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. Lets look at his response to Phillip. ., Caius the Presbyter (a Christian writer in the third century) wrote: And after this there were four prophetesses, daughters of Philip, at Hierapolis in Asia. Phillip, on the other hand still hadn't gotten at two years later. He had witnessed creative and recreative miracles. A fig tree near house provides a large, shady, protected place outdoors. Notice that: Jesus finds Philip, and then Philip finds Nathanael. Phillip told Nathaniel about the messiah from the standpoint of the Old Testament prophecy. Their tomb is there, and that, too, of their father.. Prejudice cuts a lot of people off from the truth. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Philip, Nathanael, & Matthew: Exploring The Chosen Season 2 Episode 2 We're not talking about physical dissent from Abraham or genetics, and but rather having a pure heart, without hypocrisy. Thats wonderful! 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.. It was a kind of private outdoor space -- perfect for meditation, reflection, and solitude. 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. [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. Some people are so afraid of others religions that they closed themselves off from branches of the body of Christ. 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? 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. Imagine that, this is the first time Nathaniel meets Jesus and Jesus calls him a true Israelite without deceit. James (son of Zebedee and John's brother) was called as he was mending nets inside a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Nathanael was from Cana in Galilee ( John 21:2) and was brought to Jesus by his friend, Philip, who also became one of Jesus' disciples. So, yes, you do have something to tell others about, something absolutely exciting and joyful! Jesus questioned Philip about how they would feed the large multitude at the Sea of Galilee. Let's go! You are the King of Israel!. You may meet resistance when you tell others that you have found Jesus and his gifts present here at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. We already looked at the passage were Philips says show us the father. Because he had a Greek name. They probably came to hear John the Baptist together. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael. Little is written about him the Gospels and book of Acts. In Church History Eusebius quotes Papias of Hierapolisa contemporary of the apostlesas saying that Philip was living in Hierapolis with his daughters. The Synoptic Gospels list Philip as one of the apostles. The Master's Men Part 2: Philip and Bartholomew - Grace to You These men wanted an audience with Jesus. Jesus proved that in His interactions with these men. 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. [Jn 1:43] Philip is described as a disciple from the city of Bethsaida, and the evangelist connects him with Andrew and Peter, who were from the same town. And that was enough to convince Nathaniel that he was messiah. It is Elohim, a portion of Elohim. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." . But we can assume that their commitment to Jesus was complete and that their lives counted in the spread of the gospel and the establishment of the church.Prayer. Rabbit trail: 1 denari is equal to one day's wages. 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. 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. His first response after meeting Jesus was to find his friend Nathaniel and tell him about a messiah. New International Version (NIV). It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. We can conclude that he interpreted it literally because it was so easy for him to believe that Jesus was the messiah. Dont you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? John 14:610. Can anything good come from there? Nathaniel asked. They were companions and had probably known each other for years. Wide open stand the gates!. When Jesus spoke out against the religious establishment in Jerusalem, the religious leaders just chalked that up to his coming from lowly Nazareth. He is here to open heaven for us. 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. And thats Jesus. This comment has been removed by the author. Christ came down from heaven, for us men and for our salvation. 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. 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). What you saw was what you got. Teaching the Twelve Apostles: Bartholomew - Concordia Publishing House Who was Nathanael in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org Trees were planted around houses to keep them cool and shaded. Jesus has found you and called you to follow him. Now days He would have been accused of spying on the brothers instead. It bothered them that the messiah and all his apostles came from Galilee. He seeks us out, even when we were not looking for him. He belonged to the town to which Jesus was going (Cana of, Galilee, John 21:2 ). So its very strange to see Phillip eagerly accept Jesus offer to follow him. We dont know. 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. As we saw earlier we know that it was Phillip who introduced Nathaniel to Jesus. 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. To this Jesus replied, before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you(John 1:49). They even tried to take them to a cliff and throw him off. 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. He knew their hearts. This was one Jesus could transform and equip for His glory. 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). 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. His answer shows us the contempt Nathaniel felt for the people of Nazareth. No one comes to the Father except through me. But Phillip is the first disciple whom Jesus physically sought out, as well as the first one to whom Jesus actually said, "follow me". In fact, it is your life! 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. 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. We see that Philip and Nathanael were faithful servants of Jesus who had questions and concerns, doubts and fears. In fact much of Israel rejected their messiah because of their prejudice. It was. 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. And they both probably had an earnest desire to see the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. 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. He was a man who worshipped God in spirit and in truth without deceit or hypocrisy. Nathanael is described as initially being skeptical about whether the Messiah could come from Nazareth, saying: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth? You shall see greater things than that. 51 He then added, I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.. They walked with Jesus while he was upon earth. