Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 1:43
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
43. The day following ] Better, as in Joh 1:29 ; Joh 1:35, The next day: the Greek is the same in all three verses. We thus have four days accurately marked, (1) Joh 1:19; (2) Joh 1:29; (3) Joh 1:35; (4) Joh 1:44. A writer of fiction would not have cared for such minute details; they might entangle him in discrepancies. They are thoroughly natural as coming from an eyewitness. See on Joh 2:1.
Follow me ] In the Gospels these words seem always to be the call to become a disciple. Mat 8:22; Mat 9:9; Mat 19:21; Mar 2:14; Mar 10:21; Luk 5:27; Luk 9:59; Joh 21:19. With two exceptions they are always addressed to those who afterwards became Apostles.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Would go forth – Was about to go.
Into Galilee – He was now in Judea, where he went to be baptized by John. He was now about to return to his native country.
Findeth Philip – This does not refer to his calling these disciples to be apostles, for that took place at the Sea of Tiberias Mat 4:18, but it refers to their being. convinced that he was the Christ. This is the object of this evangelist, to show how and when they were convinced of this. Matthew states the time and occasion in which they were called to be apostles; John, the time in which they first became acquainted with Jesus, and were convinced that he was the Messiah. There is, therefore, no contradiction in the evangelists.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Joh 1:43-44
Jesus findeth Phillip
I.
THE SEEKING CHRIST. This is a chapter of seeking and finding. Christ asks Andrew and John, Whom seek ye? Andrew findeth his own brother and saith unto him, We have found. Then, again, Jesus finds Philip, and Philip Nathaniel, and both the Messias. There are two kinds of finding: a casual stumbling on the thing we were not looking for, and that which is the result of seeking. Thus Jesus found Philip, who was un-expectant and undesirous. That is what Christ often does. There are men, like the merchantman seeking goodly pearls, seeking what they want in a hundred different places, and then, when expectancy has died down into despair and apathy, the veil is withdrawn and Jesus seen there beside them. But there are others, like Paul and like Matthew, on whom Christ lays a sudden hand and blesses without their seeking. And so in this story He will welcome Andrew and John when they come seeking. But when these are won, there remains that other way by which He drew Philip to His heart by the sudden revelation of His love.
1. Whether we seek Him or no, Christ is seeking every man. The Son of Man is come to seek, etc.
2. He seeks us each in a thousand ways–by the motion of His spirit-stirring conviction; by our restlessness and dissatisfaction; by disappointment and losses; by the brightness and goodness of earthly providences.
II. THE WORD OF AUTHORITY. Sheep follow a shepherd, travellers a guide, soldiers their captains. This is a call to accept Him as a teacher, but the whole context shows that they recognized Him as the Messiah. So it is more: it is a call to
1. Faith.
2. Obedience.
3. Imitation.
4. Communion.
III. THE SILENTLY AND SWIFTLY OBEDIENT DISCIPLE. Philip says nothing, but he yields.
1. How quickly a soul may be won or lost. Philips decision was trembling in the balance. It might have gone the other way. A moment settled it. Objections to instantaneous conversions are unphilosophical. Hesitations may be long, but decisions are matters of an instant.
2. Why people are kept back from yielding to Christs invitation.
(1) Other duties which seem more important.
(2) The non-conviction of the need of a guide.
These are excuses, not reasons, manufactured to cover a decision which has been taken before on grounds which it is not convenient to bring up to the service. Follow Christ.
This is
1. Safe.
2. Right.
3. Blessed. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Moral imitation
I. MANS MORAL CHARACTER DETERMINES HIS DESTINY. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he in his
1. Experience, whether happy or miserable.
2. Prospects, whether terrific or inviting.
3. Influence, whether useful or pernicious.
4. Relations.
(1) To God, whether approved or condemned.
(2) To the universe, whether a blessing or a curse.
II. MANS MORAL CHARACTER IS FORMED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF IMITATION. This is seen in children, and the Romans, recognizing this, placed in their vestibules the busts of great men, so that the young might be reminded of their virtues. The seed of a childs action is not teaching, but deeds.
III. THE FORMATION OF A GOOD CHARACTER REQUIRES A PERFECT MODEL. Sir Joshua Reynolds found after years of study that he had been imitating, not Titian, whom he desired to make his model, but a forger. After this he resolved to make nature his model, and thus became a great master of his art. According to his model, so will a man be. One reason why human character is so depraved is because the perfect model is little known and less appreciated.
IV. THE ONLY PERFECT MODEL IS JESUS CHRIST. Who is the most imitable character?
1. He who has the strongest power to command admiration.
2. He who is most transparent in character.
3. He who is most unchangeable in the spirit which animates him.
Conclusion: Follow Me.
1. This is an epitome of the moral laws of God.
2. Herein is mans life and perfection.
3. Imitate Christ by inbreathing His moral spirit. (D. Thomas, D. D.)
The call of St. Philip
No trumpet summoned the soldiers of the Cross to the battle-field; no hand like that at Belshazzars feast came forth to beckon him; no miracle made them take up a distinctive post. And, yet, what a call this was! how noble, singular, useful, profitable I Such a call came to Judas, and he sold it.
I. THE ORIGIN OF THIS CALL WAS THE WILL OF CHRIST. Jesus goes forth in search of every sinner. But the mere going forth of Christ is not enough. There must be an exercise of His secret power. This power is pervasive, leavening, and so works upon mans free-will that it comes into union with the heavenly will. Without this there can be no discipleship.
II. THE POSITION IN WHICH THIS CALL PLACES THE PERSON BY WHOM IT IS RECOGNIZED AND OBEYED. It makes him follower, and when man becomes a follower
1. He abridges his right over himself, his property, time, etc.
2. He sets aside his own wisdom, and accepts that of His Master.
3. He follows always, even unto the end.
III. IN THIS CALL THERE IS
1. Exclusiveness, jealous refusal to admit of any division of the heart.
2. Mystery.
(1) It separates us from the nothingness and delusions of the world.
(2) It joins us to the invisible and heavenly.
(3) It opens up new hopes, scenes, and sources of immeasurable wealth. (P. B. Power, M. A.)
Delaying Christian profession
The command is for instant obedience. A common objection is, I have no confidence in my future strength. I must wait until I am stronger before I profess to have devoted my whole life to Christ. Reply
I. YOU ARE LIVING ONLY IN THE PRESENT. The future is not. For you there may be no earthly future, for you may die to-night. Your responsibility is for the now.
II. DUTIES WILL COME NOT IN THE MASS, BUT ONE BY ONE. Strength for each is all you will need.
III. YOU WILL GROW STRONG FOR COMING DUTIES ONLY AS YOU PERFORM PRESENT ONES. No one can step to the top of the pyramids; but he can climb one block; and from that he can reach another. Says Robert Browning: I see a duty and do it not, and therefore see no higher.
IV. GODS GRACE IS PROMISED ONLY FOR TIME OF NEED. No man to-day can be prepared for tomorrows duties.
V. GODS STRENGTH IS OUR ONLY STRENGTH, AND THAT IS PLEDGED. I will be with you even to the end of the world. He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that you are able, but with the temptation will provide a way of escape. (Homiletic Monthly.)
The motive for following Christ
It is related in the annals Of the Ottoman Empire that when Amurath
II. died, which was very suddenly, his son and destined successor, Mohammed, was about a days journey distant in Asia Minor. Every day of interregnum in that fierce and turbulent monarchy is attended with peril. The death of the deceased Sultan was therefore concealed, and a secret message despatched to the prince to hasten at once to the capital. On receiving the message he leaped on a powerful Arab charger, and turning to his attendants, said, Let him who loves me, follow! This prince afterwards became one of the most powerful sovereigns of the Ottoman line. Those who approved their courage and loyalty by following him in this critical moment of his fortunes, were magnificently rewarded. There is another Prince–the Prince of peace–who says to those around Him, Let him who loves Me, follow.
The method of following Christ
Faith includes works; loyalty involves service; love carries devotedness. It is not merely that, if we have trust in another, we ought to conform our conduct to the directions or suggestions or wishes or example of the trusted one; but it is that, if our trust is a reality, it will show itself in our conduct. It is folly for a child to tell of his love for his mother if he has no regard to her wishes; it is folly for a patient to say that he believes in his physician if he pays no attention to that physicians prescription; it is folly for a soldier to say that he is devoted to a commander whom he will not obey in the heat of a campaign; it is folly for a man to say he has faith in Jesus if he does not seek to follow Jesus. Jesus says, If ye love Me, keep My commandments. (H. G.Trumbull, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 43. Philip] This apostle was a native of Bethsaida in Galilee. Eusebius says he was a married man, and had several daughters. Clemens Alexandrinus mentions it as a thing universally acknowledged that it was this apostle who, when commanded by our Lord to follow him, said, Let me first go and bury my father, Mat 8:21-22. Theodoret says he preached in the two Phrygias; and Eusebius says he was buried in Phrygia Pacatiana. He must not be confounded with Philip the deacon, spoken of Ac 6:5.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
All this while Christ seemeth to have been in Judea, which was the most famous province. The day after Peter had thus been with him, he had a mind to go into Galilee; out of that he designed to choose his disciples; and that being the country where he had been educated, he designed in a more special manner to honour it with the first fruit of his public ministry. There findeth Philip (the name signifieth, a lover of horses). He calleth him to be his disciple.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
43. would go . . . into Galileeforfrom His baptism He had sojourned in Judea (showing that thecalling at the Sea of Galilee [Mt4:18] was a subsequent one, see on Lu5:1).
Follow methe firstexpress call given, the former three having come to Himspontaneously.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The day following,…. Not the day after John had pointed out Christ, as the Lamb of God, to two of his disciples; but the day after Simon had been with him, being brought by Andrew:
Jesus would go forth into Galilee; from whence he came to Jordan, to John, to be baptized by him; and which being done, and his temptations in the wilderness over, it was his will, resolution, and determination, to return to Galilee, the place of his education and conversation, till this time; and therefore chose to begin his ministry, and miracles, there, both to give honour to it, and to fulfil a prophecy in Isa 9:1; and besides this, he had doubtless another end in going thither: which was to call some other disciples that dwelt there:
and findeth Philip; as he was going to Galilee, or rather when in it; not by hap or chance; but knowing where he was, as the shepherd and bishop of souls, looked him up and found him out, and called him by his grace, and to be a disciple of his; [See comments on Mt 10:3];
and saith unto him, follow me; leave thy friends, thy calling, and business, and become a disciple of mine: and such power went along with these words, that he at once left all, and followed Christ; as the other disciples, Peter, and Andrew, James, and John, and Matthew did, as is recorded of them, though not of this; but the following history makes it appear he did.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| The Call of Philip and Nathanael. |
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43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
We have here the call of Philip and Nathanael.
I. Philip was called immediately by Christ himself, not as Andrew, who was directed to Christ by John, or Peter, who was invited by his brother. God has various methods of bringing his chosen ones home to himself. But, whatever means he uses, he is not tied to any. 1. Philip was called in a preventing was: Jesus findeth Philip. Christ sought us, and found us, before we made any enquiries after him. The name Philip is of Greek origin, and much used among the Gentiles, which some make an instance of the degeneracy of the Jewish church at this time, and their conformity to the nations; yet Christ changed not his name. 2. He was called the day following. See how closely Christ applied himself to his business. When work is to be done for God, we must not lose a day. Yet observe, Christ now called one or two a day; but, after the Spirit was poured out, there were thousands a day effectually called, in which was fulfilled ch. xiv. 12. 3. Jesus would go forth into Galilee to call him. Christ will find out all those that are given to him, wherever they are, and none of them shall be lost. 4. Philip was brought to be a disciple by the power of Christ going along with that word, Follow me. See the nature of true Christianity; it is following Christ, devoting ourselves to his converse and conduct, attending his movements, and treading in his steps. See the efficacy of the grace of it is the rod of his strength. 5. We are told that Philip was of Bethsaida, and Andrew and Peter were so too, v. 44. These eminent disciples received not honour from the place of their nativity, but reflected honour upon it. Bethsaida signifies the house of nets, because inhabited mostly by fishermen; thence Christ chose disciples, who were to be furnished with extraordinary gifts, and therefore needed not the ordinary advantages of learning. Bethsaida was a wicked place (Matt. xi. 21), yet even there was a remnant, according to the election of grace.
