Now what does Philip do next? How can you say, Show us the Father? 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. Nazareth on the other hand was a rough town. Its the story of Philip and Nathanael, how they came to be disciples and follow our Lord. Remember that? The Holy Gospel for today, from John 1, takes place very early in Jesus ministry, when he was first gathering his disciples. The cross of Christ is our Jacobs ladder. Nathanael (a.k.a. Bartholomew) ~ son of Tolmai - Four Corner Ministries In Church History Eusebius quotes Papias of Hierapolisa contemporary of the apostlesas saying that Philip was living in Hierapolis with his daughters. In each of the listings of the disciples, the names of Philip and Bartholomew are linked, which could mean they were good friends or even related. I cant think of anything better. [8] The earliest reference to this theorywhich is based on Bartholomew being properly a surnameis found in Ishodad of Merv (c.850). 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. "Come and see," said Philip. Its really saying the same thing. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. In fact, its possible that Philip the Apostle was confused with Philip the Evangelist as early as the first or second century. Like Andrew, Philip was ready in his heart to receive Jesus as his Master. I dont believe in organized religion. See, these are the modern version of Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Can anything good come out of St. Matthew Lutheran Church? People will raise objections, and quite often its because they want to keep Gods word at arms length. Of course, this was not a racial or ethnic prejudice, as many Jews would have had for the Gentiles or, as we see from the disciples later in the gospels, the Samaritans. 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. He was skeptical, analytical, pessimistic, and unsure. He knew that he had longed to know God, sitting alone under the fig tree to study His Word. Most accounts say that he was put to death by stoning in Asia Minor eight years after the martyrdom of James. 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. Matthews? Little is written about him the Gospels and book of Acts. Of Nathanael, Jesus said, behold, an Israelite, indeed, in whom there is no deceit! (John 1:47). Does that have to do with Martin Luther King? Church? 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! He wasn't what you would call foreword-thinking. Like Andrew, Philips first reaction after meeting Jesus was to go tell someone about him. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 48 How do you know me? Nathaniel asked. 2 In my Fathers house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. Learn how your comment data is processed. Come and see! (John 1:46). How Did the Apostles Die? - Catholicism.org 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. Who Was Bartholomew the Apostle? The Beginner's Guide This site uses cookies to analyze traffic and ensure you get the best experience. 10 Dont you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? Who was Bartholomew in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org 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. Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? Grow in your knowledge and faith. Jesus calls us to keep on following him, in a lifelong journey of faith. In fact, Nathanaels local knowledge and civic pride would come to light when called upon to follow Jesus. Now remember I told that Philip was pessimistic and didn't see the big picture? God knows just what it takes to reach each of us. Can anything good come out of St. Matthews? Oh, yes! It's no doubt that this is where Nathaniel went to study the scriptures and pray. [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]. Never heard of it. Or Luthern? Nathaniel knew the Old Testament. The Lord Jesus Christ is here in his church, where his gospel is preached, his word is taught, and his life-giving sacraments are administered. Jesus proved that in His interactions with these men. To challenge his friends blind bigotry, Philip responded with a simple invitation. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today! bible - What is the significance of Jesus seeing Nathanael under the Imagine that, this is the first time Nathaniel meets Jesus and Jesus calls him a true Israelite without deceit. 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. Let's go! When Jesus spoke out against the religious establishment in Jerusalem, the religious leaders just chalked that up to his coming from lowly Nazareth. Blind and dead in our sins, enemies of Godthat is our natural state. we first meet Phillip the day after Jesus called Andrew, John, and Peter. While hanging there, Philip preached, and the crowd was moved to release them. You are headed toward heaven and eternal life with your Lord and with all his saints. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. Philip said, Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us. Jesus answered: Dont you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? He was so engrossed in his commonsense calculation, that he couldn't see an opportunity for the supernatural. Philip and Nathanael, on the other hand, are listed jointly in John's tale. His first response after meeting Jesus was to find his friend Nathaniel and tell him about a messiah. Because his heart was sincere his faith was real. (The other two Philips are both sons of King Herod the Great.). Nathaniel got right away. In John 6, we read the story and of the feeding of the 5000. Jesus questioned Philip about how they would feed the large multitude at the Sea of Galilee. Notice Philips reply to the problem that Nathanael has with Nazareth. How can you say no? The ugly. He loved God with a pure heart and desired to see the messiah. (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. But the important fact is that Philip followed Jesus and he went immediately to invite his brother Nathanael to follow Him. 4. The First Disciples (John 1:35-51) | Bible.org Those are all good. No one comes to the Father except through me. . Nathanael, also referred to as Bartholomew in the gospels, was one of Jesus original twelve disciples. 