Jesus’ First Disciples
TRANSLATION
(41) The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon, and say to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). (42) When he brought him to Jesus, Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
(43) The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he found Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” (44) Now Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from Bethsaida. (45) Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one about whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (46) And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
(47) Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” (48) Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you while you were still under the fig tree.” (49) Nathanael responded, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (50) Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ you believe? You will see greater things than these.” (51) And he said to him, “Very truly I tell you that you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
OBSERVATIONS
These verses first described how Andrew brought his brother, Simon, to Jesus who gave him a new name, “Peter.” Then the focus shifted to Philip whom Jesus directly called to follow him and then to Philip’s subsequent finding of Nathanael. Repeated terms include “found” used four times (twice in vs. 41 and then in vss. 43 & 45), “Nazareth” (vss. 45 & 46), “see” used in different tenses and moods four times (vss. 46, 48, 50, & 51), and the phrase, “under the fig tree” (vss. 48 & 50).
Those who became Jesus’ disciples each did so in their own unique ways. Peter was drawn through Andrew’s introduction and Jesus’ renaming. Philip responded to Jesus’ personal invitation. Nathanael met Jesus through Philip and then was convinced to follow Jesus through the conversation they had together.
OUTLINE
I. Andrew introduced his brother, Simon, to Jesus who renamed him “Peter.” (41 & 42)
II. Jesus found Philip who found Nathanael to introduce him to Jesus. (42-51)
IDEA STATEMENT
Those who became Jesus’ disciples each came to him in their own unique way.
APPLICATION
Jesus’ interchange with Nathanael was a fascinating demonstration of the Savior’s ability to relate to each one he encountered on a personal basis. Jesus’ capacity to go beyond surface issues and penetrate to the very core of their deepest concerns and needs drew these men to him. Upon hearing of Jesus and his claims from Philip, Nathanael first expressed skepticism: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He may well have remembered from Micah’s prophecy that the Messiah would have to come from Bethlehem, a suburb of Jerusalem, and not from the region of Galilee to the north where Nazareth is located. Even so, he was willing to meet Jesus and was taken by surprise when Jesus described him as “an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” We could translate this as “an Israelite in whom there is no Jacob,” a high commendation indeed!
We should note that Nathanael made no attempt to deny Jesus’ estimate of his character by false modesty. Rather, he simply asked, “How do you know me?” Jesus related that he had seen him while under the fig tree. Nathanael’s immediate confession of Jesus as the “son of God…the King of Israel” indicates that Jesus’ words had conveyed to him the message, “I saw into your heart and could discern your sincerity.” Nathanael knew that he was dealing with someone of far greater significance than he had initially supposed, someone surely worth following. Some may wonder whether Nathanael became one of the twelve apostles since his name is not mentioned again. Most students of the New Testament identify him as the disciple named “Bartholomew” who was mentioned four times in the Gospels and Acts (Mt. 10:3; Mk. 3:18; Lk. 6:14; and Acts 1:13) and always in connection with Philip as in this passage.
One further item to note was Jesus’ reference to Jacob’s vision in Genesis 28 of the ladder reaching from earth to heaven and the angels of God ascending and descending on it (vs. 51). Without further elaboration, Jesus was essentially promising Nathaniel that in following him as his disciple he would see more of God’s glory revealed in Jesus’ person and works than the patriarch Jacob had ever seen in his dream.