I preached from this scripture twenty years ago, but my theme was entirely different at the time. That message was on Philip’s evangelism of his friend Nathaniel. This morning, I would like to only glance at those two men as we look into the face of our Lord Jesus.
I remember an acquaintance in Calgary – a pastor – who attended a Bible conference in British Columbia. When he returned, I asked him what he thought of the meeting, expecting a glowing report. He expressed disappointment and even a bit of anger that I had urged him to go. He said, “I wanted to hear more about my Saviour, but all I heard were messages on John the Baptist.” I’m sure that was hyperbole to some degree, nevertheless it was the impression he received. Thoughts on John the Baptist, the two Philips in the Bible, and guileless Nathaniel may be good, and we will deal with them once in a while. But what the world needs, and what I need, is more about Jesus. Only He is the Saviour. He is the one who will soon rule and reign over all the kingdoms of the earth.
This morning, let me try to use Philip and Nathaniel to teach you more about Christ Jesus.
The first thing we see is that our Lord Jesus was a BUSY person.
As I said recently, He was often so busy that He had to deliberately get away from the maddening crowd. The first chapter of John shows us that from the moment He began His ministry, Jesus stayed focused on His purpose and was constantly moving toward that end. As you know He was raised in the northern district of Galilee; His home had been in the town of Nazareth. But we see Him walking 20 miles or more to be baptized by John the Baptist at Bethabara, one of the fords on the Jordan River. As He was lifted up from under the water, John saw the Spirit of God descending from Heaven like a dove and landing on Him. Then John heard God the Father say, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” This was the commencement of Christ’s public ministry. I wonder who, beside John and Jesus, heard the Father say, “This is my Son; this is the Son of God?” Did John and Andrew? Did Philip? Probably not Nathaniel, even though he later said, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”
Verse 29 – the very next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” He then went on to tell people around him that he had witnessed the descending of the Spirit onto Christ. Later he added, “I saw, and bare record that this (Jesus of Nazareth) IS the SON of GOD.” Who were those to hear that statement? John and Andrew? Philip?
On the second day after the baptism, John pointed to Jesus and said a second time: “Behold the Lamb of God.” At that point, another man named John, along with his friend Andrew, followed Jesus to where He was staying, and they spent some time with Him. Can you imagine what a glorious, delightful, illuminating day that must have been for those two? About what did they talk? Heaven? the Millennium? the upcoming ministry? Did they talk about the cross? Whatever it was it was revolutionizing. Essentially, from that day forward John and Andrew lived as disciples of Christ. Also at some point that evening, Andrew went out to find his brother Simon Peter, saying to him, “We have found the Messiah.” And Andrew physically brought Peter to the Lord. Notice that Andrew, and apparently John, knew that Jesus was “the Messiah,” or in Greek: “the Christ.” This colors the thinking of everyone in this chapter.
Our text begins with the third day after Jesus’ baptism. On that day He planned to return to Galilee. The Lord was not letting any grass grow under His feet. He knew, unlike ourselves… He knew He had only three years in the world in which to serve His Father. He had more disciples to gather and to train. He had yet to go to Jerusalem in His office as the Messiah and the Saviour, but that was going to have to wait. Jesus had walked twenty miles to be immersed by the Baptist, and now He’s ready to walk twenty miles back. (How far would you walk to be baptized according to the will of God? How far would you drive to hear messages on the glorious Saviour every week?) But baptism wasn’t Jesus’ only purpose; He was also gathering, or at least calling, His first disciples. And coincidentally, all of those early disciples actually lived only a few miles from Jesus’ home in Nazareth. I say “coincidentally,” but there are no coincidents or accidents with God. All this was by divine design. The sovereignty of God is seen in just about every aspect of this chapter.
Christ was not only busy from day one, but He was also COMMANDING.