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. Nathanael means "gift of God." El, e-l, is the name of God. 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. A fig tree near house provides a large, shady, protected place outdoors. Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathaniel and Jacob - John 1:35-51 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. Nathanael: Well, Philip went on to tell me that the "Messiah" he had found was from a little town called Nazareth. 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. Another tradition says that he was crucified. We've already looked at this passage in detail when we studied Andrew. 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. Sir, they said, we would like to see Jesus.. In John's Gospel, Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Philip, from Bethsaida. And he introduced the Jews to Jesus. Aside from the lists of apostles in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts, Philip appears in four narratives in the Gospel of John. 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. 45 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." 46 "Nazareth! Or stoned to death. They had the same background, the same experiences in following our Lord. That's why Jesus asked Phillip where they could buy bread. Beyond that, Nazareth may have carried some negative baggage for Nathanael. The Synoptic Gospels list Philip as one of the apostles. Who was Philip in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org Here are the facts, you can only drawl one conclusion. Prejudice cuts a lot of people off from the truth. If we look at that phrase in the Greek, its translated as truly, genuine Israelite. Nathanael recognizes Jesus as "the Son of God" and "the King of Israel". How he really died, we dont know. The earliest reference in the West is in Rupert of Deutz (d. 1129). In the Gospel of John, Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Philip, from Bethsaida (1:43-44). We have found him! These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. "The Chaldeans confuse Bartholomew with Nathaniel," according to Giuseppe Simone Assemani. Think about it, If minimum wage is $5.50/hr x 40 hours x 33 weeks = $7260. We know this because after the resurrection these apostles returned to Galilee with Peter and resumed their fishing trade (John 21 ). This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Stories of Jesus: The Disciples: Philip and Nathanael Philip replied that it would take two hundred denari to buy bread enough to feed them (John 6:7). Philip and Nathanael: Friends to All | BibleTalk.tv 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. . 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 ). 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. The trees grow about the height of about 15 feet they have short, gnarled trunks. Find out what you will discover on this adventure of faith. They are apparently close friends. Nathaniel was a genuine spiritual child of the Abraham. Some people are so afraid of others religions that they closed themselves off from branches of the body of Christ. He said we have found him. Indeed, in the Sacrament of the Altar, heaven and earth come together. But it does seem clear that the mention of Nazareth was an initial obstacle in Nathanaels mind. If we stretched the metaphor, we might consider it to be the wrong side of the tracks. 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.. He hadnt put on a show or pretended to be something he was not to impress anyone, let alone Jesus. Its culture was largely unrefined and uneducated. Like we sang earlier: Love that found mewondrous thought! He saw numerous demonstrations of Jesus divinity. And by his resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven, he guarantees our own resurrection and eternal life in heaven. Jesus brings Philip to Himself personally and then Philip witnesses to Nathaniel and brings him to the Lord. If you are traveling from the Mediterranean to Galilee you would pass through Nazareth. He said, 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.. Philip the practical did not yet know the power of Jesus the miracle worker to multiply the five barley loaves and two fish Andrew found that the little boy was willing to share. 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?. He told them to free Bartholomew, but not to take him down. 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. Four of those mentions are just lists of the apostles. He didn't know what to do. Dont you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? A second difficulty is the way in which Philip's name is introduced. Furthermore, both Philip and Nathanael had studied the Word of God on their own. Jesus calls us, even as he called Philip. Either that or because he was the administrator of the group. As Jesus predicted in John 1:51, they were present at the ascension of Jesus and saw heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. They were able to observe first-hand that Jesus is the bridge between earth and heaven. There's no reliable record about how he died. Nathanael declares, Rabbi, you are the Son of God! Church tradition holds that Philip preached the gospel in Scythia (a region in central Eurasia), Syria, and Phrygia (Turkey). He should have said, "Lord, if you want to feed them, feed them." Maybe he didnt think very highly of that town, we dont know. Many believers came to Christ under his preaching. Lets see what happens when his friend questions his set of facts. . After Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John, he finds Philip: The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee.