Sermon Index
The Second Sunday after the Epiphany, January 17, 2021
John 1:43–51 [Philip and Nathanael]
Jesus had twelve disciples. You can read the list at Luke 6:14-16. Today let’s look at two of the disciples, Philip and Nathanael. (In Luke, Mark and Matthew, Nathanael is called “Bartholomew.”) Philip (Gk. Philippos, lover of horses) came from the same town as Peter and Andrew, Bethsaida of Galilee, and so he was probably a good friend of those two disciples. Like Andrew, Philip also was probably a disciple or a follower of John the Baptist and probably had met Jesus after he was baptized. And so he said to his friend Nathanael, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” The he introduced his friend to Jesus.
The next time we find Philip mentioned by name is in John 6:5-7, at the feeding of the 5000.
JN 6:5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. JN 6:7 Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Philip brought Gentiles to Jesus. John 12:20-23.
JN 12:20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. JN 12:23 Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
The next time we find Philip mentioned by name is in John 14, at the Last Supper, John 14:6-11.
JN 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
JN 14:8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
JN 14:9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? 10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
Although not mentioned in the Bible, Philip did mission work in Asia Minor where he was martyred.
Nathanael (Heb. Nethanel, God has given) was from Cana of Galilee and and he also attended the Wedding at Cana with Jesus and the other disciples. He is called “Bartholomew” in the other Gospel Books. Although not mentioned in the Bible, he did mission work in India and Armenia where he was martyred.
He was a friend of Philip who introduced him to Jesus. There is a great story about that meeting in John 1.
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 anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Nazareth and Nathanael’s home town of Cana were both small, insignificant country towns, about 10 miles from each other. Besides, the Messiah was supposed to come from Bethlehem. Nathanael was a man of integrity; probably a very serious, honest and pious man. He did not know Jesus, but Jesus knew him. Jesus said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
We do not know what he was doing under the fig tree. Perhaps he thought no one was looking, but even then he was honest and acting with integrity. That is the sort of person that Jesus would want as a disciple.
Nathanael was so impressed that Jesus could know his secretes, that he was convinced. 49Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus thought that seeing him under the fig tree was a simple matter and answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘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 heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Jesus could see Nathanael’s physical location, his spiritual heart, and would show him even greater things. Nathanael would see that Jesus truly was the Son of God.
John the Gospel Writer is a great storyteller. In the Gospel of John there are many long stories that help us see who Jesus is. For example, Jesus heals a blind man, but he is really healing our spiritual blindness. He forgives a sinful woman, and he also forgives us. He forgives Peter for his cowardliness and also forgives us and gives us new courage to confess our faith. We are like Philip when we bring people to Jesus, saying “Come and see.” ‘Come to our church and see our friends, sing our great songs, listen to the preacher, hear the Good News of Salvation.’ We are like Nathanael. Sometimes we have doubts about Jesus, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth, out of that small country, or that small church?’ And then we discover that Jesus has discovered us. We are not an Israelite without guile or deceit. We were doing dishonest and sinful things, thinking we were hiding under our fig trees. It is that shock to realize that God knows us. He knows our sin. That is the shock that leads us to confessing our sin and to repentance. Jesus has found us and so we have found him. We see the vision of Jesus dying on the cross and rising on the third day when the angels who descended to the empty tomb say, “He is not here, he as risen.” And then we confess our faith with Nathanael, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church