II. Nathanael was invited to Christ by Philip, and much is said concerning him. In which we may observe,
1. What passed between Philip and Nathanael, in which appears an observable mixture of pious zeal with weakness, such as is usually found in beginners, that are yet but asking the way to Zion. Here is,
(1.) The joyful news that Philip brought to Nathanael, v. 45. As Andrew before, so Philip here, having got some knowledge of Christ himself, rests not till he has made manifest the savour of that knowledge. Philip, though newly come to an acquaintance with Christ himself, yet steps aside to seek Nathanael. Note, When we have the fairest opportunities of getting good to our own souls, yet ever then we must seek opportunities of doing good to the souls of others, remembering the words of Christ, It is more blessed to give than to receive, Acts xx. 35. O, saith Philip, we have found him of whom Moses and the prophets did write, Observe here, [1.] What a transport of joy Philip was in, upon this new acquaintance with Christ: “We have found him whom we have so often talked of, so long wished and waited for; at last, he is come he is come, and we have found him!” [2.] What an advantage it was to him that he was so well acquainted with the scriptures of the Old Testament, which prepared his mind for the reception of evangelical light, and made the entrance of it much the more easy: Him of whom Moses and the prophets did write. What was written entirely and from eternity in the book of the divine counsels was in part, at sundry times and in divers manners, copied out into the book of the divine revelations. Glorious things were written there concerning the Seed of the woman, the Seed of Abraham, Shiloh, the prophet like Moses, the Son of David, Emmanuel, the Man, the Branch, Messiah the Prince. Philip had studied these things, and was full of them, which made him readily welcome Christ. [3.] What mistakes and weaknesses he laboured under: he called Christ Jesus of Nazareth, whereas he was of Bethlehem; and the Son of Joseph, whereas he as but his supposed Son. Young beginners in religion are subject to mistakes, which time and the grace of God will rectify. It was his weakness to say, We have found him, for Christ found them before they found Christ. He did not yet apprehend, as Paul did, how he was apprehended of Christ Jesus, Phil. iii. 12.
(2.) The objection which Nathanael made against this, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? v. 46. Here, [1.] His caution was commendable, that he did not lightly assent to every thing that was said, but took it into examination; our rule is, Prove all things. But, [2.] His objection arose from Ignorance. If he meant that no good thing could come out of Nazareth it was owing to his ignorance of the divine grace, as if that were less affected to one place than another, or tied itself to men’s foolish and ill-natured observations. If he meant that the Messiah, that great good thing, could not come out of Nazareth, so far he was right (Moses, in the law, said that he should come out of Judah, and the prophets had assigned Bethlehem for the place of his nativity); but then he was ignorant of the matter of fact, that this Jesus was born at Bethlehem; so that the blunder Philip made, in calling him Jesus of Nazareth, occasioned this objection. Note, The mistakes of preachers often give rise to the prejudices of hearers.
(3.) The short reply which Philip gave to this objection: Come and see. [1.] It was his weakness that he could not give a satisfactory answer to it; yet it is the common case of young beginners in religion. We may know enough to satisfy ourselves, and yet not be able to say enough to silence the cavils of a subtle adversary. [2.] It was his wisdom and zeal that, when he could not answer the objection himself, he would have him go to one that could: Come and see. Let us not stand arguing here, and raising difficulties to ourselves which we cannot get over; let us go and converse with Christ himself, and these difficulties will all vanish presently. Note, It is folly to spend that time in doubtful disputation which might be better spent, and to much better purpose, in the exercises of piety and devotion. Come and see; not, Go and see, but, “Come, and I will go along with thee;” as Isa 2:3; Jer 1:5. From this parley between Philip and Nathanael, we may observe, First, That many people are kept from the ways of religion by the unreasonable prejudices they have conceived against religion, upon the account of some foreign circumstances which do not at all touch the merits of the case. Secondly, The best way to remove the prejudices they have entertained against religion is to prove themselves, and make trial of it. Let us not answer this matter before we hear it.
2. What passed between Nathanael and our Lord Jesus. He came and saw, not in vain.
(1.) Our Lord Jesus bore a very honourable testimony to Nathanael’s integrity: Jesus saw him coming, and met him with favourable encouragement; he said of him to those about him, Nathanael himself being within hearing, Behold an Israelite indeed. Observe,
[1.] That he commended him; not to flatter him, or puff him up with a good conceit of himself, but perhaps because he knew him to be a modest man, if not a melancholy man, one that had hard and mean thoughts of himself, was ready to doubt his own sincerity; and Christ by this testimony put the matter out of doubt. Nathanael had, more than any of the candidates, objected against Christ; but Christ hereby showed that he excused it, and was not extreme to mark what he had said amiss, because he knew his heart was upright. He did not retort upon him, Can any good thing come out of Cana (ch. xxi. 2), an obscure town in Galilee? But kindly gives him this character, to encourage us to hope for acceptance with Christ, notwithstanding our weakness, and to teach us to speak honourably of those who without cause have spoken slightly of us, and to give them their due praise.
[2.] That he commended him for his integrity. First, Behold an Israelite indeed. It is Christ’s prerogative to know what men are indeed; we can but hope the best. The whole nation were Israelites in name, but all are not Israel that are of Israel (Rom. ix. 6); here, however, was an Israelite indeed. 1. A sincere follower of the good example of Israel, whose character it was that he was a plain man, in opposition to Esau’s character of a cunning man. He was a genuine son of honest Jacob, not only of his seed, but of his spirit. 2. A sincere professor of the faith of Israel; he was true to the religion he professed, and lived up to it: he was really as good as he seemed, and his practice was of a piece with his profession. He is the Jew that is one inwardly (Rom. ii. 29), so is he the Christian. Secondly, He is one in whom is no guile–that is the character of an Israelite indeed, a Christian indeed: no guile towards men; a man without trick or design; a man that one may trust; no guile towards God, that is, sincere in his repentance for sin; sincere in his covenanting with God; in whose spirit is no guile, Ps. xxxii. 2. He does not say without guilt, but without guile. Though in many things he is foolish and forgetful, yet in nothing false, nor wickedly departing from God: there is no allowed approved guilt in him; not painted, though he have his spots: “Behold this Israelite indeed.” 1. “Take notice of him, that you may learn his way, and do like him.” 2. “Admire him; behold, and wonder.” The hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees had so leavened the Jewish church and nation, and their religion was so degenerated into formality or state-policy, that an Israelite indeed was a man wondered at, a miracle of divine grace, like Job, ch. i. 8.
(2.) Nathanael is much surprised at this, upon which Christ gives him a further proof of his omnisciency, and a kind memorial of his former devotion.
[1.] Here is Nathanael’s modesty, in that he was soon put out of countenance at the kind notice Christ was pleased to take of him: “Whence knowest thou me, me that am unworthy of thy cognizance? who am I, O Lord God?” 2 Sam. vii. 18. This was an evidence of his sincerity, that he did not catch at the praise he met with, but declined it. Christ knows us better than we know ourselves; we know not what is in a man’s heart by looking in his face, but all things are naked and open before Christ, Heb 4:12; Heb 4:13. Doth Christ know us? Let us covet to know him.
[2.] Here is Christ’s further manifestation of himself to him: Before Philip called thee, I saw thee. First, He gives him to understand that he knew him, and so manifests his divinity. It is God’s prerogative infallibly to know all persons and all things; by this Christ proved himself to be God upon many occasions. It was prophesied concerning the Messiah that he should be of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord, that is, in judging the sincerity and degree of the fear of God in others, and that he should not judge after the sight of his eyes,Isa 11:2; Isa 11:3. Here he answers that prediction. See 2 Tim. ii. 19. Secondly, That before Philip called him he saw him under the fig-tree; this manifests a particular kindness for him. 1. His eye was towards him before Philip called him, which was the first time that ever Nathanael was acquainted with Christ. Christ has knowledge of us before we have any knowledge of him; see Isa 45:4; Gal 4:9. 2. His eye was upon him when he as under the fig-tree; this was a private token which nobody understood but Nathanael: “When thou wast retired under the fig-tree in thy garden, and thoughtest that no eye saw thee, I have then my eye upon thee, and saw that which was very acceptable.” It is most probable that Nathanael under the fig-tree was employed, as Isaac in the field, in meditation, and prayer, and communion with God. Perhaps then and there it was that he solemnly joined himself to the Lord in an inviolable covenant. Christ saw in secret, and by this public notice of it did in part reward him openly. Sitting under the fig-tree denotes quietness and composedness of spirit, which much befriend communion with God. See Mic 4:4; Zec 3:10. Nathanael here in was an Israelite indeed, that, like Israel, he wrestled with God alone (Gen. xxxii. 24), prayed not like the hypocrites, in the corners of the streets, but under the fig-tree.
(3.) Nathanael hereby obtained a full assurance of faith in Jesus Christ, expressed in that noble acknowledgment (v. 49): Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the king of Israel; that is, in short, thou art the true Messiah. Observe here, [1.] How firmly he believed with the heart. Though he had lately laboured under some prejudices concerning Christ, they had now all vanished. Note, The grace of God, in working faith, casts down imaginations. Now he asks no more, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? For he believes Jesus of Nazareth to be the chief good, and embraces him accordingly. [2.] How freely he confessed with the mouth. His confession is made in form of an adoration, directed to our Lord Jesus himself, which is a proper way of confessing our faith. First, He confesses Christ’s prophetical office, in calling him Rabbi, a title which the Jews commonly gave to their teachers. Christ is the great rabbi, at whose feet we must all be brought up. Secondly, He confesses his divine nature and mission, in calling him the Son of God (that Son of God spoken of Ps. ii. 7); though he had but a human form and aspect, yet having a divine knowledge, the knowledge of the heart, and of things distant and secret, Nathanael thence concludes him to be the Son of God. Thirdly, He confesses, “Thou art the king of Israel; that king of Israel whom we have been long waiting for.” If he be the Son of God, he is king of the Israel of God. Nathanael hereby proves himself an Israelite indeed that he so readily owns and submits to the king of Israel.
(4.) Christ hereupon raises the hopes and expectations of Nathanael to something further and greater than all this, Joh 1:50; Joh 1:51. Christ is very tender of young converts, and will encourage good beginnings, though weak, Matt. xii. 20.
[1.] He here signifies his acceptance, and (it should seem) his admiration, of the ready faith of Nathanael: Because I said, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? He wonders that such a small indication of Christ’s divine knowledge should have such an effect; it was a sign that Nathanael’s heart was prepared beforehand, else the work had not been done so suddenly. Note, It is much for the honour of Christ and his grace, when the heart is surrendered to him at the first summons.
[2.] He promises him much greater helps for the confirmation and increase of his faith than he had had for the first production of it.
First, In general: “Thou shalt see greater things than these, stronger proofs of my being the Messiah;” the miracles of Christ, and his resurrection. Note, 1. To him that hath, and maketh good use of what he hath, more shall be given. 2. Those who truly believe the gospel will find its evidences grow upon them, and will see more and more cause to believe it. 3. Whatever discoveries Christ is pleased to make of himself to his people while they are here in this world, he hath still greater things than these to make known to them; a glory yet further to be revealed.
Secondly, In particular: “Not thou only, but you, all you my disciples, whose faith this is intended for the confirmation of, you shall see heaven opened;” this is more than telling Nathanael of his being under the fig-tree. This is introduced with a solemn preface, Verily, verily I say unto you, which commands both a fixed attention to what is said as very weighty, and a full assent to it as undoubtedly true: “I say it, whose word you may rely upon, amen, amen.” None used this word at the beginning of a sentence but Christ, though the Jews often used it at the close of a prayer, and sometimes doubled it. It is a solemn asseveration. Christ is called the Amen (Rev. iii. 14), and so some take it here, I the Amen, the Amen, say unto you. I the faithful witness. Note, The assurances we have of the glory to be revealed are built upon the word of Christ. Now see what it is that Christ assures them of: Hereafter, or within awhile, or ere long, or henceforth, ye shall see heaven opened.
a. It is a mean title that Christ here takes to himself: The Son of man; a title frequently applied to him in the gospel, but always by himself. Nathanael had called him the Son of God and king of Israel: he calls himself Son of man, (a.) To express his humility in the midst of the honours done him. (b.) To teach his humanity, which is to be believed as well as his divinity. (c.) To intimate his present state of humiliation, that Nathanael might not expect this king of Israel to appear in external pomp.
b. Yet they are great things which he here foretels: You shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. (a.) Some understand it literally, as pointing at some particular event. Either, [a.] There was some vision of Christ’s glory, in which this was exactly fulfilled, which Nathanael was an eye-witness of, as Peter, and James, and John were of his transfiguration. There were many things which Christ did, and those in the presence of his disciples, which were not written (ch. xx. 30), and why not this? Or, [b.] It was fulfilled in the many ministrations of the angels to our Lord Jesus, especially that at his ascension, when heaven was opened to receive him, and the angels ascended and descended, to attend him and to do him honour, and this in the sight of the disciples. Christ’s ascension was the great proof of his mission, and much confirmed the faith of his disciples, ch. vi. 62. Or, [c.] It may refer to Christ’s second coming, to judge the world, when the heavens shall be open, and every eye shall see him, and the angels of God shall ascend and descend about him, as attendants on him, every one employed; and a busy day it will be. See 2 Thess. i. 10. (b.) Others take it figuratively, as speaking of a state or series of things to commence from henceforth; and so we may understand it, [a.] Of Christ’s miracles. Nathanael believed, because Christ, as the prophets of old, could tell him things secret; but what is this? Christ is now beginning a dispensation of miracles, much more great and strange than this, as if heaven were opened; and such a power shall be exerted by the Son of man as if the angels, which excel in strength, were continually attending his orders. Immediately after this, Christ began to work miracles, ch. ii. 11. Or, [b.] Of his mediation, and that blessed intercourse which he hath settled between heaven and earth, which his disciples should be degrees be let into the mystery of. First, By Christ, as Mediator, they shall see heaven opened, that we may enter into the holiest by his blood (Heb 10:19; Heb 10:20); heaven opened, that by faith we may look in, and at length may go in; may now behold the glory of the Lord, and hereafter enter into the joy of our Lord. And, Secondly, They shall see angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man. Through Christ we have communion with and benefit by the holy angels, and things in heaven and things on earth are reconciled and gathered together. Christ is to us as Jacob’s ladder (Gen. xxviii. 12), by whom angels continually ascend and descend for the good of the saints.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
On the morrow ( ). The fourth of the days from verse 19.
