A Call to Follow Jesus

The Call of Philip and Nathanael - vs. 43-51

vs. 43. - The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”

Jesus calls Philip to follow him to Galilee, because it is in Galilee that Jesus will reveal his glory.

vs. 44 - Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Bethsaida, from the Hebrew בֵּית צַיְדָה, beith tsaydah, means “house of fishing,” is the city of Andrew and Peter, and not, as may be commonly assumed, the town of Capernaum. Capernaum, which is often associated with Peter, because his mother-in-law lives in the city, becomes Jesus’ base of operations. Even today there is significant historical testimony supporting the presence of New Testament families in the area, and specifically the family of Peter and Andrew.

It’s noteworthy to mention that the names “Philip” and “Andrew” are Greek names, which is not as uncommon as it may initially seem. The influence of the Greek world, under Alexander the Great, had spread to the Levant, which is the historical term for the Eastern Mediterranean.

vs. 45 - A characteristic of discipleship is the desire to tell others about Jesus, and this is a direct result of becoming personally acquainted with him.

Nathanael had reasons to doubt that Jesus was the Messiah: he was from a place unexpected to be associated with the Messiah. Do people today have good reasons to doubt the claims of Christ? Like Nathanael, their initial misgivings can be replaced with confidence and faith when the objective evidence is presented to validate the claims of Christ.

vs. 46 - Philip says to Nathanael, “come and see,” which is the same thing Jesus said to Andrew and the unnamed disciple.

vs. 47 - So then it is integrity of heart before God, and uprightness before men, that makes a Christian; but Christ points out chiefly that kind of deceit which is mentioned in Psal. 32:2. In this passage ἀληθῶς (truly) means something more than certainly. The Greek word, no doubt, is often used as a simple affirmation; but as we must here supply a contrast between the fact and the mere name, he is said to be truly, who is in reality what he is supposed to be.

John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 78.

vs. 48 - The reply of Christ, however, appears to be inappropriate; for though he saw Nathanael under the fig-tree, it does not follow from this that he could penetrate into the deep secrets of the heart. But there is another reason; for as it belongs to God to know men when they are not seen, so also does it belong to Him to see what is not visible to the eyes

John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 78–79.

vs. 49 - indeed, faith ought not to be fixed on the essence of Christ alone, (so to speak,) but ought to attend to his power and office; for it would be of little advantage to know who Christ is, if this second point were not added, what he wishes to be towards us, and for what purpose the Father sent him.

John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 79.

vs. 51 - What does it mean for angels to ascend and descend on the Son of Man?

The imagery is drawn from Jacob’s vision of the ladder (NIV ‘stairway’) ‘resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it’ (Gn. 28:12 - “And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down on it). The last two words, ‘on it’ in the NIV, could equally well be rendered ‘on him’—i.e. the angels of God were ascending and descending on Jacob...Because Jesus explicitly alludes to these experiences in Jacob’s life, it becomes clear what kind of vision he is promising. It is quite beside the point to say that [vs 51] draws a parallel between Jacob and the disciples: both are accorded visions, and what the disciples are promised is what Jacob saw, viz. Jesus himself. After all, the explicit parallel is drawn between Jacob and Jesus: the angels ascend and descend on the Son of Man, as they ascended and descended on Jacob (for clearly that is how John understands Gn. 28:12). To see heaven opened is to be accorded a vision of divine matters (cf. Acts 10:11; Rev. 4:1; 19:11). What the disciples are promised, then, is heaven-sent confirmation that the one they have acknowledged as the Messiah has been appointed by God. Every Jew honoured Jacob/Israel, the father of the twelve tribes; now everyone must recognize that this same God has appointed Jesus as his Messiah. If there is a hint of the ‘new Israel’ theme, it is here...Jesus is the new Israel. Even the old Bethel, the old ‘house of God’, has been superseded. It is no longer there, at Bethel, that God reveals himself, but in Jesus...just as later on Jesus renders obsolete such holy places as the temple (2:19–22) and the sacred mountains of the Samaritans (4:20–24). Through him comes the fulness of grace that surpasses and replaces the earlier grace (1:16).

D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 163–164.

Conclusion: Running from Police, Winding Up in Prison

Cleveland police stopped 20-year-old Ricky Flowers for a traffic violation. While the police were writing out the citation, Flowers slipped his car into gear and took off, which triggered a high-speed chase. Flowers eventually jumped out of the car and scaled a fence to evade officers. Unfortunately for Flowers—and fortunately for truth, justice, and the law-enforcement officers—the fence surrounded the yard of a women’s prison.

Many times we find ourselves running from God, because want to be left alone to live as we want, to do as we please. When the Spirit of God seeks to arrest us, we run. And while running from God we end up in captivity that is much worse, just as Ricky Flowers did. The correct response to the probing of the Spirit is to repent. Turning toward the one who pursues us for righteousness’ sake, also known as repentance, is a much better solution than running from it.

—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell