Another suggests Nathanael died by crucifixion. Another tradition says that he was crucified. Remember that? That being said, we know Nathanael went on to play an important role in the formation of the early church, taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, as Jesus had commissioned His disciples to do before His ascension (Matthew 28:19-20). Cana is off the beaten track, sort of like the little town pastor lives in. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Jesus proved that in His interactions with these men. Jacob had a dream about a ladder running between heaven and earth. Philip and Nathanael: Friends to All | BibleTalk.tv Philip then probably went with Jesus and found Nathanael at or near Cana ( John 1:48 ). Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? In all likelihood they probably studied scripture together. Furthermore, both Philip and Nathanael had studied the Word of God on their own. The principal obstacle to the identification of Philip as the Baptist's disciple is the failure of the Gospel to supply that identification. How Did the Apostles Die? - Catholicism.org Philip, then, came to Nathanael and said to him: "We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth" (John 1:45). And at the same time, our Lord calls us to follow him in faith. "Philip and Nathanael: A Story of Witnessing" (John 1:43-51) Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. Cana itself is located only a few miles north of Jesus hometown in Nazareth and just a few miles west of Bethsaida, where Nathanaels good friend Philip was from (John 1:44). 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! It wouldnt taken long for him to get past his prejudice and acknowledge Jesus for who He really was. There he is called, "Nathanael of Cana in Galilee.". Before Philip invited his brother, already Jesus had an intention of calling the young man. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. After Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John, he finds Philip: The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. 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. You may meet resistance when you tell others that you have found Jesus and his gifts present here at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. Excitedly, he tells Nathanael, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote." In other words, Philip is telling his fellow Jew, Nathanael, "We have found the Messiah." The Messiah has come! Church tradition holds that Philip preached the gospel in Scythia (a region in central Eurasia), Syria, and Phrygia (Turkey). Cana wasn't a prestigious town. Bartholomew would have been Nathanaels Hebrew surname, meaning son of Tolmai. Nathanael, his first name, means God has given. Nathanael, therefore, would have been known formally as Nathanael, son of Tolmai, or Nathanael Bar-Tolmai. Phillip had a lack of vision. You shall see greater things than that. 51 He then added, I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.. Notice, by the way, Philip says, We have found him, even though in reality its the other way around. The day after that, Jesus went . 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. After Philip finds Nathanael and tells him they have found the Messiah, the One who was promised in the Law of Moses and the Prophets, Nathanael makes his way to see this Jesus. How does he respond? Nathanael, also referred to as Bartholomew in the gospels, was one of Jesus original twelve disciples. They didn't believe that messiah could come out of Nazareth. He was familiar with what the prophets had said. Thats why we invite people. Follow me. Hear the authority in his voice. Rather, Nathanael had developed a regional prejudice and bias against those from a nearby town, perhaps in the same way crosstown rivals might deride each other, or residents of Los Angeles and San Francisco might disparage each other. Isn't that just like us? By all accounts he was martyred like the rest of the apostle's, except John. . Theres really not much we can say about Philip without speculating. Joel Ryanis an author, writing professor, and contributing writer for Salem Web Network and Lifeway. 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. His answer shows us the contempt Nathaniel felt for the people of Nazareth. . And he introduced the Jews to Jesus. Phillip, Nathaniel and Thomas were fishermen from Galilee. You will see greater things than that. 51He then added, Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see heaven open,(O) and the angels of God ascending and descending(P) on[d] the Son of Man.(Q). Find out what you will discover on this adventure of faith. The Synoptics describe the actual calling of these men to . Who was Nathanael in the Bible? - Myths and truth about Catholicism James and John: the two sons of Zebedee, who were called next: Philip and Bartholomew; the latter of these is by some thought to be Nathanael. Aside from the lists of apostles in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts, Philip appears in four narratives in the Gospel of John. Or stoned to death. But what does this actually mean, and why would Jesus compliment someone who had expressed such obvious prejudice? These men wanted an audience with Jesus. What have you found that you can tell others about? Next group comes James, Lebbaeus or Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. What Every Christian Should Know about the Protestant Reformation. As a man, in the flesh, Jesus takes our place, both in keeping Gods law and in taking the laws punishment on sinners. But ultimately, above all, when we talk about our church, we want to talk about the one who is the very heart and center of our church, the churchs whole reason for existence. Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael. Go to Romans 9:6-7, the apostle Paul says, "For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are deceit and Abraham.". 6 Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. Nathanael: the man who saw for himself - British Bible School Philip died sometime in the first century, possibly around 80 AD. Jesus answered, I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you., 49Then Nathanael declared, Rabbi,(L) you are the Son of God;(M) you are the king of Israel.(N), 50Jesus said, You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. But now pause and consider where you are because of Jesus. Not just that Jesus could see him under a fig tree. 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? Here we receive a foretaste of the feast to come. After all Jesus didn't fit his picture of the messiah. First is verse 3: "Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector.". bible - What is the significance of Jesus seeing Nathanael under the Nathanael would be an Apostle, too. "The Chaldeans confuse Bartholomew with Nathaniel," according to Giuseppe Simone Assemani. By now it should have been clear that he was going to his father in heaven and the only way for them to get there was through faith in Christ. Phillip, on the other hand still hadn't gotten at two years later. 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 ). Most Bible scholars believe Nathanael and Bartholomew were the same person. Likewise, Philip, when Jesus called him, went to his brother Nathanael and said, We have found Him (meaning the Messiah foretold by Moses and the prophets). All rights reserved. What we do know is this: as one of the Twelve, Philip certainly held an important role in the early church, and he likely played a key part in spreading the gospel somewhere in ancient Eurasia. Common Men, Uncommon Calling: Nathanael - Grace to You 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. He had witnessed creative and recreative miracles. Virtually everything we know about Nathaniel comes from Johns account of his call to discipleship in the wilderness shortly after Jesus is baptized. Let's see, one denari can buy 12 wheat biscuits. The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Thats where we werelost, wandering aimlessly, not looking for God. Its the story of Philip and Nathanael, how they came to be disciples and follow our Lord. Though not much is known about Nathanaels background or personality, the apostle is revealed in the gospels to be an honest, insightful, and faithful servant of Jesus Christ and student of the Old Testament. Imagine the amazement of the disciples as they participated in this miracle and saw the crowd fed, with a dozen baskets left over from the overflow.Philip was good about bringing people to Jesus. 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. 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. While its true that Nathanael had a heart to know God and an eager spirit, to Philips news, Nathanael responded, can anything good come out of Nazareth? (John 1:46). [2] Some scholars speculate that Philip may have also been a disciple of John the Baptist, since: Before Jesus famously fed the crowd of more than 5,000 people, he decided to test Philip: 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 asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Jesus first disciples Philip was one of those people who could do math and his head. Some people won't hear a minister of a different race. He was not a hypocrite. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Joshua in the Old Testament, which means Yahweh is salvation, or as Matthew 1:21 records for he will save his people from their sins. If you are going from Chicago to Indianapolis, you might travel through Merrillville. Can anything good come from there?(I) Nathanael asked. Who are you? We dont learn much about Philip from the synoptic gospels or Book of Actsin fact, pretty much all we learn is that hes always listed with Bartholomew. They were companions and had probably known each other for years. Matthew, Mark, and Luke give us no details about Nathaniel's background, character, or personality. How do you know me? Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. This manifestation of divine knowledge sparks something in Nathanael. Peoples ears are closed to the gospel by many kinds of prejudice. He went and found someone he could share his joy with. This was not flattery. Peter and James came to the Lord because of the personal soul-winning of their brothers. If we look at that phrase in the Greek, its translated as truly, genuine Israelite. Jesus was a common name. And we should talk about them. The former is found in Numbers 1:8; 1Chronicles 2:14. Similar to the way Andrew immediately went and found his brother Peter to tell him about Jesus, Philip swiftly approached his friend Nathanael with the good news. Like many in Israel, this was something (or someone) they were eagerly waiting and even searching for. What you saw was what you got. Nathaniel is also called Bartholomew, which is a Hebrew name meaning God has given". [2][7] This is not supported by any early, reliable Christian tradition.