He findeth Philip ( ). Vivid dramatic present as in 41, though (was minded, wished) is aorist active indicative. Apparently not an accidental finding, possibly due to the efforts of Andrew and Peter. Both Andrew and Philip have Greek names.
Follow me ( ). Present active imperative, a direct challenge to Philip. Often Jesus uses this verb to win disciples (Mark 2:14; Matt 8:22; Matt 9:21; Matt 19:21; Luke 9:59; John 21:19). Already Jesus had four personal followers (Andrew and Simon, John and James). He has begun his work.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee,” (te epaurion ethelesen ekselthein eis ten Galilaian) “He strongly desired to go forth into Galilee on the following day,” the day after Andrew had brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus, the Messiah. The day after Jesus had named Simon Cephas or Peter, meaning a stone, he left Bethany to reenter Galilee.
2) “And findeth Philip,” (kai huriskei Philippon) “And he finds Philip,” also a Galileean, of whom little is also known beyond the Gospel history. This Philip, with a Greek name, later introduced inquiring Greeks to Jesus Christ, Joh 12:20.
3) “And saith unto him, Follow me.” (kai legei auto ho lesous akolouthei moi) “And Jesus says to him, follow me.” Where I lead you, as a disciple, who also was later named as an apostle, Mat 10:3. He continued with Jesus through all his ministry, and was with the apostles in the upper room in Jerusalem in prayer at church business for the Lord when the Holy Spirit came in power on Pentecost, Act 1:13.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
43. Follow me. When Philip was inflamed by this single word to follow Christ, we infer from it how great is the efficacy of the word of God; but it does not appear indiscriminately in all, for God addresses many without any advantage, just as if he struck their ears with a sound which vanished into air. So then the external preaching of the word is in itself unfruitful, except that it inflicts a deadly wound on the reprobate, so as to render them inexcusable before God. But when the secret grace of God quickens it, all the senses must be affected in such a manner that men will be prepared to follow wherever God calls them. We ought, therefore, to pray to Christ that he may display in us the same power of the Gospel. In the case of Philip, there was no doubt a peculiarity about his following Christ; for he is commanded to follow, not like one of us, but as a domestic, and as a familiar companion. But still the calling of all of us is illustrated by this calling of Philip.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE CALL OF PHILIP AND NATHANAEL
Text 1:43-51
43
On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip: and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me.
44
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.
45
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46
And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
47
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48
Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49
Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art King of Israel.
50
Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51
And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Queries
a.
What did Moses write of Him in the law and the prophets?
b.
What did Nathanael mean when he said, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? (Joh. 1:46)?
c.
What is the meaning of Joh. 1:51?
Paraphrase
The next day Jesus decided to go north to Galilee. Before leaving, however, He discovered Philip and said to him, Follow me. (Philip was from Bethsaida, the same city that Andrew and Peter were from). Philip, the same day, found Nathanael and said to him, We have found the One of Whom Moses wrote in the Pentateuch and of Whom the prophets also wrote. This One is none other than Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph the carpenter. But Nathanael said, The Scriptures do not say, do they, that the Messiah shall come out of Nazareth? Philip answered, Come and see for yourself. As Nathanael was coming to Jesus, Jesus said, Look! A true son of Jacob in whom there is no deceit nor guile! Nathanael said to Jesus, How do you know what my character is? Jesus answered him, saying, Before Philip found you, when you thought yourself concealed under the fig tree, I could read your heart. Nathanael said to Jesus, Teacher, you are indeed the Son of Godthe King of Israel. Jesus said to Nathanael, You believed when I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than these. I tell you truly, You shall see the way into Heaven and a measure of its glories revealed through the Son of man.
Summary
Jesus gathers two more disciples. Philip, neighbor of Andrew and Peter, and Nathanael, a true Israelite. Nathanaels quick faith is to be rewarded by visions of Glory.
Comment
This is the fourth day from the time the Jews questioned John the Baptist. Jesus has spent almost a week in the vicinity of Johns place of baptizing. Time is drawing near for Him to commence His public ministry. The Lord has decided to go north into the province of Galilee. It may be that while He is preparing to go Philip comes to Him. It may be that Philip had called Andrew and Peter aside and was talking to them when Jesus approached him with the challenge, Follow me. The two from Bethsaida (Andrew and Peter) had probably told Philip, their fellow townsman, the Messianic news. Philip seems to be the type of man who always wants to get to the bottom of things (cf. Joh. 6:5-7; Joh. 12:21; Joh. 14:8-9), and was probably seeking Jesus when Jesus found him.
Philip, too, is a personal evangelist. We cannot help noticing a strong emphasis on personal evangelism in this first chapter of John. Each one wins one. Now it takes more than one hundred to win one.
Who is Nathanael? The best answer is that he is the Bartholomew of the Synoptical Gospels. The name Nathanael means gift of God. His home town was Cana of Galilee (Joh. 21:2). We assume Nathanael and Bartholomew to be the same man since Bartholomew is never mentioned in Johns Gospel, and Nathanael is never named in the Synoptics. It is amazing that Nathanael lived his youth at the same time Jesus lived His, in Cana of Galileeonly about 3 miles from Nazareth the boyhood home of Jesusyet he had never heard of Jesus. This fact shows how perverse the wild fantasies of the Apocryphal Gospels are.
These two men, Philip and Nathanael, were undoubtedly students of the Old Testament Law and Prophets. Nearly every male Israelite studied them from childhood through old age. When Philip told Nathanael of finding the One of Whom Moses and the prophets wrote, Nathanaels heart must have pounded as he recalled the words of Deu. 18:15, Isa. 53:1-12, Dan. 9:24-27, Jeremiah, the Psalms and a host of other, references. There is an invaluable lesson here for students of Gods Word today. The Old Testament cannot be properly understood without seeing Christ as the very core and substance of the Law and prophets (cf. Luk. 24:27; Luk. 24:32; Luk. 24:44; Joh. 5:39; Joh. 5:46; Act. 3:18; 1Pe. 1:10).
Joh. 1:46 has always been one of varied interpretation. Three interpretations are usually offered: (a) that Nathanael was expressing civic pride and rivalry since he was from the neighboring village of Cana, (b) that Nazareth was notoriously evil and Nathanael was uttering a proverbial denunciation, or (c) that Nathanael is questioning, what seems to him, a wrong interpretation by Philip of the Messianic prophecies. The third interpretation seems to have the weight of the context in its favor (cf. Joh. 7:52). Philip does not try to argue Nathanael into his position but bids him, Come and see!
Nathanael, being a man with an honest and good heart (Luk. 8:15), comes to see. Jesus, seeing him coming, tells His other disciples, Look! a true son of Jacob. The word Jesus used for guile here is dolos which means bait, snare, deceit, or guile. It is evident that throughout the entire conversation with Nathanael Jesus keeps referring to the history of Jacob, father of all Israelites. He contrasts the guileless character of Nathanael with the deceitful practices of Jacob. Such trickery was also found in most of the descendants of Jacob (cf. Gen. 34:1-31; Mat. 23:16-22). Many of the Jews of Jesus day had no scruples against cheating and deceiving in their business transactions. Few of the rulers had guileless characters. Nathanaels moral excellence caused Jesus to exclaim, Look! a true Israelite, in whom is no deceit (cf. Rom. 2:28-29; Rom. 9:26).
Nathanael is surprised that Jesus knows how he thinks and how he lives. Those who seek to follow Jesus now would do well to remember that He still sees the most hidden recesses of their hearts (cf. Joh. 2:24-25; Psa. 139:1-24). The guileless Israelite frankly asks Jesus where He received His information. Perhaps Nathanael silently wonders if Jesus had learned of him through Philip. The Master quickly shows that this would be impossible for He saw Nathanaels heart before Philip found him.
Jesus even names the place where Nathanael thought he was hidden from the eyes of strangers. It seems to have been the custom of the Jews to seek the shade of the fig tree as the most peaceful and obscure place to sit and meditate and pray (cf. 1Ki. 4:25; Mic. 4:4). Was Nathanael praying and meditating under the fig tree? Did he often pray that the Holy One of God should soon come? From the Lords estimate of his character these things could not be far wrong. Now Nathanael is face to face with One Who knows his secret longingsWho has heard his prayersWho reads his heart. This must be the Son of Godthe King of Israel.
Most of our English versions have translated Joh. 1:50 as a question. This interrogative form tends to disparage the value of Nathanaels unhesitating faith. We might get the idea from a question that Jesus doubts that Nathanael could believe so soonor that Jesus doubts the surety of his faith. To the contrary, Jesus praises the mans faith by promising to reward it with even greater manifestations of His glory.
Joh. 1:51 is hard of interpretation. The best exegesis is that Jesus means He is the antitype of Jacobs ladder. In other words, He will be revealed to Nathanael as the Way to Heaven (Joh. 14:1-6). He will be shown to His disciples, and eventually the world, as the Mediator between God and man. The Lord could hardly have reference to a literal ascent and descent of angels upon His Person. There were times when the angels did literally minister unto Him (cf. Mar. 1:13; Luk. 22:43; Mat. 28:2-4; Joh. 20:12-13), but Nathanael was not sufficiently close to Jesus at any of these incidents to see the angels.
This record of the actual opening of Jesus ministry is full of victory. He does not declare Himself in spectacular fashion to the multitude, but a little group of select and eager men begin to have an insight into His glorious personality. They recognize Him as the Lamb of God, the Messiah, The Son of God and the King of Israel. He declares Himself the Son of man, and opens up an absorbing vista of His coming ministry. (R. C. Foster in Studies in the Life of Christ, Vol. 1 ).
Quiz
1.
What type of man was Philip?
2.
Who was Nathanael? Where did he live?
3.
What is the necessary relationship of Christ to the Old Testament?
4.
Who does Jesus think of as He talks to Nathanael?
5.
What is the teaching of Psa. 139:1-24?
6.
What do we assume Nathanael was doing under the fig tree?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(43) The day following, that is, the fourth day from the inquiry by the Sanhedrin (see Joh. 1:29; Joh. 1:35; Joh. 1:43).
Findeth Philip.Just as he was going forth from his lodging of the previous night (Joh. 1:39). Philip is mentioned in the other Gospels only in the lists of the Twelve. The touches of character are all found in St. John. (Comp. Joh. 6:5; Joh. 12:21; Joh. 14:8.)
Follow me.This command, so full of meaning, is never used in the Gospels except as spoken by our Lord Himself, and is addressed to but one outside the circle of the Apostles, the rich young man whom Jesus loved (Mat. 19:21; Mar. 10:21). In other parts of the New Testament it is used but once, in the words of the angel to Peter (Act. 12:8). We cannot, therefore, limit the words to an invitation to accompany Him on that days walk, though this is included, and in that walk from Bethania to Bethsaida there came the revelation which made the Follow Me a power binding for the whole of life. (Comp. Mat. 8:22.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
43. The day following The fourth day. See Joh 1:19; Joh 1:29; Joh 1:35.
Would go forth into Galilee Probably on his way home after his baptism and temptation.
And findeth Philip Before he goes into Galilee he finds the entire complement of five disciples; the narration of which finding extends to the close of this chapter.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘On the next day he determined to go forth into Galilee, and he finds Philip, and Jesus says to him, “Follow me”. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.’
‘The next day’ they go to Galilee and there Jesus calls Philip to follow Him. This seems the most likely meaning. Having determined to go, He goes, and then He finds Philip. It may, however, be that Philip was also in Judea at the time. The very presence of Andrew and the others suggests that they were all there at one of the great feasts.