“The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, (but first) he findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.” I don’t know if there had been any previous history between Jesus and this man. Maybe there was, but there is only a hint of it here. Christ Jesus, with the authority of Heaven itself, said to a man who at best only had a short relationship with Him, “Follow me.” There is authority in those words. Those are the words of a King.
Jesus didn’t say, “Come, let’s go to the synagogue together.” He said “Follow me.” Those words didn’t mean, “Hey, would you like to have a cup of coffee with me some time?” What Christ said was – I want you to follow me as “my disciple,” as “my student,” even as “my servant.” For all intents and purposes, to follow Christ is the essence of Bible Christianity.
And please notice that Christ “findeth” Philip, it was not the other way around. That is the same word as is used two verses earlier: “Andrew findeth his own brother Simon.” Andrew went out specifically to locate his brother. He wasn’t looking for anyone else at the time. And Christ deliberately went out to find Philip. Not just anyone would do. The Lord chose Philip and called him, because that is what the sovereign God does. I believe that in addition to going to Bethabara in order to be baptized, Christ was there to save and to call Philip and several others to Himself. All this was predesigned by God.
When you read that word “follow” coming from the lips of the Lord Jesus, it means something entirely different than if it came from anyone else. Jesus will later say to the rich young ruler, “If thou will be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give it to the poor… and come and follow me,” but the man went away sorrowful, and perhaps he is sorrowful even to this day, because he was unwilling to make a commitment to Christ. When the Lord said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life,” he was not talking about following the man with the flashlight. In order to enjoy the Light of the world, we must give ourselves to Him who is that Light. It is the same thing in Matthew 16 – “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with this angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” These an many other scriptures are talking about a willingness to forsake all, as the twelve disciples will do, to completely and thoroughly follow Christ. And please notice that to Philip following Christ meant doing what he could for the glory of Christ. “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write.” Following Christ is at the heart of Christianity, the heart of discipleship and even at the heart of salvation.
Because, while “following Christ” suggests putting our feet into the prints left by Jesus’ feet, it means more. It involves looking at Jesus as Rabbi, as Master, as our personal ruler and King. And Christ has the authority to demand these things. He is the Son of God, with all the authority of the God-head. He has the authority to command us, like lemmings, to jump into the sea. But He doesn’t do that. That is the sort of thing false Christs like David Koresh and Jim Jones tell their people. The true Son of God gives us the kindest and most blessed words possible, “Follow me into the places where I am going.” “Put your life in my hands, and I will give you the greatest life you could possibly imagine.” And Philip did that without hesitation, because the Holy Spirit put it in his heart to obey. “Following Christ” is what the Christian life is all about. Christianity is not for sissies. It is not a game.
Something else we see here about Jesus is that very often He is MISUNDERSTOOD.
Even the best intended disciples can say things which are half true, and in the process, mislead people. Please, please, please I beg of you, listen to what I have to say to you. May God give you ears to hear. If I didn’t think God’s messages through me were true and important I wouldn’t be preaching them. But at the same time, be a Berean. Acts 17:11 – the Christians of the city of Berea “were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” What if, in the course of a message, I told you that Jesus was from Nazareth, just as Philip told Nathanael? It is a perfectly true statement, but at the same time, it covered up a far more important truth – a truth which Nathaniel immediately recognized.
“Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” If this was spoken by a Judean Pharisee, we would have reason to think it was uttered with a sneer. But in this case, especially in the light of something we’ll consider in a moment, it was meant in absolute sincerity. Who was it that Philip thought he had found, and who was it he wanted his friend to meet? He believed that Jesus was the Messiah. That had been Andrew’s conclusion and his declaration to Peter. In the fourth book of the Old Testament – Deuteronomy 18 – God told Moses that He was going to raise up a very special prophet, putting divine words in His mouth, commanding the people of Israel with God’s own authority. For centuries the Jews interpreted that to be a prophecy of the coming Messiah, the anointed one, Christ. And they were right. And in John 5 Jesus told those Jews, “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye (say ye) trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.” In Luke 24 where Jesus and the two Emmaus disciples were talking, “Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, (Jesus) expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning HIMSELF.”
