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The First Disciples of Jesus
35The next day, John was there again, and two of his followers were with him. 36When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Here is the Lamb of God!” 37John's two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus.
38When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, “What do you want?”
They answered, “Rabbi, where do you live?” The Hebrew word “Rabbi” means “Teacher.”
39Jesus replied, “Come and see!” It was already about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.
40One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” The Hebrew word “Messiah” means the same as the Greek word “Christ.”
42Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, “Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.” This name can be translated as “Peter.”
Jesus Chooses Philip
43-44The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, “Follow me.”
45Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”
46Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip answered, “Come and see.”
47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, “Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel. And he isn't deceitful.”
48“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
49Nathanael said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel!”
50Jesus answered, “Did you believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see something even greater. 51 I tell you for certain you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”
Reflect
I enjoy a good book, written in such a way as to whet my appetite, making me eager to discover more and more as the story unfolds.
The future apostles Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael slowly discovered Jesus’ identity. They found out that Jesus was the Lamb of God, the Messiah, the one that Moses and the prophets wrote about.
In today’s text, Jesus adds to Nathanael’s confession and new faith: “You will see something even greater” (v 50). At this point in John’s gospel, we as readers are invited to discover more about Jesus’ identity and mission.
God revealed himself to the Old Testament patriarch Jacob in a dream vision (Genesis 28). Angels moved up and down a ladder bridging heaven and earth. God now reveals himself in Jesus the Son of Man. God’s revelation about himself to Old Testament figures were mere “shadows of what was to come” (Colossians 2:17). The reality is to be found in Jesus Christ.
After speaking long ago to our ancestors “in many ways and at many times” through the voice of his prophets, God now speaks to us by his Son (Hebrews 1:1). Even Nathanael’s encounter with God’s revelation in Jesus was but a glimpse of a greater revelation to come. This revelation was gradually given to the apostles and is now fully revealed in the complete work of Jesus through his death and resurrection. In the context of his impending death, answering Philip’s request to see the Father, Jesus said to him: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:7). As God’s Son, Jesus has “all the brightness of God’s own glory and is like him in every way” (Hebrews 1:3).
Respond
Only and invisible God, As you progressively revealed your will throughout the ages, open now my eyes and my heart to Jesus’ life, teaching, and ministry. May I discover more about your glory in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Through Jesus, who died and rose in order to glorify your name. Amen.
Pierre Constant
Pierre teaches Greek, Hermeneutics and NT Theology at Toronto Baptist Seminary since 2003. Married to Lise, they have four children and live in Gatineau, Québec. Involved in French speaking ministries, he mentors teenagers and young adults, and serves as teaching elder. Pierre has a B.A. in Philosophy from Ottawa University, a M.A. and a Ph.D. from Trinity International University (Deerfield, Illinois). His Master's thesis and doctoral Dissertation were written under the supervision of D. A. Carson. Publications: Survol des Évangiles. Montréal : SEMBEQ, 2012;"The Risen Lord," and "The Ascended Christ." Chapters in A Foundation for Life: A Study of Key Christian Doctrines and their Application, ed. Michael A. G. Haykin. Dundas: Joshuah Press, 2002