The Prophet

The Prophet

John 1:43-51

Introduction

As we move into the second week of Advent this year, we continue looking at the titles of the Messiah.

We understand that Jesus came as the Promised One, to save His people from their sins.

The various titles He embodies express to us how He fulfills the role of Messiah and Savior. 

Last week we looked at the title - The Lamb of God - for He has come to take away our sins.

This week we are looking at the title - The Prophet.

Jesus came not simply as a prophet, but specifically as The Prophet - which is a fulfillment of prophecy found in Scripture.

The role of a prophet is to reveal God to man - specifically through word.. (2 Pet 1:21) For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit

Jesus is unique as a prophet because He is God in the flesh.

Other prophets only prophesied what was revealed by God to them.

Everything Jesus said and did was a revelation of God to mankind because He is Immanuel, God with us.. (Heb 1:1–2) Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son

Not only is He unique in His revelatory work, He is also the fulfillment of prophecy.

He came according to the promise given.

God promised His people to send His Messiah at the appointed time.. (Is 7:14) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel

Yet beyond His revelatory work and that of fulfilling prophecy itself, Jesus also came as the fulfillment of the promise that God would send The Prophet.

In the book of Deuteronomy, we see the account of God revealing His law through Moses to His people.

When we read through it, we feel the weight of the law - a requirement that is not only difficult to completely comprehend but also seemingly impossible to keep.

(1)This is why God also instituted the sacrificial system within the law.

(2)The people of God needed to understand their inadequacy to keep or fulfill the law.

(3)The sacrificial system pointed them to a hope beyond themselves, that God would send One who would both redeem us from the law and fulfill it.

(4)We will look more at that role next week as we see that Jesus came as our Priest.

But with the giving of the law, God also gave a promise of a specific prophet in Deuteronomy 18 where Moses spoke, saying,. (Dt 18:15) The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen

Then God said to Moses, “” (Dt 18:18) I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

It is specifically this Prophet that the people were anticipating when John records of John the Baptist,” (Jn 1:19–23) When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.

John the Baptist was the final OT prophet, but he was not the final prophet.

He was the one sent to prepare the way for this One.

The final prophet, of whom Moses spoke, is Jesus - the Son of God.

He is the One through whom God finally and fully speaks as God in the flesh.

He is the One who spoke all that we need to know concerning salvation, for His is the One who has accomplished our salvation.

Jesus is The Prophet upon whom the Spirit of God rested as a sign at His baptism that He is the Word made flesh.…. (Jn 1:1–2, 14) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with GodAnd the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth

In John’s introductory words of his gospel account, He lays the foundation for who Jesus is and what He came to do.

In the passage we are looking at, we see His role as the Prophet not only affirmed but also demonstrated.

And those He called as His disciples begin to see this as those who are among the first to have their eyes opened. 

II.Jesus Calls Philip (43-44)

Looking now at verse 43,” The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.

From the declaration of John the Baptist that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the gospel writer moves next to record the calling of the first disciples.

It begins with the Baptist repeating, “Behold the Lamb of God,” - directed at his own disciples.

Two of them grasp the significance of this and move to follow Jesus as His first disciples. 

One of these - Andrew - then goes and finds his brother Peter, telling him that they had found the Messiah.

Peter now joins the throng.

Then on the next day, where we pick up in verse 43, we see Jesus, deciding to head to Galilee, and calls Philip saying, “.”Follow me

It is a simple command without explanation. 

But it is the fulfillment of what John had earlier written of Jesus,. (Jn 1:11–12) He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

This provides the explanation of what was happening “behind the scenes.”

(1)The human experience was that they had found the Messiah.

(2)But the reality was the Messiah had found them.

(3)For as Jesus would later explain, “” (Jn 6:65) This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.

John then adds in verse 44,. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter

Bethsaida was in Galilee, likely near Capernaum where Jesus would soon make the home base of His early ministry.

Philip and Andrew are the only two disciples with Greek names, and they would later serve as intermediaries among other Greeks in John 12.

III.Philip Leads Nathanael to Jesus (45-49)

In verse 45, John writes,” Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

As Andrew sought out Peter, so now Philip seeks out Nathanael and tells him something that can only have been revealed to Him by the Spirit.

This pattern is one that continues in the NT and to this day.

Jesus would later call us to make disciples as we go about our lives, speaking of the hope that is within that others may see the glory of God in the Gospel.

(1)We teach others to obey all that Jesus commanded.

(2)We tell of the forgiveness of sins and restoration with God through Him.

(3)We speak of our great hope that joy might come to the world through our words and our good deeds - as others see them and glorify God.

Philip tells Nathanael that Jesus is The Prophet - the one that Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18 - and of whom the other prophets wrote.

When Moses foretold the prophet, it was in the context of his giving the law of God to the people.

The people were overwhelmed by the Law just as we are when we read it in our own day.

(1)They relied of Moses as a mediator who went up on the mountain to meet with God.

(2)So Moses then told them that one greater was coming - a prophet greater than he - and a mediator who would speak all of what the law pointed to.

(a)We remember the three uses of the law that still remain for us today.

The law shows us the holiness of God, and in turn that we can’t measure up - we need a Savior.

The law restrains sin and guards us - showing us the mercy of our God.

iii)The law teaches us how to please God - that we might live holy lives.

(b)Jesus comes and affirms the law - saying that He came not to abolish it but to fulfill it.

