"The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found PHILIP and said to Him, "COME FOLLOW ME"...... Philip went to look for Nathanael and told Him: "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! HIS NAME IS JESUS, the Son of Joseph from Nazareth."
"Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael, "Can anything good come from Nazaret?"
"Come and see for yourself", Philip replied.
As they approached, Jesus said, "And here is the genuine son of Israel - a man of compleye integrity."
"How do you know about me?" Nathanael asked.
"Jesus reploed, "I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you."
Then Nathanaell exlaimed, "Rabbi, you are the SON OF GOD - THE KING OF ISRAEL!" John 1:43-49 (NLT)
5. PHILIP
Philip was a "down to earth person" from Bethsaida. He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask Jesus but first, in obedience he simply wanted to accept Jesus' invitation to follow and to live His example.
1) The first thing he wanted to do was to find his friend Nathaniel, and to bring him to Jesus.
2) He was a servant, very involved with giving to others - especially in the story of "FEEDING THE 5000/4000".
"Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for Him. Turning to Philip, He asked: "Where can we but bread to feed these people?" He was testing Philip, for He already knew what he was going to do.
Philip replied: "Even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them." John 6:5-7 (NLT)
"Philip had lots of testing and times of failure, but like Philip, we need to process these tests with spiritual truths. Trust in God, and earnestly follow Jesus. Philip was corrected, but he chose to commit to Jesus' will, rather than to walk away." Gordon Kimble
After Jesus had ascended into Heaven, Philip became an Apostle and started to preach the Gospel in Galilee, and he took on the gift of healing and miracles. He restored to life a baby in the arms of his mother. He then moved on as a Church leader in Greece.
Philip was anothe disciple who was crucified on upside on a cross.
6) NATHANAEL (BARTHOLOMEW)
Nathanael came from Cana and his second name was Bartholomew. He had some doubts, but when Jesus came to meet with him, he was "convinced" of the TRUTH. Philip and Nathanael were both men of "sound character".
Little is known of Nathanael's background, except before he left to follow Jesus he was a carpenter, like Jesus. We do know that he was an HONEST, AND FAITHFUL servant of Jesus Christ, a student of the Old Testament. He was a leader in the Early Church, commissioned like the other disciples to preach and teach the Word of God.
"But you will receive powe when the HOLY SPIRIT comes upon you. And you will be MY WITNESSES telling people about Me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout m Judea, in Samaria, and the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NIV)
Why did Nathanael have two names? Bartholomew may have have been his Hebrew surname. John is the only Gospel writer who referred to him as Nathanael. He was a "genuine and authentic believer", with an eager heart, filled with the Holy Spirit and willing to leave everying to simply say "YES" and "FOLLOW JESUS".
We too are challenged to accept the calling of Jesus, like Philip and Nathanael? If Jesus asked you today to follow Him, what would you say? YES! Would you make excuses, or would you immediately, follow Him? Perhaps, you are waiting and learning, studying His Word, so you can make the right decision. Be encouraged!!
"Jesus make encounters with people, making Himself available to us......Philip wanted to tell his friend Nathanael, that he FOUND JESUS, but Jesus wanted to FIND PHILIP AND NATHANAEL. Nathanel wondered why Jesus even took the time to find out who he was. Jesus said he saw him under the fig tree reading THE SCRIPTURES. Jesus told him he would see GREATER THINGS, and we will too as we KEEP BEHOLDING JESUS' GLORY." Peyton Jones
"THE HOLY BIBLE - NEW INNTERNATIONAL VERSION", 2011, Biiblica
"THE HOLY BIBLE - NEW LIVING TRANSLATION", 2015, Tyndale House Publishers
"THE CHOSEN" -Season 2, Season 3: "Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael", "An Interview with Philip", "Crying Out to God", 2021, 2022, Jonothon Roumie (Jesus), Rezo Diako (Philip), Austin Reed Alleman (Nathaniel) , Prime Video.
"When Jesus Calls My Name", 20235, Powerful Christian Country Music, NearHisHeartWorship
JONES, Peyton, "Meeting Jesus" - John's Gospel: Chapter 1:Part 2", 2025, Through the Word.
No comments:
Post a Comment