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 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. . Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. John says this was to test him because Jesus already knew what he would do. Notice Philips reply to the problem that Nathanael has with Nazareth. Jesus went to find tentative Philip and Nathanael needed a little miracle to convince him that at least one good thing could come out of Nazareth. If anything will put some excitement and joy into your life, this will. Philip and Bartholomew are frequently mentioned together in the Synoptic Gospels, although Nathanael is never mentioned. Philip and Nathanael, on the other hand, are listed jointly in John's tale. 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. Jesus cross is our Jacobs ladder. Yes, the Lord just may use our mouth to do the inviting! 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. After all Jesus didn't fit his picture of the messiah. The most remarkable thing about his calling was that he had simply said yes. Nathanael was one of the first to express belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God ( John 1:49 ). Stories of Jesus: The Disciples: Philip and Nathanael Heaven and earth meet here in Gods house, because Christ is present here. 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. He said we have found him. Nathanael is the Hebrew of the Greek word Theodorus, God's gift. Learn how your comment data is processed. The one who gives me eternal life as a free gift. Who Was Bartholomew the Apostle? The Beginner's Guide 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! 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. 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. In John 6, we read the story and of the feeding of the 5000. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. In both stories, the character of Philip (who in The Chosen is a disciple of John the Baptist) plays an important role as a kind of mentor/counselor, inviting Nathanael and Matthew to come and see the paradoxical Outside-In logic of the Kingdom of God and the meaningful role they can play in following the call of Jesus. Thats how it went with Philip and Nathanael. It was Jesus who found Philip! . John 1:45 Commentaries: Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We Come and see. Maybe he didnt think very highly of that town, we dont know. Follow me. Hear the authority in his voice. 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. Philip preached the Faith in Greece and he was martyred at Hierapolis in Persia in the year 62. Chapter 16: The Chosen Twelve - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Lets see what happens when his friend questions his set of facts. What did Andrew do? Now Phillip had seen Jesus created wine out of water in Cana. And what did Philip do? That's why Jesus asked Phillip where they could buy bread. Yeshua in its Aramaic form. 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. What Do We Know about Nathanael - the Disciple without Deceit? Peter and James came to the Lord because of the personal soul-winning of their brothers. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. Yes, Jesus is here, present in our midst. Bartholomew is a Hebrew surname meaning "son of Tolmai.". 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. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 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!. In Luke and Matthew, an unnamed disciple asks Jesus if he can bury his father before following him. 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. Imagine the amazement of the disciples as they participated in this miracle and saw the crowd fed, with a dozen baskets left over from the overflow.Philip was good about bringing people to Jesus. 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. These were either God-fearing Gentiles, or full-fledged Hellenistic Jews on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. While it's easy to gloss over this quick interaction, a few key insights into Nathanael's character can be gleaned from this verse. Andrew responded to the situation and brought Jesus a boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. The name Bartholomew is a family designation, meaning "son of Tolmai.". 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. But it does seem clear that the mention of Nazareth was an initial obstacle in Nathanaels mind. For one thing, its evident that both men had been students of the Old Testament prior to meeting Jesus. Change). Phillip was pessimistic, narrowly focused, and obsessed with identifying the reason that things can't be done. They each mention him only once -- when they list all 12 apostles. However Nathaniel was not impressed at first glance with Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nathanael was willing to leave both job and long-held religious beliefs and follow Jesus. Once again, through their example we can see that we too can use our gifts to become all that Jesus wants us to become. Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. Weve met him! The Messiah has come! Those are the great things that Nathanael will see in Jesus ministry. Second Sunday after the Epiphany Its hard to say how Philip died, especially since he was confused with Philip the Evangelist early on, and there are conflicting accounts. The Call of the Four Disciples in John 1 - JSTOR How about you? 47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, Here truly is an Israelite(J) in whom there is no deceit.(K). We create research-based articles and handy infographics to help people understand the Bible. 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). Like Andrew, Philip was ready in his heart to receive Jesus as his Master. The first thing he does is to find Nathanael and tell him what happened. 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. Matthew received his calling as Jesus was leaving Capernaum. Nathanael (follower of Jesus) - Wikipedia Well, thats all right. 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). (Funny sound is heard to indicate traveling in time. He should have said, "Lord, if you want to feed them, feed them." 45 Philip found Nathaniel 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.. 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. . The bad. Prejudice is feeling base. The ugly. [2][6], Although Nathanael is sometimes identified with Bartholomew the Apostle mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts 1:13. Whats that? Wait There Were How Many Herods?! Apparently Philip was also in the wilderness with John the Baptist. They didn't believe that messiah could come out of Nazareth. That's group two. 46 Nazareth! My friends, this is surely good news! That would have been left to the more academically gifted students at the time. He didn't know what to do. 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. Common Men, Uncommon Calling: Nathanael - Grace to You
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