Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

John 1:43-51

Good News Translation (GNT)

*************************

43  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.
   He found Philip and said to him, "Come with
   me!
44  Philip was from Bethsaida, the town where
   Andrew and Peter lived.
45  Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We
   have found the one whom Moses wrote about
   in the book of the Law and whom the prophets
   also wrote about. He is Jesus son of Joseph,
   from Nazareth."
46  "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"
   Nathanael asked. "Come and see," answered
   Philip.
47  When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him,
   he said about him, "Here is a real Israelite;
   there is nothing false in him!"
48  Nathanael asked him, "How do you know
   me?" Jesus answered, I saw you when you
   were under the fig tree before Philip called
   you."
49  "Teacher," answered Nathanael, "you are the
   Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
50  Jesus said, "Do you believe just because I told
   you I saw you when you were under the fig
   tree? You will see much greater things than
   this!"
51  And he said to them, "I am telling you the
   truth: you will see heaven open and God's
   angels going up and coming down on the
   Son of Man."

*************************

Commentary taken from
'The Applied New Testament Commentary'
(Kingsway)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

Jesus' home was in Nazareth, in the province of Galilee in northern Israel.

He had come down from Galilee to the southern part of Israel to be baptised. Now He decided to return to Galilee.

He then found Philip, an ordinary man.

Where Philip is mentioned by John, he does not appear to have been a very effective disciple, but he followed Jesus when he was called; and later, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Philip became a great apostle.

Philip, Peter, and Andrew were all from the town of Bethsaida in Galilee.

Peter and Andrew also had a home in Capernaum. Jesus did many great works in both Bethsaida and Capernaum, but in the end very few of the residents of those towns believed in Him.

Philip found Nathanael, believed to be Bartholomew, who also was one of Jesus' twelve disciples.
They say that Bartholomew's second name was "Nathanael."

Philip told Nathanael that Jesus was the one Moses wrote about.

He was the Messiah about whom the Old Testament prophets prophesied.

Philip then called Jesus the son of Joseph, who was Jesus' legal father.

Nathanael couldn't believe that the Messiah would come from such an insignificant town as Nazareth.

Nazareth was not famous for anything; it was an ordinary little town in Galilee. The people of Nazareth, in fact, are most remembered today for trying to throw Jesus off a cliff!

Even though Jesus had never met Nathanael, Jesus already knew everything about him.

He knew that Nathanael was not a hypocrite like most of the Jewish leaders, but was a devout and sincere Israelite.

Nathanael was amazed that Jesus knew about him. He was even more amazed that Jesus knew he had been sitting under a fig tree before Philip had called him.

Then Nathanael believed and confessed that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.
He also called Him the King of Israel, because he thought that the Messiah would be an earthly king.

In fact, Jesus is much greater than any earthly king; He is the King of kings. He is the true spiritual king of Israel.

Jesus told Nathanael that he would see much greater things. He would see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

That is, there would now be continuous communication between heaven and earth.

Jesus had come down from heaven to show men the way to the Father.

Heaven was now opened. And Jesus Himself was the road between earth and heaven.

Notice that Jesus called Himself the Son of Man. Jesus was both Son of God and Son of Man.

He was completely God and completely man to whom was given authority, glory and sovereign power....

Jesus called Himself simply the Son of Man. It was because He came to earth and was born of a woman, that He was able to open the door of heaven and show men the way to eternal life.

This, then, is the "good news," the Gospel of Christ:

God came to earth in the form of the man Jesus, and took upon Himself the punishment for our sins by offering Himself as a sacrifice in our place.

And to all who believe in Him, He promises to give eternal life.

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