Here Jesus is now clearly claiming the authority to ‘call’ disciples, for Philip is the first one that Jesus positively calls in this way. This calling of disciples is in contrast to the Rabbis whose disciples simply chose to follow them. Those called by Jesus probably saw themselves as the initial recruits in His army. They would not, however, have been surprised that he shared in the ministry of John. They would have seen the forming of a loose ‘covenant community’, dedicated to God, as an initial stage in the establishing of that army. We can compare how the Qumran covenanters saw themselves as a religious community who, at the right time, would compose the army of the Lord. Is it significant that He does not make this open statement of His intentions until He goes to Galilee? While Jesus is always forthright when it is necessary He does not openly court trouble. Or was it because He did not want to upstage John the Baptist? Andrew, Peter and John have only expressed interest. They will receive their defining call later (Luk 5:1-11). Again the writer shows his familiarity with the personal details of other disciples. Philip is from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. He knew it well. Familiarity explains why he mentions it at all.
‘He determined’. He had a specific plan in mind. Now He must commence His ministry and He chooses to do it in Galilee.
It is significant that He does not ‘call’ any of those who were disciples of John at this stage. What exquisite tenderness He showed. Andrew, Peter and John will be called later, but only when they have openly ceased to be recognised as ‘John’s disciples’. John must be allowed his day, and although he would have been quite willing for Jesus to do so, Jesus will not trespass on his ministry. This indeed explains why their call was delayed.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Happenings of the fourth day:
v. 43. The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow Me.
v. 44. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
v. 45. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
v. 46. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. On the fourth day of the events which are here so carefully chronicled, Jesus had planned to begin His journey up to Galilee. But as He was about to leave, He finds, by design and intention, Philip of Bethsaida. In this case, the simple command: Follow Me, was sufficient. The call of Jesus determined Philip to become a disciple of Jesus. And the call of Christ in the Gospel has at all times the power to influence men in the same way. Only we must not grow weary in sounding it forth at all times. There were now three men of Bethsaida among the four followers of Jesus. And all of them had been decided by the call of Jesus. It is not man’s own free will that decides his fate with regard to Jesus, but the call of the Lord. And he that gives heed to that call, that makes his decision by the power of God in the Gospel, will ever after be in blessed communion with Jesus, in a wonderful discipleship. Philip, in turn, driven by the joy of his new discovery, of the faith of his heart, feels urged to tell his friend Nathanael (or Bartholomew) of his happiness. His words gush forth in a joyful stream: Of whom Moses wrote in the Law and the prophets, Him have we found. He had the right understanding, His faith was firmly based upon Jesus, known as the son of Joseph, of Nazareth, as the promised Messiah. Philip was well versed in the Old Testament prophecies. He referred to Moses and the prophets as having given a clear picture, in unmistakable prophecies, of Christ. And the antitype, the fulfillment of the prophecies, Philip found in Jesus of Nazareth. His knowledge was not yet perfect, but was fully sufficient for his purpose, that of bringing another man to his Master. Nathanael was skeptical. His Biblical knowledge told him that the Messiah was to hail from Bethlehem. Galilee was considered by the pure Jews as a half-heathen country, and Nazareth could not hope to produce anything good. But his dubious attitude and his slighting remark cannot overcome the faith of Philip. Instead of arguing the matter at great length, Philip simply issues his invitation: “Come and see!” Such a simple, repeated invitation and summons is often the best way of overcoming preconceived notions and opinions. If men are only led into the Scriptures and to the preaching of Christ, the rest will follow. The Word of Christ overcomes the weakness and objections of man. “He who candidly examines the evidences of the religion of Christ will infallibly become a believer. No history ever published among men has so many external and internal proofs of authenticity as this has. A man should judge of nothing by first appearances or human prejudices. Who are they who cry out, The Bible is a fable? Those who have never read it, or read it only with the fixed purpose to gainsay it. God has mercy on those whose ignorance leads them to form prejudices against the truth; but He confounds those who take them up through envy and malice, and endeavor to communicate them to others.”
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Joh 1:43. Jesus would go forth Jesus determined to depart thence. The force of the word seems to be greater than our translation expresses, and perhaps may here intimate, that our Lord on this occasion broke through the importunity of some, who would rather have persuaded him to continue at Bethabara, for the advantage of further testimony from the Baptist; or to have gone to Jerusalem, where they might imagine that his ministry would have opened more honourably than in Galilee; compare Joh 7:3-4.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me, (44) Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. (45) Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the Jaw and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. (46) And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth! Philip saith unto him, Come and see. (47) Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! (48) Nathanael said unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. (49) Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God: thou art the king of Israel. (50) Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. (51) And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
The call of Philip and Nathaniel, and the relation of Christ’s conversation with them, is most sweet and instructing. But what I would chiefly beg the Header to notice, in what remains in this chapter, Is, the Lord’s exercise of his divine knowledge to the conviction of Nathaniel, in that he said, he saw him under the fig tree, and that Philip had called him. The fig trees in Judaea were large and shady, and godly persons made them what is called Proseuches, or places for prayer. By Jesus telling him that he was there when Philip called him, the heart of Nathaniel was at once convinced he must be God, since no eye but the eye of God could have seen him there. Our Lord’s kind approbation of his faith, and as gracious a promise of the greater manifestations he should receive, should be considered as not relating to Nathaniel only, but a general assurance of Bethel-visits, like the ladder of Jacob, to all his redeemed, both to their own private and personal enjoyments, and to the public and universal happiness of the Church at the last day. Perhaps I should have observed, concerning our Lord’s testimony to Nathaniel, that Jesus meant hot that this seed of Abraham was without guile. For this can be said of none but Christ himself. Neither, rightly considered, do our Lord’s words go to such extent. By an Israelite indeed, I should conceive is meant, not simply one that is a real descendant after the flesh, from the stock of Abraham; for all are not Israel which are of Israel. Rom 9:6 . but an Israelite indeed, means one of the children of promise. Gal 4:28 whom God the Father hath given to his dear Son. And in this sense, the guileless mind of Nathaniel, hath a respect to the man’s state as he stood accepted in Christ, and not as to his own holiness before God, for in this sense, he had none, neither could have been without guile. The Reader, if he knows anything of the plague of his own heart, and of the covenant righteousness in which the whole Church, both in heaven and earth, is considered before God as wholly in Christ, will enter into a full apprehension of the inestimable preciousness of this doctrine, which is after godliness, and gladly join issue with the Prophet when he said, In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. Isa 45:25 . For the double Verily, used by our Lord, in the last verse of this chapter: See Joh 10:1 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
Ver. 43. Follow me ] Together with Christ’s word there went out a power. His words are operative and efficacious. This Porphyry the atheist, and Julian the Apostate, understood not; and therefore lighting upon this and the like places of the Gospel, they blasphemously affirmed that either the evangelists were liars or the apostles fools, that with one word only of our Saviour would be drawn to follow him. So the Papists blaspheme assurance, which they have not, as if it bred security and looseness. They may as well say the sea burns or fire cools.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
43. ] This is evidently the first bestowal of the new name on Simon: and it is done from our Lord’s prophetic knowledge of his future character: see note on Mat 16:18 .
= Aramaic, Hebrew, a stone. The Greek name Peter became the prevalent one in the apostolic Church very soon: Paul uses both names indiscriminately.
I own I cannot but think with Bengel, Paulus, and Strauss, that the knowledge of Simon shewn by the Lord is intended to be miraculous . So also Stier, i. 31 f. edn. 2, “I know who and what thou art from thy birth till thy present coming to me. I name thee, I give thee a new name, I know what I will make of thee in thy following of Me and for my Kingdom.” The emphatic use of here (it is not so emphatic in Joh 1:36 , but still even there may imply fixed contemplation, in the power of the Spirit, who suggested the testimony) is hardly accountable except on this explanation of supernatural knowledge. Similarly Abram, Sara, Jacob, received new names in reference to the covenant and promises of God to them.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 1:43 . . He was not content to allow his report to work in his brother’s mind, but induced him there and then, though probably on the following day, as now it must have been late, to go to Jesus. . Jesus may have known Simon previously, or may have been told his name by Andrew. “Thou art Simon, Jonah’s son, or better, John’s son. Thou shalt be called Kephas.” This name, Kephas or Peter, stone or mass of rock, Simon did receive at Caesarea Philippi on his confession of Jesus as the Christ (Mat 16:17-18 ); a confession prompted not by “flesh and blood,” that is, by his brother’s experience, but by his own inwrought and home-grown conviction. The reason of this utterance to Simon is understood when it is considered that the name he as yet bore, Simon Barjona, was identified with a character full of impulsiveness; which might well lead him to suppose he would only bring mischief to the Messiah’s kingdom. But, says Christ, thou shalt be called Rock. Those who enter Christ’s kingdom believing in Him receive a character fitting them to be of service.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
John
THE FIRST DISCIPLES: III. PHILIP
Joh 1:43
‘The day following’-we have a diary in this chapter and the next, extending from the day when John the Baptist gives his official testimony to Jesus, up till our Lord’s first journey to Jerusalem. The order of events is this. The deputation from the Sanhedrim to John occupied the first day. On the second Jesus comes back to John after His temptation, and receives his solemn attestation. On the third day, John repeats his testimony, and three disciples, probably four, make the nucleus of the Church. These are the two pairs of brothers, James and John, Andrew and Peter, who stand first in every catalogue of the Apostles, and were evidently nearest to Christ.
‘The day following’ of our text is the fourth day. On it our Lord determines to return to Galilee. His objects in His visit to John were accomplished-to receive his public attestation, and to gather the first little knot of His followers. Thus launched upon His course, He desired to return to His native district.
These events had occurred where John was baptising, in a place called in the English version Bethabara, which means ‘The house of crossing,’ or as we might say, Ferry-house. The traditional site for John’s baptism is near Jericho, but the next chapter Joh 2:1 shows that it was only a day’s journey from Cana of Galilee, and must therefore have been much further north than Jericho. A ford, still bearing the name Abarah, a few miles south of the lake of Gennesaret, has lately been discovered. Our Lord, then, and His disciples had a day’s walking to take them back to Galilee. But apparently before they set out on that morning, Philip and Nathanael were added to the little band. So these two days saw six disciples gathered round Jesus.
Andrew and John sought Christ and found Him. To them He revealed Himself as very willing to be approached, and glad to welcome any to His side. Peter, who comes next, was brought to Christ by his brother, and to him Christ revealed Himself as reading his heart, and promising and giving him higher functions and a more noble character.
Now we come to the third case, ‘Jesus findeth Philip,’ who was not seeking Jesus, and who was brought by no one. To him Christ reveals Himself as drawing near to many a heart that has not thought of Him, and laying a masterful hand of gracious authority on the springs of life and character in that autocratic word ‘Follow Me.’ So we have a gradually heightening revelation of the Master’s graciousness to all souls, to them that seek and to them that seek Him not. It is only to the working out of these simple thoughts that I ask your attention now.
I. First, then, let us deal with the revelation that is given us here of the seeking Christ.
There are two kinds of finding. There is a casual stumbling upon a thing that you were not looking for, and there is a finding as the result of seeking. It is the latter which is here. Christ did not casually stumble upon Philip, upon that morning, before they departed from the fords of the Jordan on their short journey to Cana of Galilee. He went to look for this other Galilean, one who was connected with Andrew and Peter, a native of the same little village. He went and found him; and whilst Philip was all unexpectant and undesirous, the Master came to him and laid His hand upon him, and drew him to Himself.
Now that is what Christ often does. There are men like the merchantman who went all over the world seeking goodly pearls, who with some eager longing to possess light, or truth, or goodness, or rest, search up and down and find it nowhere, because they are looking for it in a hundred different places. They are expecting to find a little here and a little there, and to piece all together to make of the fragments one all-sufficing restfulness. Then when they are most eager in their search, or when, perhaps, it has all died down into despair and apathy, the veil seems to be withdrawn, and they see Him whom they have been seeking all the time and knew not that He was there beside them. All, and more than all, that they sought for in the many pearls is stored for them in the one Pearl of great price. The ancient covenant stands firm to-day as for ever. ‘Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.’
But then there are others, like Paul on the road to Damascus or like Matthew the publican, sitting at the receipt of custom, on whom there is laid a sudden hand, to whom there comes a sudden conviction, on whose eyes, not looking to the East, there dawns the light of Christ’s presence. Such cases occur all through the ages, for He is not to be confined, bless His name! within the narrow limits of answering seeking souls, or of showing Himself to people that are brought to Him by human instrumentality; but far beyond these bounds He goes, and many a time discloses His beauty and His sweetness to hearts that wist not of Him, and who can only say, ‘Lo! God was in this place, and I knew it not.’ ‘Thou wast found of them that sought Thee not.’
