The Prophet Like Moses - John 1:43-51

Let us Pray!

Heavenly Father, the entrance of Your Word gives light! We ask that You will shine the light of Your Word into our hearts, so that it may be reflected in our lives and illuminate the world around us. Amen

Introduction

Geographical and Personal Names

It is widely agreed that the Gospels were written outside of the Israel, but the geographical information that they contain is spot on. The personal names in use in the Gospels are those used by Jewish people in the land of Israel during the first century AD. Not only that, but the Gospels correctly identify the most frequently used personal names by providing qualifiers (additional information). This speaks well for the historical accuracy of the Canonical Gospels. This information is not incidental it is actually quite important.

If this is a subject that interest you, then I recommend to you a lecture by Dr Peter Williams on YouTube called ‘New Evidence the Gospels were Based on Eyewitness Accounts’.

Who was Philip?

Philip, Andrew, and Peter, were all from Bethsaida . Philip is listed as 5th among the 12 disciples (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:14-19; Luke 6:13-15; Acts 1:13), alongside Bartholomew who is 6th. Philip features more prominently in the Gospel of John than in the other Gospels (John 6:5, 12:20-22, 14:8-9), as does his friend Nathaniel.

Philip was thought by some to be from the tribe of Zebulun. He was credited by a 4th century tradition with taking the Gospel to Parthia, Ethiopia, and Ashdod on the Mediterranean coast. Other speculations about Philip include the possibility that he had previously been a follower of John the Baptist, and that he was the disciple who had asked if he could first bury his father (Matthew 8:21).

Some commentators think that Philip the apostle and Philip the evangelist were one in the same, especially in view of Acts 8 when the Gospel goes to Samaria, and to an Ethiopian Eunuch. He was also credited with taking the Gospel to Phrygia. He may have spent time at Ephesus working with John, which could explain why he features more prominently in John’s Gospel.

What Do We Know About Bethsaida?

Bethsaida was where Andrew, Peter, and Philip, originated. It was a fishing town, hence the meaning of its name House of Fishing. Archaeologist (see LBD) have recovered evidence that supports this description. They have found a large number of fishing related items, including lead fishing weights, iron fishing hooks, large bronze needles for mending nets and sails, basalt rock weights and anchors, and other examples of material culture. There are signs that an early house-church may have existed at Bethsaida. Bethsaida had a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles.

This was a real place with real people that still speak to us today about their life-style and their faith in Jesus through the Gospels.

More Than A Man

Throughout this Gospel we meet Jesus the Rabbi from Galilee, but as John introduces us to the man, he also takes us on his personal journey of discovery, and John shows to his readers how he came to know Jesus as more than just a man, but as a prophet and the Word of God in human form.

Philip the Apostle and Evangelist

John 1:43–45 (NIV)

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Share the Good News

Jesus calls men and women to follow him and share the Good News with others, and that is exactly what Philip did. He went and told his friend. Earlier in this chapter (John 1:40-41) we find that Andrew did something similar and introduced his brother Simon Peter to Jesus. There is no telling what you might be setting in motion when you invite someone to meet Jesus.

Tradesmen-Scholars

In that ancient Middle East it was common practice for Rabbis to call outstanding scholars to travel with them and learn from them, prior to being sent out in their own right. It seems likely that the disciples already knew about him, and had aspirations to be his disciples.

Jewish Religious history is filled with distinguished tradesmen-scholars. Western culture has often presented tradesmen and scholars as opposite ends of the social class structure. This was also true of Roman culture, but this was not the case with Jewish culture.

The story of the call of the disciples by Jesus was both common place and exceptional. It was exceptional because they were not being called by any ordinary man, they were being called by Jesus, The Torah Teacher and Wonder Worker. But there was even more to this Rabbi from Nazareth, for he was the One of whom Moses and the Prophets wrote.

The Restorer Would Return.

Deuteronomy 18:18 NIV

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.

The Restorer

The Gospels often focus upon Jesus as the Christ (or Messiah meaning Anointed One), the king from the line of David, but here we find an emphasis on Jesus as the Prophet like Moses. The Samaritans were not expecting a son of David to deliver them. They looked for someone who they called התהב ‘the Taheb’ (meaning Restorer), a second Moses, who would restore things to the way that they ought to be (see Josephus’ Ant.18:85-87). This tradition was also part of Sadducean and Pharisaic Judaism. The Gospel writer wanted his readers to see Jesus as the realisation of all the earnest hopes of the people of God.

For further reading see Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17; Deuteronomy 18:15, 18:18-19; Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5-6, 33:15; Zechariah 3:8. This is just a small sample.

Philip was dropping quite a story on Nathaniel. He was claiming that the coming of Jesus represented the fulfilment of prophecy and the turning point of history.

Can Anything Good Come From Nazareth?