In addition to Moses, many of the Old Testament prophets spoke and wrote of the coming Christ. And every good Bible student knew that the Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem, not Nazareth. Micah 5:2 – “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” When the Magi came looking for the recently born Messiah, they were directed toward Bethlehem. Everyone knew that little community where David was born was also to be the Messiah’s birthplace. By the providence of God, Joseph brought Mary down from Galilee, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of David.
So what is all this talk about Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph? Matthew 2 explains that under the direction of God’s angel, Mary, Joseph and Jesus went into Egypt to protect them from the wrath of King Herod. But after that man’s death, they “came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, (Jesus) shall be called a Nazarene.” So Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but He was raised in Nazareth. At the time He was best known as a Nazarene. Few knew about His Bethlehem connection.
Just as it was in this case, the Lord Jesus has suffered a great deal of misunderstanding by both friends and foes. But do you know how to handle that confusion? Philip didn’t argue with his friend. There was no debate. He simply said, “Come and see for yourself.” With an open heart and mind, come to the Lord in prayer and turn to the scriptures in humble obedience. If you really want to know if any good thing can come out of Nazareth, the Lord will show you. If you sincerely want to know whether or not Jesus is the Christ or the Lamb of God, “come and see.” Psalm 34:8 – “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Verse 47 shows us how INSIGHTFUL the Lord Jesus is. He is PERCEPTIVE.
“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.” This statement involved two things. First, Nathanael was a true son of Jacob – an Israelite indeed. As Romans 2:29 says, he was one of those who was Israelite at heart, not just in the rite of circumcision. Nathanael was someone who wanted the very best for his country and its citizens. He wanted to see the promises which were made to Abraham, Isaac, David and Jacob, fulfilled. He longed for the coming Messiah and the Lord’s Millennial kingdom. Furthermore, as Jesus said, he was a person in whom there was no guile. He was an open book. There was no hidden duplicity in the man. He was not one of those who attended the synagogue every Saturday, but all the other days of the week were spent fulfilling the lusts of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and satisfying the pride of life. This isn’t a statement to the effect that Nathanael was sinless. No man is. Rather, he was “transparent,” as they say today.
Again, I wonder to whom it was that the Lord was speaking when He said this of Nathanael. Was it John, Andrew and Peter? Or was it a comment to the general crowd which might have been there? I suppose it doesn’t matter, except for the fact that it wasn’t spoken directly to Nathanael. But here is the point: one of these days, this same Jesus will express His opinion of you and me as our Judge. Someday he will say to the Father, or say to His angels of judgment, “Here is David Oldfield, a man in whom there is some guile.” The Lord Jesus knows everything about Nathanael – and about me – and about you as well. And everything we are, everything He knows about us, will be revealed in one fashion or other.
But it needs to be emphasized that the Lord Jesus is not just insightful and wise; He is OMNISCIENT.
Even though he wasn’t speaking to Nathanael, apparently that man heard what someone else was repeating. And whoever it was may have been saying something like: “What makes this guy so special?” “Why did Jesus say that about this Galilean?” “Can any good come out of Galilee?” “Hey, I’m as good a Israelite as any man in this county.” When he heard it, Nathanael to said to Jesus, “Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou was under the fig tree, I saw thee.” Now Jesus hadn’t seen him with His natural eye. When Philip found his friend they were alone. Jesus was probably miles away. But Christ, the Son of God, had seen him as He sees everything. Christ is God.
Immediately blue, yellow and green flags went up before Nathanael’s eyes. But there were no red flags. First, Christ knew Philip, mentioning him by name. And He knew that Philip had gone find Nathanael to invite him to Christ. But, again, how did the Lord know these things? Jesus knew about the fig tree and the meeting of the two friends. And because of the circumstances, Nathanael also recognized that Jesus knew what he had been doing. The man hadn’t been watching porn on his computer; he hadn’t been reading latest John Grisham novel.