As it was in His miracles upon earth, so it has been in the sweet and gracious works of His grace ever since. Sometimes He healed in response to the yearning desire that looked out of sick eyes, or that spoke from parched lips, and no man that ever came to Him and said ‘Heal me!’ was sent away beggared of His blessing. Sometimes He healed in response to the beseeching of those who, with loving hearts, carried their dear ones and laid them at His feet. But sometimes, to magnify the spontaneity and the completeness of His own love, and to show us that He is bound and limited by no human co-operation, and that He is His own motive, He reached out the blessing to a hand that was not extended to grasp it; and by His question, ‘Wilt thou be made whole?’ kindled desires that else had lain dormant for ever.
And so in this story before us; He will welcome and over-answer Andrew and John when they come seeking; He will turn round to them with a smile on His face, that converts the question, ‘What seek ye?’ into an invitation, ‘Come and see.’ And when Andrew brings his brother to Him, He will go more than halfway to meet him. But when these are won, there still remains another way by which He will have disciples brought into His Kingdom, and that is by Himself going out and laying His hand on the man and drawing him to His heart by the revelation of His love. But further, and in a deeper sense, He really seeks us all, and, unasked, bestows His love upon us.
Whether we seek Him or no, there is no heart upon earth which Christ does not desire; and no man or woman within the sound of His gospel whom He is not in a very real sense seeking that He may draw them to Himself. His own word is a wonderful one: ‘The Father seeketh such to worship Him’; as if God went all up and down the world looking for hearts to love Him and to turn to Him with reverent thankfulness. And as the Father, so the Son-who is for us the revelation of the Father: ‘The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ No one on earth wanted Him, or dreamed of His coming. When He bowed the heavens and gathered Himself into the narrow space of the manger in Bethlehem, and took upon Him the limitations and the burdens and the weaknesses of manhood, it was not in response to any petition, it was in reply to no seeking; but He came spontaneously, unmoved, obeying but the impulse of His own heart, and because He would have mercy. He who is the Beginning, and will be First in all things, was first in this, that before they called He answered, and came upon earth unbesought and unexpected, because His own infinite love brought Him hither. Christ’s mercy to a world does not come like water in a well that has to be pumped up, by our petitions, by our search, but like water in some fountain, rising sparkling into the sunlight by its own inward impulse. He is His own motive; and came to a forgetful and careless world, like a shepherd who goes after his flock in the wilderness, not because they bleat for him, while they crop the herbage which tempts them ever further from the fold and remember him and it no more, but because he cannot have them lost. Men are not conscious of needing Christ till He comes. The supply creates the demand. He is like the ‘dew which tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.’
But not only does Christ seek us all, inasmuch as the whole conception and execution of His great work are independent of man’s desires, but He seeks us each in a thousand ways. He longs to have each of us for His disciples. He seeks each of us for His disciples, by the motion of His Spirit on our spirits, by stirring conviction in our consciences, by pricking us often with a sense of our own evil, by all our restlessness and dissatisfaction, by the disappointments and the losses, as by the brightnesses and the goodness of earthly providences, and often through such agencies as my lips and the lips of other men. The Master Himself, who seeks all mankind, has sought and is seeking you at this moment. Oh! yield to His search. The shepherd goes out on the mountain side, for all the storm and the snow, and wades knee-deep through the drifts until he finds the sheep. And your Shepherd, who is also your Brother, has come looking for you, and at this moment is putting out His hand and laying hold of some of you through my poor words, and saying to you, as He said to Philip, ‘Follow Me!’
II. And now let us next consider that word of authority which, spoken to the one man in our text, is really spoken to us all.
We lose the force of the image by much repetition. Sheep follow a shepherd. Travellers follow a guide. Here is a man upon some dangerous cornice of the Alps, with a ledge of limestone as broad as the palm of your hand, and perhaps a couple of feet of snow above that, for him to walk upon, a precipice on either side; and his guide says, as he ropes himself to him, ‘Now, tread where I tread!’ Travellers follow their guides. Soldiers follow their commanders. There is the hell of the battlefield; here a line of wavering, timid, raw recruits. Their commander rushes to the front and throws himself upon the advancing enemy with the one word, ‘Follow’ and the coward becomes a hero. Soldiers follow their captains. Your Shepherd comes to you and calls, ‘Follow Me.’ Your Captain and Commander comes to you and calls, ‘Follow Me.’ In all the dreary wilderness, in all the difficult contingencies and conjunctions, in all the conflicts of life, this Man strides in front of us and proposes Himself to us as Guide, Example, Consoler, Friend, Companion, everything; and gathers up all duty, all blessedness, in the majestic and simple words, ‘Follow Me.’
It is a call at the least to accept Him as a Teacher, but the whole gist of the context here is to show us that from the beginning Christ’s disciples did not look upon Him as a Rabbi’s disciples did, as being simply a teacher, but recognised Him as the Messias, the Son of God, the King of Israel. So that they were called upon by this command to accept His teaching in a very special way, not merely as Hillel or Gamaliel asked their disciples to accept theirs. Do you do that? Do you take Him as your illumination about all matters of theoretical truth, and of practical wisdom? Is His declaration of God your theology? Is His declaration of His own Person your creed? Do you think about His Cross as He did when He elected to be remembered in all the world by the broken body and the shed blood, which were the symbols of His reconciling death? Is His teaching, that the Son of Man comes to ‘give His life a ransom for many,’ the ground of your hope? Do you follow Him in your belief, and following Him in your belief, do you accept Him as, by His death and passion, the Saviour of your soul? That is the first step-to follow Him, to trust Him wholly for what He is, the Incarnate Son of God, the Sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, and therefore for your sins and mine. This is a call to faith.
It is also a call to obedience. ‘Follow Me’ certainly means ‘Do as I bid you,’ but softens all the harshness of that command. Sedulously plant your tremulous feet in His firm footsteps. Where you see His track going across the bog be not afraid to walk after Him, though it may seem to lead you into the deepest and the blackest of it. ‘Follow Him’ and you will be right. ‘Follow Him’ and you will be blessed. Do as Christ did, or as according to the best of your judgment it seems to you that Christ would have done if He had been in your circumstances; and you will not go far wrong. ‘The Imitation of Christ,’ which Thomas a Kempis wrote his book about, is the sum of all practical Christianity. ‘Follow Me!’ makes discipleship to be something more than intellectual acceptance of His teaching, something more than even reliance for my salvation upon His work. It makes discipleship-springing out of these two-the acceptance of His teaching and the consequent reliance, by faith, upon His word-to be a practical reproduction of His character and conduct in mine.
It is a call to communion. If a man follows Christ he will walk close behind Him, and near enough to Him to hear Him speak, and to be ‘guided by His eye.’ He will be separated from other people, and from other paths. In these four things, then-Faith, Obedience, Imitation, Communion-lies the essence of discipleship. No man is a Christian who has not in some measure all four. Have you got them?
What right has Jesus Christ to ask me to follow Him? Why should I? Who is He that He should set Himself up as being the perfect Example and the Guide for all the world? What has He done to bind me to Him, that I should take Him for my Master, and yield myself to Him in a subjection that I refuse to the mightiest names in literature, and thought, and practical benevolence? Who is this that assumes thus to dominate over us all? Ah! brethren, there is only one answer. ‘This is none other than the Son of God who has given Himself a ransom for me, and therefore has the right, and only therefore has the right, to say to me, “Follow Me.”‘
III. And now one last word. Think for a moment about this silently and swiftly obedient disciple.
There is an old church tradition which says that the disciple who at a subsequent period answered Christ, ‘Lord! suffer me first to go and bury my father,’ was this same Apostle. I do not think that at all likely, but the tradition suggests to us one last thought about the reasons why people are kept back from yielding this obedience to Christ’s invitation. Many of you are kept back, as that procrastinating follower was, because there are some other duties which you feel, or make to be, more important. ‘I will think about Christianity and turning religious when this, that, or the other thing has been got over. I have my position in life to make. I have a great many things to do that must be done at once, and really, I have not time to think about it.’
Then there are some of you that are kept from following Christ because you have never yet found out that you need a guide at all. Then there are some of you that are kept back because you like very much better to go your own way, and to follow your own inclination, and dislike the idea of following the will of another. There are a host of other reasons that I do not need to deal with now; but oh! brethren, none of them is worth pleading. They are excuses, they are not reasons. ‘They all with one consent began to make excuse’-excuses, not reasons; and manufactured excuses, in order to cover a decision which has been taken before, and on other grounds altogether, which it is not convenient to bring up to the surface. I am not going to deal with these in detail, but I beseech you, do not let what I venture to call Christ’s seeking of you once more, even by my poor words now, be in vain.
Follow Him. Trust, obey, imitate, hold fellowship with Him. You will always have a Companion, you will always have a Protector. ‘He that followeth Me,’ saith He, ‘shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ And if you will listen to the Shepherd’s voice and follow Him, that sweet old promise will be true, in its divinest and sweetest sense, about your life, in time; and about your life in the moment of death, the isthmus between two worlds, and about your life in eternity-’They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the sun nor heat smite them; for He that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall He guide them.’ ‘Follow thou Me.’
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh 1:43-51
43The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip 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.” 46Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48Nathanael 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.” 49Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” 50Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Joh 1:43 “The next day” John includes chronological markers throughout the Gospel (cf. Joh 1:29; Joh 1:35; Joh 1:43; Joh 2:1; etc). The general context (1) starts in Joh 1:19, which could be the first day; (2) Joh 1:29; Joh 1:35; Joh 1:43 have “the next day”; and (3) Joh 2:1 has “on the third day.”
“He purposed to go into” John records an early period of Jesus’ ministry in Judea which is not recorded in the Synoptic Gospels. John’s Gospel focuses on Jesus’ ministry in Judea and particularly Jerusalem. Here, however, He wants to go to Galilee possibly for the wedding at Cana (John 2).
“follow Me” This is a present active imperative. This was a rabbinical call to be a permanent disciple. The Jews had set guidelines which defined this relationship.
Joh 1:44 “Now Philip was from Bethsaida” The name of this city means “house of fishing.” This was also the home of Andrew and Peter.
Joh 1:45 “Nathanael” This is a Hebrew name which means “God has given.” He is not referred to by this name in the Synoptic Gospels. It is assumed by modern scholars that he is the one called “Bartholomew,” but this remains only a supposition.
SPECIAL TOPIC: CHART OF APOSTLES’ NAMES
“the Law and also the Prophets” This refers to two of the three sections of the Hebrew canon: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (which was still discussed at Jamnia in A.D. 90). It was an idiom for referring to the entire Old Testament.
“Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” This must be understood in light of Jewish usage. Jesus then lived in Nazareth and the father of the home was named Joseph. This does not deny Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem (cf. Mic 5:2), nor His virgin birth (cf. Isa 7:14). See the following Special Topic.
SPECIAL TOPIC: JESUS THE NAZARENE
Joh 1:46 “Nathanael said to him, ‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth'” Obviously Philip and Nathanael knew the OT prophecies; the Messiah would come out of Bethlehem (cf. Mic 5:2) near Jerusalem, not Nazareth in Galilee of the Gentiles, but Isa 9:1-7 implies this very thing!
Joh 1:47
NASB, NKJV,
NRSV”in whom there is no deceit”
TEV”there is nothing false in him”
NJB”in whom there is no deception”
This means a straightforward man with no hidden motives (cf. Psa 32:2), a true representation of the chosen people, Israel.
Joh 1:48 “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you'” Obviously Jesus used His supernatural knowledge (i.e., Joh 2:24-25; Joh 4:17-19; Joh 4:29; Joh 6:61; Joh 6:64; Joh 6:71; Joh 13:1; Joh 13:11; Joh 13:27-28; Joh 16:19; Joh 16:30; Joh 18:4) to give a sign to Nathanael that He was the Messiah.
It is difficult to understand how Jesus’ deity and humanity functioned. In some texts it is uncertain whether Jesus was using “supernatural” powers or human abilities. Here the inference is “supernatural” ability.
Joh 1:49 “Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God. . .King of Israel'” Notice the two titles! Both have nationalistic Messianic implications (i.e., Psalms 2). These early disciples understood Jesus in first century Jewish categories. They did not fully understand His person and work as the Suffering Servant (cf. Isaiah 53) until after the resurrection.
Joh 1:51
NASB”Truly, truly, I say to you,”
NKJV”Most assuredly, I say to you,”
NRSV”Very truly, I tell you,”
TEV”I am telling you the truth”
NJB”In all truth”
Literally this is “Amen! Amen!” Jesus’ doubling of this term is found only in John’s Gospel, where it appears twenty-five times. “Amen” is a form of the Hebrew word for faith (emeth) which meant “to be firm” (see Special Topic at Joh 1:14). It was used in the OT as a metaphor for stability and trustworthiness. It came to be translated “faith” or “faithfulness.” However, in time it came to be used of an affirmation. In this initial position in a sentence, it was a unique way of drawing attention to Jesus’ significant, trustworthy statements or revelation from YHWH (cf. Joh 1:51; Joh 2:3; Joh 2:5; Joh 2:11; Joh 5:19; Joh 5:24-25; Joh 6:26; Joh 6:32; Joh 6:47; Joh 6:53; Joh 8:34; Joh 8:51; Joh 8:58; Joh 10:1; Joh 10:7; Joh 12:24; Joh 13:16; Joh 13:20-21; Joh 13:38; Joh 14:12; Joh 16:20; Joh 16:23; Joh 21:18).