(c)And in fulfilling the law on our behalf, and satisfying the curse of the law for us, He saves us from our sins and makes us children of God.. (Gal 3:11–13) Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us

(3)Philip’s eyes were open to who Jesus was, and along with the other disciples would one day come to the full realization of all that this utterance meant for them.

He refers also to “also the prophets” - pointing to the many other promises foretold of the Messiah that Jesus fulfills.

Philip then adds that this prophet is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Here we see that the Messiah is a real person - a man who was born and who lived.

He isn’t an imagined or mystical figure, but one they could know and see.

(1)Of course Nazareth threw many people off, as all Jews knew that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.  

(2)And we know that Jesus was indeed born there, although he grew up in Nazareth which fulfilled another of the prophecies spoken of Him.. (Mt 2:23) And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene

But Nathanael doesn’t bring up Bethlehem in his response, saying instead, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Nazareth was one of those towns of poor repute.

In particular, Galileans looked down upon those who were from Nazareth.

Philip simply responds to him, “Come and see.”

This phrase is a beautiful phrase of loving evangelism. 

It is a phrase we often think of at Christmas time.

To come and see Jesus as the babe born in a manger is to recognize that He is the Promised One who fulfills all prophecy. 

When we invite others to “come and see,” we invite them to see Jesus for all that He is - the Savior who has been born to redeem us from sin and death.

At this point in their conversation, Jesus now comes into the picture with these two as we read in verse 47,” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!

He pronounces this about Nathanael - which seems like a compliment of his character. 

While this is true - Nathanael spoke his mind about what Philip had told him - there is more to this than may first meet the eye.

For there was one whose name was changed to Israel, who had been full of deceit - a trickster.

Jacob was a patriarch who was the namesake of the people of God.

(1)We know the story of how he sought to trick his brother, Esau.

(2)His name, Jacob, even had that meaning - - and he lived up to it. supplanter

This allusion to Jacob that Jesus makes here will come to light in what He will say further to Nathanael and the other disciples.

But first, Nathanael is understandably caught off guard by this proclamation, saying to Jesus, “” (48)How do you know me?

Jesus responded to him, “”Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. 

How could Jesus have known this? He wasn’t even there - for they had just approached Him.

The answer is, Jesus is The Prophet.

He sees and knows, for He is not just any prophet - but He is the Son of God.

His divine knowledge demonstrates to Nathanael and to us who Jesus is.

And Nathanael responds in verse 49, “” Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! 

We often think of Peter’s confession of Jesus as the point in which the disciples began to understand who Jesus truly was.

But here we see the Spirit was opening the eyes of the disciples at the very beginning of their call.

On the previous day, Andrew had said to this brother Peter, “” (41) We have found the Messiah.

Philip had told Nathanael in verse 45, “” We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth.

And now Nathanael ascribes to Jesus, “”You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!

Just as Jesus would later tell Peter, “” (Mt 16:17) Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

(1)Just as John the Baptist announced Jesus as the Lamb of God, yet later struggled in disbelief while in prison - so would the disciples struggle in their belief of who Jesus was, as we have witnessed in our study of Matthew.

(2)Yet here they make these bold proclamations.

This is no less that immeasurable grace of God at work to reveal to them in this moment who Jesus is.

IV.Greater Things (50-51)

Jesus then responds to Nathanael’s bold proclamation in verse 50, “” Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these. 

Nathanael’s confession was based on the revelation of Jesus as the Prophet - for He had demonstrated to him His divine knowledge.

To this Jesus promises him that he would become a witness of even greater things.

The greater things are of course the many signs and wonders that Jesus would perform.

They would include the extraordinary things Jesus would reveal about Himself and about His work.

But ultimately, the greater things would be His redemption of His people - for this is why He had been born - He came to save Nathanael and all those whom the Father would give Him, from their sins.

Jesus then reiterates this statement, and expands to include all the disciples in verse 51, “” Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

In His first response, He speaks directly to Nathanael - the “you” is singular.

In this second response, the “you” is now plural.

All of the disciples, and indeed all future disciples, would witness greater things.

Here, Jesus describes these greater things as heaven being opened with the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

This phrase brings the story of Jacob back into the light.

When Jacob was on the run from Esau after tricking him, he slept out in the wilderness and had an extraordinary dream.” (Gen 28:12–13) And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.

Jacob saw this glorious sight and God used it to repeat the covenant promise He had given to his grandfather, Abraham.

(1)God was going to bless the whole world through this lineage.  

(2)And this blessing was going to be the sending of His Son who would become the ladder to heaven.

(a)Jesus is that ladder, who makes a way for sinners to be reconciled to God.

(b)It is upon Him that we are carried up, through the forgiveness that He has accomplished.  

(c)And it is through Him that God administers His blessings to His people in this life through His ministering angels. (Heb 1:14) Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Jacob had a vision of heaven being opened and a way being made for people like him - and like you and me - to be reconciled to God.

Jesus is the reality of that dream.

He is the true Israel.

He has come to make the promise of salvation a reality in and through His death and resurrection. 

Conclusion

You and I are beneficiaries of this promise if we put all of our trust in Jesus - the true and final prophet.

As the writer of Hebrews, who began by saying God has given the full revelation of Himself in Jesus, went on to write,. (Heb 3:12–14) Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end

The hope that is ours in Jesus coming as our prophet is that if we believe in Him - the Word made flesh who came to dwell among us, full of grace and truth - we will be saved.(Rom 5:1–2) Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.