Nathanael ‘s response to Jesus’ words, leads me to believe that he had been praying, meditating and yearning for the Messiah and the coming Millennial Kingdom. He had been spending time with God. Perhaps wrestling with the Lord as Jacob had done. And as happens so often in those circumstances, his heart was spiritually soft and ready to receive whatever the Holy Spirit had to offer. With Jesus’ words, he instantly knew that his prayers were being answered, and he was in the presence of King of kings.
Jesus Christ isn’t a mere man, a godly man, a prophet or priest; He is DIVINE; He is GOD the SON.
“Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the king of Israel.” “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Come and see. Nathanael. He did come, and he did see.
“Rabbi” is simply a Jewish word expressing respect for a man of God. But the title “Son of God,” takes this rabbi back into the Heaven of Heavens from whence He came. The angel Gabriel said to Mary, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” When Jesus stilled the storm on the sea, the disciples cried out, “Thou art the Son of GOD,” because only God can do such things. And when some demons were ordered out of a possessed man, they cried out “What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of GOD? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” The Centurian at Jesus’ death said, “Truly this was the Son of God.” Sir, He still is. The Ethiopian visitor was given eternal life as he confessed, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” When John was beginning the conclusion to his gospel he wrote: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” The Lord said in Psalm 2 – “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree; the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.”
I believe that Nathanael was born again – saved – that day when he met the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. It wasn’t because he muttered the magic words, “thou art the Son of God.” It was because God was gracious to him, revealing to him His Saviour, the King. And instantly he believed what he had been told.
Christ Jesus can be your Saviour as well. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
One more thing about Christ Jesus – He IS GLORIOUS and shall continue to be GLORIFIED for EVER.
Jesus said to Nathanael, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” Many of you know that the words “verily, verily” literally mean, “truly, truly.” But did you know that the Greek word is “amen, amen?”
When it comes to the meaning of this verse, I’m going to confess to you my ignorance. I’ve read the comments of many smart men, but none of them satisfied my questions and my heart. And the scripture references commentators relate to this statement haven’t helped me either. When was this fulfilled? Or is it something yet to take place? I am happy that you can explain it, but please don’t tell me that it was at Pentecost. Really? Was it at the Lord’s transfiguration as some people say? I’m not convinced. Was it as Jesus’ ascension? I am glad that I don’t have to have all the answers and have to explain every verse in the Bible.
But there is an interesting clue hiding in the words of our King James Bibles. There is a difference between “you” and “ye” in Jesus’ statement – a difference which is missing in most modern versions. Literally, Jesus was speaking specifically to Nathanael when He said “you,” but the fulfilment of the statement would be seen by more than just him, and we see that in the word “ye.” In the Bible “you” is singular, and “ye” is plural. So others would see the angels of God ascending and descending upon Christ. But still, I’m not sure of when and where.
But I do know the general implication of Jesus’ words. “The Son of man,” as Jesus often called Himself, will be exalted as the Son of God, by the angels of God. “The Son of man” speaks of Jesus few years of humility, humanity and humiliation. But eventually the Son of man will be glorified, enjoying and employing all the authority He had before the creation of the world. He shall be exalted and magnified with the glory He enjoyed with the Father throughout eternity. He will be worshipped by men and by angels. He will judge the wicked and the righteous and even angels. He will rule and reign over the world of men and of angels.
And furthermore, the glory of Christ will be enjoyed by people like Nathanael – sinners saved by God’s grace. Nathanael, you will see Christ in all His glory – not from afar, and not from the prisoner’s box. A believers in Christ, and as worshippers of the Lord, people like Philip and Nathanael will enjoy the presence and fellowship of the Lord for eternity. The fulfilment of God’s salvation is guaranteed. “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
But, for this to be true of you, you must be born again. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” – or the King and God of that kingdom. Do you have spiritual life? Are you a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus? Why not? What is your excuse?