Notice the change to the plural (pronoun and verb). This must have been addressed to all those standing there.
SPECIAL TOPIC: AMEN
“you, you” These are both plurals. Jesus is addressing all who were standing there and, in a sense, all humanity!
“the heavens opened” This phrase has an OT Theophany ring to it.
1. Ezekiel, Eze 1:1
2. Jesus, Mat 3:16; Mar 1:10; Luk 3:21
3. Stephen, Act 7:56
4. Peter, Act 10:11
5. The Second Coming, Rev 19:11
This is perfect active participle which implies they remained opened. The term “heavens” is plural because in Hebrew it is plural. This can refer to (1) the atmosphere above the earth as in Genesis 1 or (2) the very presence of God.
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE HEAVENS AND THE THIRD HEAVEN
“the angels of God ascending and descending” This is an allusion to Jacob’s experience at Bethel (cf. Gen 28:10 ff). Jesus is asserting that as God promised to provide all of Jacob’s needs, God was providing all of His needs!
“Son of Man” This is Jesus’ self-chosen designation. It was an Hebraic phrase referring to a human being (cf. Psa 8:4; Eze 2:1). But because of its use in Dan 7:13, it took on divine qualities. This term had no nationalistic or militaristic overtones because it was not used by the rabbis. Jesus chose it because it combined the two aspects of His nature (human and divine, cf. 1Jn 4:1-3). John mentions Jesus using it for Himself thirteen times.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
The day following. The last of these four days of John’s ministry. (Compare verses: Joh 1:19, Joh 1:29, Joh 1:35, Joh 19:43.)
would = desired to. Greek. thelo. App-102.
Galilee. See App-169.
Philip. App-141.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
43.] This is evidently the first bestowal of the new name on Simon: and it is done from our Lords prophetic knowledge of his future character: see note on Mat 16:18.
= Aramaic, Hebrew, a stone. The Greek name Peter became the prevalent one in the apostolic Church very soon: Paul uses both names indiscriminately.
I own I cannot but think with Bengel, Paulus, and Strauss, that the knowledge of Simon shewn by the Lord is intended to be miraculous. So also Stier, i. 31 f. edn. 2, I know who and what thou art from thy birth till thy present coming to me. I name thee, I give thee a new name, I know what I will make of thee in thy following of Me and for my Kingdom. The emphatic use of here (it is not so emphatic in Joh 1:36, but still even there may imply fixed contemplation, in the power of the Spirit, who suggested the testimony) is hardly accountable except on this explanation of supernatural knowledge. Similarly Abram, Sara, Jacob, received new names in reference to the covenant and promises of God to them.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 1:43. , would go forth) and He did go forth, which ch. Joh 2:1 implies. By comparing with this ch. 2, especially the 11th verse, This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory, etc., it is evident that the word for going forth is significant. He went forth to action, to the carrying on of His work.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 1:43
Joh 1:43
On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip: and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me.-Galilee was his home, and the day following that on which Peter came to him he was minded to return to Galilee and found Philip. Philip is of the same city (Bethsaida) of Peter and Andrew, James and John. They had all come down to hear the preaching of John, had been taught by him, and tarried with him until he bore testimony to Jesus. We are not to conclude that Philip and Jesus heretofore had not known each other.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the Doubter Becomes a Disciple
Joh 1:43-51
The Apostles were attracted to the Master in different ways. Some came to Him through preaching, as when John proclaimed His rank and sacrifice. Others were brought through human relationships. The record does not say how many Andrew brought to Jesus, but we are told that he at least brought his own brother. Others were brought by the Masters direct personal influence-he findeth Philip. Still others were brought by the call and ties of friendship, following on a long course of previous preparation. Philip had often crossed the hills that separated the Lake from Cana, where Nathanael dwelt, and the two would earnestly discuss the signs of the time: the desperate straits of their country, the preaching of the Baptist, and the Messiahs advent. The guileless Israelite would sit beneath his favorite fig-tree, pondering over the things which Moses and the prophets had written. It was not difficult to win such a man, when Philip broke in on him with the news of their discovery.
Jesus is always showing us greater things, Joh 1:50. He leads His disciples onward and upward, for He is Himself the ladder of ascent to God.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
and findeth: Isa 65:1, Mat 4:18-21, Mat 9:9, Luk 19:10, Phi 3:12, 1Jo 4:19
Reciprocal: Mat 4:19 – Follow Mat 8:22 – follow Mat 10:3 – Philip Mar 3:18 – Philip Luk 5:27 – Follow me Luk 23:5 – beginning Joh 1:37 – and they Joh 2:1 – the third Joh 4:3 – again Joh 12:21 – Philip Joh 14:8 – Philip Act 1:13 – Philip
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4
Day following means the day after the one on which Jesus had the conversation with Peter. Jesus left his place of lodging and started to go to Galilee. Upon arriving there he came to the home town of Andrew and Peter. There Jesus met Philip who was told to follow Him, and he became one of the 12 apostles.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
LET us observe, as we read these verses, how various are the paths by which souls are led into the narrow way of life.
We are told of a man, named Philip, being added to the little company of Christ’s disciples. He does not appear to have been moved, like Andrew and his companions, by the testimony of John the Baptist. He was not drawn, like Simon Peter, by the out-spoken declaration of a brother. He seems to have been called directly by Christ Himself, and the agency of man seems not to have been used in his calling. Yet in faith and life he became one with those who were disciples before him. Though led by different paths, they all entered the same road, embraced the same truths, served the same Master, and at length reached the same home.
The fact before us is a deeply important one. It throws light on the history of all God’s people in every age, and of every tongue. There are diversities of operations in the saving of souls. All true Christians are led by one Spirit, washed in one blood, serve one Lord, lean on one Savior, believe one truth, and walk by one general rule. But all are not converted in one and the same manner. All do not pass through the same experience. In conversion, the Holy Ghost acts as a sovereign. He calleth every one severally as He will.
A careful recollection of this point may save us much trouble. We must beware of making the experience of other believers the measure of our own. We must beware of denying another’s grace, because he has not been led by the same way as ourselves. Has a man got the real grace of God? This is the only question that concerns us.-Is he a penitent man? Is he a believer? Does he live a holy life?-Provided these inquiries can be answered satisfactorily, we may well be content. It matters nothing by what path a man has been led, if he has only been led at last into the right way.
Let us observe, secondly, in these verses, how much of Christ there is in the Old Testament Scriptures. We read that when Philip described Christ to Nathanael, he says, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write.”
Christ is the sum and substance of the Old Testament. To Him the earliest promises pointed in the days of Adam, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. To Him every sacrifice pointed in the ceremonial worship appointed at Mount Sinai. Of Him every high priest was a type, and every part of the tabernacle was a shadow, and every judge and deliverer of Israel was a figure. He was the prophet like unto Moses, whom the Lord God promised to send, and the King of the house of David, who came to be David’s Lord as well as son. He was the Son of the virgin, and the Lamb, foretold by Isaiah,-the righteous Branch mentioned by Jeremiah,-the true Shepherd, foreseen by Ezekiel,-the Messenger of the Covenant, promised by Malachi,-and the Messiah, who, according to Daniel, was to be cut off, though not for Himself. The further we read in the volume of the Old Testament, the clearer do we find the testimony about Christ. The light which the inspired writers enjoyed in ancient days was, at best, but dim, compared to that of the Gospel. But the coming Person they all saw afar off, and on whom they all fixed their eyes, was one and the same. The Spirit, which was in them, testified of Christ. (1Pe 1:11.)
Do we stumble at this saying? Do we find it hard to see Christ in the Old Testament, because we do not see His name? Let us be sure that the fault is all our own. It is our spiritual vision which is to blame, and not the book. The eyes of our understanding need to be enlightened. The veil has yet to be taken away. Let us pray for a more humble, childlike, and teachable spirit, and let us take up “Moses and the prophets” again. Christ is there, though our eyes may not yet have seen Him. May we never rest till we can subscribe to our Lord’s words about the Old Testament Scriptures, “They are they which testify of me.” (Joh 5:39.)
Let us observe, thirdly, in these verses, the good advice which Philip gave to Nathanael. The mind of Nathanael was full of doubts about the Savior, of whom Philip told Him. “Can there any good thing,” he said, “come out of Nazareth?” And what did Philip reply? He said, “Come and see.”
Wiser counsel than this it would be impossible to conceive! If Philip had reproved Nathanael’s unbelief, he might have driven him back for many a day, and given offence. If he had reasoned with him, he might have failed to convince him, or might have confirmed him in his doubts. But by inviting him to prove the matter for himself, he showed his entire confidence in the truth of his own assertion, and his willingness to have it tested and proved. And the result shows the wisdom of Philip’s words. Nathanael owed his early acquaintance with Christ to that frank invitation, “Come and see.”
If we call ourselves true Christians, let us never be afraid to deal with people about their souls as Philip dealt with Nathanael. Let us invite them boldly to make proof of our religion. Let us tell them confidently that they cannot know its real value until they have tried it. Let us assure them that vital Christianity courts every possible inquiry. It has no secrets. It has nothing to conceal. Its faith and practice are spoken against, just because they are not known. Its enemies speak evil of things with which they are not acquainted. They understand neither what they say nor whereof they affirm. Philip’s mode of dealing, we may be sure, is one principal way to do good. Few are ever moved by reasoning and argument. Still fewer are frightened into repentance. The man who does most good to souls, is often the simple believer who says to his friends, “I have found a Savior; come and see Him.”
Let us observe, lastly, in these verses, the high character which Jesus gives of Nathanael. He calls him “an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.”
Nathanael, there can be no doubt, was a true child of God, and a child of God in difficult times. He was one of a very little flock. Like Simeon and Anna, and other pious Jews, he was living by faith and waiting prayerfully for the promised Redeemer, when our Lord’s ministry began. He had that which grace alone can give, an honest heart, a heart without guile. His knowledge was probably small. His spiritual eyesight was dim. But he was one who had lived carefully up to his light. He had diligently used such knowledge as he possessed. His eye had been single, though his vision had not been strong. His spiritual judgment had been honest, though it had not been powerful. What he saw in Scripture, he had held firmly, in spite of Pharisees and Sadducees, and all the fashionable religion of the day. He was an honest Old Testament believer, who had stood alone. And here was the secret of our Lord’s peculiar commendation! He declared Nathanael to be a true son of Abraham,-a Jew inwardly, possessing circumcision in the spirit as well as in the letter,-an Israelite in heart, as well as a son of Jacob in the flesh.
Let us pray that we may be of the same spirit as Nathanael. An honest, unprejudiced mind,-a child-like willingness to follow the truth, wherever the truth may lead us,-a simple, hearty desire to be guided, taught, and led by the Spirit,-a thorough determination to use every spark of light which we have,-are a possession of priceless value. A man of this spirit may live in the midst of much darkness, and be surrounded by every possible disadvantage to his soul. But the Lord Jesus will take care that such a man does not miss the way to heaven. “The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” (Psa 25:9.)
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Notes-
v43.-[The day following.] This is the fourth successive day which is specially named by John, and its events described. The first contained John the Baptist’s reply to the priests and Levites,-the second, his public announcement of our Lord as the Lamb of God,-the third, the calling of Andrew and his companion, and Peter,-the fourth describes the calling of Philip and Nathanael.
[Would go forth.] The Greek word rendered “would,” signifies that our Lord “willed or had a will.”
[Findeth Philip.] It does not appear where Philip was when Jesus called him. He must either have been at Bethabara, among John’s hearers,-or at some place on the road from Bethabara to Galilee,-or at his own native place, Bethsaida. The last is perhaps the most probable idea.
[Follow me.] This simple sentence describes the direct quickening voice of an almighty Saviour. It is evident that the power of the Holy Ghost accompanied our Lord’s words, and that as soon as they were spoken, Philip, like Matthew the publican, arose, left all, and became a disciple. In conversion God acts as a sovereign. One is called in one way, and another in another. Rollock observes on this verse, “This teaches us that Christ is able to call any one whom He pleases into the kingdom of heaven, without the ministry either of angel or man.”
v44.-[Philip…of Bethsaida…city… Andrew…Peter.] This verse seems to make it probable that Philip’s conversion and calling took place at Bethsaida. Andrew and Peter having been converted and become companions of Jesus on His way to Galilee, would appear to have taken Him to their own native place, Bethsaida.
v45.-[We have found him.] Philip, like his fellow-citizen, Andrew, seems to have expected the appearance of Messiah.
