John 1:43-51 Philip and Nathanael
“The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 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.”
And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
All Nathanael’s life, he had been longing to see God’s Messiah. When Nathanael was a little boy, he dreamed of Messiah riding into Jerusalem on a white horse at the head of a conquering army of angels. But each day, Nathanael saw nothing but Roman soldiers swaggering through the streets, and when he entered the temple, he saw only the same pompous religious leaders with their supercilious attitudes. Nathanael loved God, but he wasn’t so sure that those claiming to represent God actually knew anything about Him.
When Nathanael’s friend Philip came dashing up to him, Nathanael was sitting under his fig tree, enjoying the cool breeze and the soft sounds the wind made as the leaves rustled. Philip was so excited that he was breathless and gasped, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
“Sure, Philip,” Nathanael replied, “how many false Messiahs have we heard about in the last few months?”
“No, Nathanael,” Philip answered, “you’ve got to meet this guy! Jesus of Nazareth is the real deal!”
“Nazareth?” Nathanael squinted at Philip. “Nazareth? Philip, you are kidding! Can anything good come out of Nazareth, that dingy insignificant little Galilean village? Nazareth? O.K., Philip, if you say so, I’ll come with you. But frankly, I think you’ve lost your mind.”
Philip led Nathanael to Jesus. Just one look at Nathanael and Jesus knew he was meeting a skeptic. Was Jesus worried? Of course not. As Nathanael was approaching, the Holy Spirit was speaking to Jesus’ heart, telling him all about Nathanael, how much Nathanael loved God, and how Nathanael had spent his whole life longing to see true holiness and to see Messiah. Jesus knew Nathanael was a good man who simply had become discouraged and frustrated.
“Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” As Nathanael approached, Jesus immediately took control of the situation by announcing the insights the Holy Spirit had given him regarding Nathanael’s character.
Nathanael’s response was short and to the point. “Say what? Man, how do you know me? I’ve never met you before!”
“Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Nathanael was completely convinced. Here was the Messiah for whom his heart had longed. How wonderful and glorious! What’s interesting is that when Jesus called his twelve disciples, he called Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Judas Iscariot, Matthew, Thomas, James, the son of Alpheus, Bartholomew, Judas Thaddeus, and Simon Zelotes. Nathanael was not among the twelve disciples. What happened to Nathanael? Did Nathanael have family obligations that kept him from becoming one of the twelve. Was Nathanael one of those who joined Jesus intermittently, helping when he could and then returning home to care for his family?
Although we never hear of Nathanael again, we do hear about Philip. Acts 8:26-40 tells of how the Holy Spirit ordered Philip to go to the desert road between Jerusalem and Gaza, where he witnessed to an important official from the Ethiopian court, leading him to faith in Jesus and baptizing him. As soon as the baptism was completed, the Holy Spirit picked up Philip, sending him to Azotus. Philip disappeared from the sight of the Ethiopian official, but the official went on his way rejoicing in his new faith.
Nathanael nearly missed meeting the Messiah, the object of his heart’s desire, because of his prejudices. We too can fall into the same mistake, longing and praying for something, only to nearly miss out when God answers our prayers in an unexpected fashion, perhaps from an unlikely source. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, many of the religious leaders refused to accept him as Messiah because they failed to investigate his origins to realize that he fulfilled all the prophecies. We want God to perform for us, to do signs and wonders so that we will have glorious testimonies for the rest of our lives. Meanwhile, God enters our lives softly, simply, and humbly. Look in your heart. Have you been praying for something for a long time, but you feel that God has not answered in any fashion? Is there anything small God has been asking you to do that you have ignored because you didn’t want to be bothered?
2 Kings 5 tells the story of Naaman, an important Syrian army commander with leprosy who nearly missed his healing because the prophet Elisha told him to dip in the Jordan River seven times. Unimpressed by the Jordan, Naaman was ready to go home when his servants advised him to try following Elisha’s instructions. Grumbling as he did so, Naaman dipped himself seven times in the Jordan and was healed. Today, search your heart. Are you behaving like Nathanael and Naaman? God is in small things as well as big ones. Obey whatever God has told you to do and see what happens. You might be stunned with the results.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to remember that You are in small details as well as big ones. Help us to obey, even when Your instructions don’t line up with our prejudices. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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