John 1:46 NIV

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

It is not uncommon for people to question the validity of the Christian faith. Philip’s response was to invite Nathaniel to meet Jesus. He did not get into some heated debate, but provided his friend with an opportunity to move beyond skeptical speculations to a real encounter with the faith community, and in this case, with Jesus himself.

Nazareth! Are you sure?

To be fair, if someone came to you and said, ‘We have found the most important man in the whole of England, he comes from Efford’, there would be a few raised eyebrows. If we were outside of Plymouth, then the first response might be, ‘So where is Efford exactly?’ On the other hand if I said that the important person came from London, then people might speculate about who it could be.

Nazareth was a obscure place in Galilee, but Jesus would make it world famous.

We are an small congregation in an obscure place but Jesus makes it special. Jesus can become a reality in our locality by the life that we live and the witness of the Church.

The Honest Israelite

John 1:47 NIV

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

Critics

Christians often disagree with their critics, and it is not unknown at such times for people to write each other off. But this was not what Jesus did.

A True Israeli

Jesus was ready to recognised the quality of the person that he was dealing with. Jesus also knew that Nathaniel’s doubts came from a man of integrity, they were not the superficial ranting of some argumentative nay-sayer.

We also need to know the difference, and to be ready to help people with their questions, especially when they are genuine. Jesus calls Nathaniel ‘a true Israeli’, someone who represented the best values of the Bible through his life-style.

Nathaniel Bartholomew

Nathaniel has often been identified by commentators with Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles named in the other Gospels and Acts (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). So this may have been a very important moment for Jesus and Nathaniel Bar-Tolmai (DJG p.180). The argument goes that the Synoptic Gospels knew him as Bartholomew and John knew him as Nathaniel. If Nathaniel is Bartholomew then he is number 6 in the list of the 12 apostles, right next to Philip. The Church Historian Eusebius credits Batholomew with taking the Gospel to India and with writing a Hebrew Gospel that is now lost to us. So this is quite an important meeting (LBD). God had plans for Nathaniel.

John 1:48 NIV

“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

Jesus had taken an interest in his enquirer and had taken the trouble to get to know him. It is true that he did so in a supernatural way, never-the-less, that is what he did.

It is good to take an interest in others, and to try and relate to them. It is one of the ways that we can show the love of God.

One of the most common questions that people ask is ‘How do you know?’ In this instance Jesus was able to show him. When people explain the how and why of what they believe, it is not unknown for a change to take place.

Nathaniel’s Declaration

John 1:49 NIV

Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

Nathaniel Recognised Jesus

Nathaniel could identify Jesus as a Rabbi in a number of ways: from his disciples, from his clothing, from his knowledge of the Scriptures, and from his manner of speech. But Nathaniel goes beyond this and declares that Jesus is the Son of God and King of Israel.

Jesus recognised Nathaniel, and the result was that Nathaniel recognised him. I think that there might be a lesson there.

Hopefully, people can identify each one of us as Christians from the witness of our lives. Hopefully the witness of our life-style says that Jesus is alive and working through his followers.

Jesus is More than a King in the Gospel of John

Nathaniel’s recognition of Jesus certainly identified Jesus as royal, but of course John’s introductory words to his Gospel invite us to go beyond this and see Jesus as divine (John 1:1-18).

Some Bible commentators think that the title ‘king of Israel’ is not a political title, but I doubt that the Romans would have seen it that way.

The Son of Man

John 1:50–51 NIV

Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

Jesus Points to the Hebrew Scriptures

Jesus does not evade the enquiry or conceal the messianic nature of his mission, but he confirms and elaborates upon it by pointing to the Scriptures. The angels ascending and descending are reminiscent of the Genesis (28:12) account of Jacob (aka Israel), but most of all it relates to the Son of Man in Daniel 7:13-14, which is one of the key Old Testament verses in the New Testament.

The Journey of Faith

Faith in Jesus is not a destination but an on-going journey. Those who embark upon this journey are intended to learn more and more as they go, getting closer and closer to God until the time when he calls us to be with him.

In John 1:50-51 Jesus promises to Nathaniel and the (other) disciples an even deeper understanding of himself. It takes time to understand what that means for each of us and to know Jesus and discover his plan for our lives.

God’s Plan

This passage lays out God’s plan for honest enquirers. If you are an honest enquirer then hopefully you have a friend who will help you find Jesus. It is God’s intention that your knowledge of him should grow throughout your lifetime, bringing you ever closer to our Lord.

God has a plan for your life, something that you are meant to do, and with God’s help, I hope that you will discover what it is, if you haven’t already done so. Each one of us has a part to play, just like Philip and Nathaniel.

May God bless as you deepen your understanding of Jesus and the Scriptures and discover his plan for your life.

AMEN!