Chrysostom remarks, “Seest thou what a thoughtful mind he had, how assiduously he meditates on the writings of Moses, and expected the advent ? The expression, ‘we have found,’ belongs always to those who are in some way seeking.”
[Him….Moses….prophets did write.] Here, as in the case of Andrew, we should notice the familiarity with the general contents of Scripture which a poor Jew like Philip possessed. He thoroughly understood that “Moses and the prophets” held forth the promise of a coming Redeemer, and that a better Priest, Prophet, and King were foretold in their writings. “The Old Testament,” as the Church of England Article wisely declares, “is not contrary to the New; for both in the Old Testament and New, everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ.” We must beware, in these latter days, of despising the Old Testament. It is one by-path to infidelity.
[Jesus of Nazareth…son of Joseph.] Philip here describes our Lord according to the common report about Him, and in all probability according to his own present knowledge. His heart was at present better than his head. The miraculous conception of Christ was hidden from him. Yet it is not unworthy of remark, that this ignorant account of our Lord was very likely the cause of Nathanael’s doubt and prejudice, exhibited in the next verse. The mistakes of young converts are often mighty stumbling-blocks in the way of other people’s souls. We must not, however, despise Philip because of his mistake. Rollock remarks, “I had rather a man should stammer and babble about Christ, providing he does it sincerely and from his heart, and has before him as an object the glory of God and salvation of men, than say many things eloquently about Christ, for ostentation and vain glory.”
v46.-[Can any good thing…come…Nazareth?] This question shows the low estimate in which Nazareth, where our Lord had been brought up, was held. It was an obscure town in a corner of Galilee, not far from the borders of the province, and its reputation seems to have been very bad. Nathanael could not remember any prophecy about Messiah coming out of Nazareth, and at once stumbled at the idea of Him whom “Moses and the prophets” had described, belonging to such a contemptible place.
The condescension of our Lord in living thirty years in such a place as Nazareth, is strongly brought out by Nathanael’s question.
Augustine, Cyril, Origen, and others thought that the sentence before us ought not to be interpreted as a question, but as a simple affirmation, “Some good thing may come out of Nazareth.” Wycliffe’s version also takes this view. The sentence would then be the expression of a calm and unprejudiced mind, acknowledging the possibility of good coming from Nazareth. Musculus thinks it possible, in this view of the expression, that Nathanael might have had in his mind the remarkable prophetical saying quoted in Matthew, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” The judgment of the great majority of interpreters agrees with our own translation, that it is a question, and not an assertion; and it is by far the more probable view of the text.
[Come and see.] How common this expression was among the Jewish religious teachers has been already noticed. Philip’s wisdom in not arguing and reasoning with Nathanael, should be observed. Ford gives a good quotation from Adam, “Little good comes by disputing. Pride is generally at the bottom of it, and not charity or love of truth; and it is seldom managed with decency or candour enough to produce any good effect. Let fall a word in season, and wait in patience till the rain drops on it from heaven.”
v47.-[In whom is no guile.] It is very likely that in using this expression our Lord referred to the 32nd Psalm, where the character of the godly man is described. He is not only one whose iniquities are forgiven, but one “in whose lips there is no guile.” The expression implies a true heart, a really converted man, a genuine son of Abraham by faith, as well as a son according to the flesh.
Hutcheson observes, “The true mark of a true Israelite in spirit, is not sinlessness or perfection, but sincerity.”
v48.-[Whence knowest thou me?] This question implies Nathanael’s surprise that Jesus should exhibit any knowledge of his character.
[When…under…fig-tree I saw thee.] The common opinion about this expression is, that Nathanael was praying or holding communion with God under the fig-tree. It may be so. We are told nothing about it, and are entirely left to conjecture. If it had been good for us to know, it would have been told us. Sufficient for us to understand that when Nathanael thought he was alone and no eye upon him, the Lord Jesus, by His divine power of seeing and knowing all things, was perfectly acquainted with all that Nathanael said, thought, and did. His “eyes are in every place.” (Pro 15:3.)
Chrysostom and Theophylact think that the expression only refers to the conversation between Philip and Nathanael about Jesus, -which had taken place under a fig-tree. Grotius takes the same view.
Grill mentions a tradition in the Syriac dictionary, “that Nathanael’s mother had laid him under a fig-tree when the infants were slain at Bethlehem by Herod,” (Mat 2:16,) and that our Lord showed His perfect knowledge by referring to this fact.
Heinsius thinks there is a reference to the prophecy of Zechariah, “In that day ye shall call every man his neighbour, under the vine and under the fig-tree,” (Zec 3:10,) and that hence Nathanael drew the inference that Messiah’s days were come, and Messiah before him.
Augustine sees an allegory in the fig-tree, and gravely says, “that as Adam and Eve, when they had sinned, made themselves aprons of fig-leaves, fig-leaves must signify sins. Nathanael therefore being under the fig-tree, signifies being under the shadow of death”!
v49.-[Thou art…Son of God…King of Israel.] These words are the outburst of a heart convinced at once that Jesus was the Messiah. They are a noble confession that our Lord was that divine Person who was promised to come into the world to redeem sinners, and that King who was prophesied of as the future Gatherer and Ruler of the tribes of Israel. Whether Nathanael clearly understood the nature of our Lord’s kingdom at this time, may be reasonably doubted. But that he saw, like Peter, that He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed, we cannot doubt. The restoring of the kingdom to Israel was a subject which we know from other passages of Scripture, was one of the last which the first disciples were able to understand aright. (Act 1:6.)
The history of Nathanael’s calling at this point should be compared with that of the woman of Samaria, in the fourth chapter of this Gospel. It is striking to observe that a discovery and conviction of our Lord’s perfect knowledge of the most secret things, was in both cases the turning point.
It should not be forgotten, that the title “King of Israel,” was one which our Lord never refused during His ministry, though He never took to Himself His great power and actually reigned.
The angel Gabriel foretold that the “Lord God would give unto Him the throne of His father David, and that He would reign over the house of Jacob, and that of His kingdom there would be no end.” (Luk 1:32-33.) When the wise men came from the East, they inquired for him who was born “King of the Jews.” (Mat 2:2.) When our Lord was crucified, the title over His head was, “King of the Jews.” All this shall yet be literally true. Christ shall yet be King in Zion, and reign over the gathered and restored tribes of Israel at His second coming. And then the words of Nathanael shall be seen completely fulfilled. He shall be acknowledged by all as the “Son of God, and King of Israel.”
v50.-[Believest thou?] It admits of a question whether this expression would not be better rendered, as it might be with perfect grammatical correctness, “thou believest.” It would then be very like our Lord’s words to Thomas, “Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed.” (Joh 20:29.) The sense would be, “Because I said I saw thee under the fig-tree thou believest. It is well. Great is thy faith. But I tell thee for thy comfort and encouragement, that thou shalt one day see far greater proofs of my divinity and Messiahship than these.” Wycliffe’s, Tyndale’s, and Cranmer’s versions, all render the expression as an affirmation, and not as a question. Aretius maintains the same view.
v51.-[Verily, verily I say.] This expression is peculiar to John’s Gospel, and very remarkable. It is the word which is familiar to all Christians, “Amen,” twice repeated. It is found twentyfive times in this Gospel, always at the beginning of a sentence, and always used by Christ. In every place it implies a very solemn, emphatic assertion of some great truth, or heart-searching fact. No other writer in the New Testament, except John, ever gives the double “Amen.”
[Hereafter…ye shall see…heaven…angels…Son of man.] This prediction is very remarkable. It should be carefully observed, that it is not addressed to Nathanael alone. The preceding verse says, “thou shalt see.” The present verse says, “ye shall see,”-that is, “thou and all my other disciples.”
About the true meaning of the prediction, commentators differ exceedingly. Arguing, as nearly all do, that the words plainly refer to Jacob’s vision of the ladder reaching from heaven to earth, (Gen 28:12,) they disagree about the way in which the prediction is fulfilled.
Some think, as Stier, that the prediction must be interpreted figuratively, and that it was fulfilled when our Lord was upon earth. They think it only means that Nathanael and the other disciples would see a still fuller revelation of Christ and the Gospel by and bye. They would see a figurative fulfilment of Jacob’s vision, and a way opened from earth to heaven for all true Israelites or believers. They would see still greater proofs, in the shape of miracles and signs, that Jesus was the Son of God. Heaven, in a spiritual sense shut by the sin of the first Adam, would be opened by the obedience of the second Adam. “The heavenly ladder,” says Bonaventura, quoted by Calovius, “was broken in Adam and repaired in Christ.”-According to this view, “the angels of God” in the text mean nothing in particular, which, to say the least, seems a very loose and unsatisfactory explanation.
Others think, as Rollock, that the prediction must be interpreted literally, and that it was fulfilled while our Lord was on earth. They think it was accomplished when our Lord was transfigured,-when an angel appeared in the garden of Gethsemane,-and when our Lord ascended on the Mount of Olives. This view also seems very unsatisfactory. The transfiguration and the agony in the garden, were not seen by Nathanael at all. There is nothing whatever said about angels appearing, either at the transfiguration or the ascension. And as to “angels ascending and descending,” there is nothing at any period of the Gospel history at all answering to the expression.
The only true and satisfactory view, I believe, is that which makes the whole prediction apply to events which are still future. Our Lord spoke of His second coming and kingdom. When He comes the second time to take His great power and reign, the words of this text shall be literally fulfilled. His believing people shall see heaven open, and a constant communication kept up between heaven and earth,-the tabernacle of God with men, and the angels visibly ministering to the King of Israel, and King of all the earth.
The context confirms me in this view of the text. Nathanael believed Jesus to be the Messiah, when he was lowly and poor. Jesus rewards his faith by assuring him that, lowly as He now seems, He shall one day come in the clouds of heaven and reign as a King.
I am further confirmed by the striking likeness between our Lord’s words here, and those He addressed to the chief priests, in the day that He was arraigned as a prisoner before them: “Hereafter ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” (Mat 26:64.)
This view of the prediction is maintained by Gomarus.
I am aware that some maintain, in opposition to the view I support, that the Greek word rendered “hereafter,” must mean “from henceforth,” i.e. “immediately after the present time, and ever hereafter,” and does not imply a distant event. In reply, I would have it specially noted, that the Greek word here translated “hereafter,” is the very same that is used by our Lord in the solemn words, just quoted, which he addressed to the chief priests when He was arraigned. (Luk 22:69.) In that case, there cannot be any reasonable doubt that He spoke of a far distant event and time. I believe, that in like manner, He speaks of a far distant event and time in this place.
As to the nature of Christ’s future kingdom, and the intercourse which shall then be kept up by angels between earth and heaven, this is not the place to speak. I only remark, that the words before us will probably receive a far more real and literal accomplishment than many of us are expecting.
It is worthy of remark that Nathanael calls our Lord “the Son of God.” Jesus in His prediction tells him he shall see angels ascending and descending on the “Son of man.” He whom Nathanael now saw as a man, would yet appear as man glorified in the heavenly kingdom. He would even then be God-man. The expression “Son of man,” here first used by John, seems derived, as Chemnitius says, from Daniel’s words in a prophecy about Messiah. (Dan 7:13-14.) It is never applied to our Lord by any but Himself, except by Stephen. (Act 7:56.) Lightfoot thinks that “it is used so often by our Saviour about Himself, as intimating that he is the second Adam, the true seed of the woman.”
In leaving this passage, the question naturally arises, Who was Nathanael? How is it that we hear so little afterwards of so good a man and so clear-sighted a believer?
Some think, as Augustine and others, that Nathanael was purposely not placed among our Lord’s immediate companions and apostles, because he was a man of learning and knowledge, lest any should say that our Lord chose learned men to be His first ministers. I can see nothing in this argument. There is no evidence to my own mind that Nathanael was more learned than other Jews of humble birth, in our Lord’s time. Moreover he was a friend of Philip, one of our Lord’s apostles, and most probably a man of similar position and attainments.-In fact we are told elsewhere that he lived at “Cana of Galilee.” (Joh 21:2.)
Some think, because Nathanael lived at Cana, that he was the same person as the apostle Simon the Canaanite. (Mat 10:4; Mar 3:18.)
Some think, that he was Stephen the martyr, because Stephen saw the heavens opened in vision. (Act 7:56.)
The most probable opinion to my own mind is, that Nathanael was the apostle who is called elsewhere Bartholomew, and who, like others of the apostles, had two names. In favour of this opinion there are three remarkable facts. The first is, that in three lists of the twelve apostles out of four, the names of Philip and Bartholomew are always found together. (Mat 10:3; Mar 3:18; Luk 6:14.)-The second is, that Nathanael is specially mentioned after our Lord’s ascension as a companion of Peter, Thomas, James, John, and two other disciples.-The third is, that John never once mentions the name of Bartholomew in his Gospel.-The objection that Nathanael’s name is never mentioned by Matthew, Mark, or Luke, is of no weight. No one of the three, it may be replied, tells us that Peter was called Cephas. Only Matthew gives Jude, the brother of James, the name of Lebbus.
The point happily is not one of any particular importance. I only say that the conjectural probability that Nathanael was an apostle, and was the same as Bartholomew, seems to me very strong and well founded.
In leaving this chapter the observation of Aretius is worth quoting. He remarks that the chapter is singularly rich in names or epithets applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. He numbers up the following twenty-one. 1. The Word. 2. God. 3. Life. 4. Light. 5. The true light. 6. The only begotten of the Father. 7. Full of grace and truth. 8. Jesus Christ. 9. The only begotten Son. 10. The Lord. 11. The Lamb of God. 12. Jesus. 13. A Man. 14. The Son of God. 15. Rabbi. 16. Teacher. 17. Messiah. 18. Christ. 19. The Son of Joseph. 20. The King of Israel. 21. The Son of man.
Fuente: Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels
Joh 1:43. The next day he would go forth into Galilee. On this day begins the journey consummated at Joh 2:1 (see note).And he findeth Philip; and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me. The first two disciples had sought and followed Jesus; then they had found Him. Now Jesus (seeks and) finds Philip, and bids him follow Him (compare the two parables in Mat 13:44; Mat 13:46). We are left to infer that the command was immediately obeyed. The calling of Philip and of Nathanael is recorded by John alone; both Matthew and Mark relate that Jesus called to Him Andrew and Peter, James and John (Mat 4:18-22; Mar 1:16-20; compare Luk 5:111); but it will be remembered that this was a second summons, later (by some months, probably) than the events of which we are reading here.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Subdivision 4. (Joh 1:43-51).
The earthly gathering.
We have a new day, and the Lord meaning to go forth into Galilee, which we have seen elsewhere to be the typical place of blessing for Israel (see p. 69 notes) where her ruin is most manifest. And now, instead of a continuation of the former gathering by the testimony of disciples, there is a new beginning, and the work of the Lord Himself, who calls Philip. Now the disciples, work begins again: Philip calls Nathanael with a new testimony; “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets wrote, Jesus the son of Joseph, who is from Nazareth.” The being the (titular) son of Joseph, which sounds strange as the voice of faith in John’s Gospel, gives Him yet His apparent legal title to the throne. Exceptional in this Gospel it plainly is, but the King of Israel is manifestly intended to be now before us: in principle it is an Israelitish gathering that is begun. Nathanael shows also at first the Jewish unbelief: “Can anything good be out of Nazareth?” And yet the Lord testifies of him, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.” Notice that it is as an “Israelite” he is presented to us. “Whence knowest thou me?” he asks in surprise. “Before Philip called thee,” the Lord answers, “when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee.” Doubtless there had been some special exercise of heart, -something in which he had been seeking God, -that Christ refers to. And with the true remnant of Israel in the last days, we know that the exercises through which they will pass will be as overshadowed by the fig-tree, which is the figure of a remnant of the nation returned to the land, but not returned to God (Luk 13:6-9), and who will receive Antichrist. The Psalms enter largely into these trials and sorrows; and in them God has provided for them beforehand that which will sustain their faith through that unequalled tribulation through which they will have to pass. In them, when they come to see Him face to face they will find how the Christ they have been seeking has been already with them.
Nathanael at once owns him, as the people will, and in the way in which (as we have seen in the other Gospels) He must be owned, to have blessing from Him: “Rabbi, Thou art the Son or God; Thou art, the King of Israel.” As Son of God, they rejected Him in the high priest’s court; as King of Israel, before Pilate. Here plainly Nathanael shows himself as representing the faith of the nation in the day to come; and in that character the Lord answers him: “Because I said, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see heaven opened. and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” If the “henceforth” here is to be accepted, then it would seem even plainer that the Lord anticipates the time when the nation converted to God will make their own the confession of this new disciple. From that time heaven will indeed be opened to them, and they will see the angels its inhabitants attendant upon One who will be manifestly “Son of man.” This will be indeed a marvellous and blessed thing to see; and the title “Son of man,” we have seen constantly connected by the Lord with His appearing in the clouds of heaven, with the glory of the angels. Doubtless it was also the title He loved to take during His life-time upon earth, as bringing near to those among whom He was the grace of His incarnation but the whole connection as we have traced it, and the full meaning of the words themselves, seem to forbid more than a partial reference of them to the time of His earth-sojourn. Israel on the other hand will in millennial days undoubtedly stand under the glory of the heavens opened; but thus still be in a position short of theirs who will go in where He abides, and abide with Him. The two companies, the heavenly and the earthly, are thus in marked contrast, yet in connection with one another; and we see the Lord in His place as the Centre of each. How suited, we may again say, that after His manifestation in the fulness of His grace, as the evangelist has shown Him, we should see the effect of this in the two circles of blessing which now we see around Him, and which are but the types of those who shall fill heaven and earth and eternity with their joy and praise.
Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary
Joh 1:43-44. The day following The next to that last mentioned, on which he met with Peter; Jesus would go forth into Galilee And there enter on his public ministry; and findeth Philip Whom he intended to choose to be one of his apostles; and saith to him, Follow me Which he accordingly did, being secretly influenced by Christs grace. When we consider how suddenly some of Christs disciples left their stated employments to follow him, it seems reasonable to allow some singular kind of impression on their minds, as there was in the calling of Elisha, (1Ki 19:19-21,) which, though for the present it superseded the necessity of arguments, yet it did not exclude their attending to that afterward, which might be necessary to defend their conduct to others. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew As it appears from the subsequent part of the history, Philip was already acquainted with our Lords character, and believed on him, this observation is made by the evangelist, to show by what means he was brought to Jesus; his townsmen, Andrew and Peter, had done him this favour.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ver. 43. And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus, looking upon him fixedly, saith, Thou art Simon, son of Jonas, thou shalt be called Cephas (which means: Peter).
The pres. he finds and he says (Joh 1:42) were descriptive; the aor. he brought indicates the transition to the following act: the presentation of Peter. The word denotes a penetrating glance which reaches to the very centre of the individuality. This word serves to explain the following apostrophe; for the latter is precisely the consequence of the way in which Jesus had penetrated the character of Simon, and had discovered in him, at the first look, the elements of the future Peter. It is not necessary to suppose that Jesus in a miraculous way knew the names of Simon and his father; Andrew, in presenting his brother, must have named him to Jesus. Instead of Jona, the three principal Alexandrian authorities read John. The received reading is, perhaps, a correction according to Mat 16:17 (son of Jonas), where there is no variation of reading and where the name Jonas might be itself an abbreviation of (John), as Weiss supposes. A change of name generally marks a change of life or of position. Gen 17:5 : Thy name shall be no more Abram (exalted father), but Abraham (father of a multitude). Gen 32:28 : Thy name shall be no more Jacob (supplanter), but Israel (conqueror of God, in honorable combat). The Aramaic word Kepha (Hebrew, Keph), denotes a piece of rock. By this name, Jesus characterizes Simon as a person courageous enough and decided enough to become the principal support of the new society which He is about to found. There was surely in the physiognomy of this young fisherman, accustomed to brave the dangers of his profession, the expression of a masculine energy and of an originating power. In designating him by this new name, Jesus takes possession of him and consecrates him, with all his natural qualities, to the work which He is going to entrust to him.
Baur regards this story as a fictitious anticipation of that in Mat 16:18; the author, from his dogmatic standpoint hastens to show forth in Jesus the omniscience of the Logos. But the , having regarded him fixedly, is by no means consistent with such an intention; and as for the expression:
Thou art Peter, Matthew 16, it implies precisely a previous expression in which Jesus had already conferred this surname upon him. Jesus starts, in each case, from that which is, to announce that which is to be; here: Thou artSimon; thou shalt be Peter; in Matthew: thou art Peter; thou shalt really become what this name declares. Availing himself of the fact that Peter is mentioned here third, Hilgenfeld draws up his argument as prosecutor against the author, and says: Peter is thus deprived by him of the position of the first- called! And he finds here a proof of the evangelist’s ill will towards this apostle. Reuss says, with the same idea, Peter is here very expressly put in the second place. But the designation of Andrew as Peter’s brother (Joh 1:41), before the latter has appeared on the scene, and the magnificent surname which Jesus confers upon him at first sight, while no similar honor had been paid to his two predecessorsare there not here, in our narrative, so many points designed to exalt Simon Peter to the rank of the principal personage among all those who formed the original company, who surrounded Jesus? And if this narrative had been invented with the purpose of depreciating Peter, in order to give the first place to John, why make Andrew so prominent and place him even before the latter? And besides, of what consequence is the order of arrival here? Does not every unprejudiced reader feel that the narrative is what it is, simply because the event happened thus. Comp., moreover, Joh 6:68 and Joh 21:15-19 for the part ascribed to Peter in this Gospel.
A contradiction has been found between this account and that of the calling of the same disciples in Galilee, after the miraculous draught of fishes (Mat 4:18-22; Mar 1:16-20; Luk 5:1-11). De Wette, Bruckner, Meyerhimself, regard any reconciliation as impossible, and give preference to the narrative of the fourth Gospel. To the view of Baur, on the contrary, it is our narrative which is an invention of the author. Lucke thinks that the two narratives can be harmonized; that of John having reference to the call of the disciples to faith, that of the Synoptics, to their calling as preachers of the Gospel, in conformity with the words: I will make you fishers of men. The first view cannot positively explain how the Synoptical narrative could arise from the facts related here by John and altered by the oral tradition. Everything is too completely different in the two scenes; the place: here, Judea; there, Galilee; the time: here, the first days of Jesus’ ministry; there, a period already farther on; the persons: in the Synoptics, there is no reference either to Philip or Nathanael; on the other hand, James, who is not named here, is there expressly mentioned; the situation: here, a simple meeting; there, a fishing; finally, the mode: here, a spontaneous attachment; there, an imperative summons.
The view of Baur, on the other hand, cannot explain how the author of the fourth Gospel, in the face of the Synoptical tradition received throughout the whole Church, could attempt to create a new history in all points of the calling of the principal apostles, and a history which positively glorifies Jesus much less than that of the Synoptics. For instead of gaining His disciples by the manifestation of His power, He simply receives them from John the Baptist. The view of Lucke is the only admissible one (see alsoWeiss, Keil and Westcott). Having returned to Galilee (Joh 1:44), Jesus went back for a time to the bosom of His own family, which transferred its residence, probably in order to accompany Him, to Capernaum (Mat 4:13; Joh 2:12; comp. Mar 3:31). In these circumstances, He naturally left His disciples also to return to the bosom of their families (Peter was married); and He called them again, afterwards, in a complete and decisive manner when the necessities of His work and of their spiritual education for their future task required it. The very readiness with which these young fishermen followed His call at that time (Synoptic account),leaving, at His first word, their family and their work to unite themselves with Him, implies that they had already sustained earlier relations to Him. Thus the account of the Synoptics, far from excluding that of John, implies it. Let us remember that the Synoptic narratives had for their essential object the public ministry of Jesus, and that, consequently, these writings could not omit a fact of such capital importance as the calling of the earliest disciples to the office of preachers. The fourth Gospel, on the contrary, having as its aim to describe the development of apostolic faith, was obliged to set in relief the scene which had been the starting point of this faith. We shall prove in many other cases this reciprocal relation between the two writings, which is explained by their different points of view and aims.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
Verse 43
Into Galilee; where he had another interview with Peter and Andrew, and called them to be his disciples, as related Matthew 4:18-20, and more particularly Luke 5:1-11.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
4. The witness of Philip and Andrew 1:43-51
The disciples of John were not the only men who began following Jesus. Andrew continued to bring other friends to Jesus. This incident preceded Jesus’ formal appointment of the Twelve, but it shows Him preparing those who would become His disciples.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The next day appears to be the day after John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Lamb of God and two of his disciples, one of whom was Andrew, started following Jesus. John was evidently baptizing in Perea and Judea around the Jordan River (cf. Mat 3:1; Mat 3:5-6; Mar 1:5). [Note: See the map "Palestine in the Time of Jesus" at the end of these notes.] Now someone-his identity is absent in the Greek text-purposed to head north into Galilee. Probably this person was Andrew rather than Jesus. There are two reasons for this conclusion. Everyone else in this chapter who came to Jesus came on the invitation of someone other than Jesus. Moreover John seems to have been stressing the importance of witnessing for Jesus.
Andrew found Philip (a Greek name meaning "lover of horses") somewhere along the way or, most likely, in Galilee. Philip was from Bethsaida Julius in the region of Galilee (Joh 12:21). Having come to Jesus on Andrew’s invitation, Philip accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow Him. Andrew and Peter had also lived in Bethsaida evidently before they moved to Capernaum (Mar 1:21; Mar 1:29). These men were all undoubtedly acquaintances, if not friends, before they became Jesus’ followers.