Phillip had already begun counting heads. Our final look at Phillip comes a short time after the Last Supper on the eve of the crucifixion. Little is written about him the Gospels and book of Acts. That would have been left to the more academically gifted students at the time. New International Version (NIV). This was not flattery. 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. 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. And this business about the angels of God ascending and descending? The good. Nathanaels story may not be chronicled in much detail. However Nathaniel was not impressed at first glance with Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. James and John were brothers. That is the most important thing in your life. The one who gives me eternal life as a free gift. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? You likewise may encounter objections when you start to tell someone about Jesus. Phillip was good at finding ways to get out of doing things? 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. 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. Johns gospel features Nathaniel in 2 passages: John 1 where his call is recorded, and John 21:2 where he is named as one of those who returned to Galilee and went fishing with Peter after the resurrection and before the ascension. He is here to open heaven for us. Salem Media Group. 46Nazareth! His response to Jesus and reveals his character. (3) Philip is closely connected with Nathanael and also with Bartholomew. Dont you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? Phillip, Nathaniel and Thomas were fishermen from Galilee. Obviously Phillip knew that scripture was important to Nathaniel. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. These were either God-fearing Gentiles, or full-fledged Hellenistic Jews on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. Thomas says, We dont know where youre going. Like the Apostle Thomas, Philips only significant mentions come in the Gospel of John (and theyre still not that significant). Thats how it went with Philip and Nathanael. 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.". Does that have to do with Martin Luther King? Church? How does he respond? And when they come, what they will find here is Jesus giving out his gifts. It bears wonderful fruit and gives good shade. In the Gospel of John, Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Philip, from Bethsaida (1:43-44). 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 . One record says he died of natural causes. 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. Nathanael would be an Apostle, too. Cana itself is located only a few miles north of Jesus hometown in Nazareth and just a few miles west of Bethsaida, where Nathanaels good friend Philip was from (John 1:44). He'd rather have a yes or no answer. 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. They each mention him only once -- when they list all 12 apostles. John 12 gives us another insight into Philips character in, 20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. From Philips point of view this was the end of his search. Their branches are low and spread as far as 25 for 30 feet. So its very strange to see Phillip eagerly accept Jesus offer to follow him. He might have been the same person as Nathanael. Saw Nathanael Jesus certainly did. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! My friends, this is surely good news! And so Nathan-el, Nathanael is a gift of God. It was. All four of these disciples of Jesus were from the town of Bethsaida. [8] The earliest reference to this theorywhich is based on Bartholomew being properly a surnameis found in Ishodad of Merv (c.850). we first meet Phillip the day after Jesus called Andrew, John, and Peter. It was a kind of private outdoor space -- perfect for meditation, reflection, and solitude. Well, Phillip has my job. 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. 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. Why do you think the Greeks would seek out Phillip? Nathanael means "gift of God." El, e-l, is the name of God. But theres good reason to believe there are probably two different people named Philip. John seems more interested in telling us who said what, and using Philips answer to set up Jesus miracle. A fig tree near house provides a large, shady, protected place outdoors. Nathanael: It is believed that Bartholomew had ministered in Armenia and was flayed to death with knives in . And they both probably had an earnest desire to see the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Jesus was a common name. 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?. Before Philip invited his brother, already Jesus had an intention of calling the young man. Nazareth is the same way. Nathanael is described as initially being skeptical about whether the Messiah could come from Nazareth, saying: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth? 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. [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. Of Nathanael, Jesus said, behold, an Israelite, indeed, in whom there is no deceit! (John 1:47). 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. 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.