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Sermon Introduction

John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Then two of John’s disciples followed Jesus. One of them, Andrew, brought Simon Peter to the Lord. The other disciple who followed Jesus could be the writer himself. The writer then accounted for the calling of Philip, and as a result, Philip brought Nathanael to the Lord Jesus. One would observe that those who followed Jesus had confident claims of who He was. Andrew knew Him as the Messiah. It was the same with Philip, but he was more specific. Philip referenced the Torah and the writings of the prophets and said that He was the son of Joseph. Nathanael would proclaim Him to be the Son of God and the King of Israel.

Ed Pilapil Jr.
Senior Pastor

John 1:43-51

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 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.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And 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.”

Notes

John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Then two of John’s disciples followed Jesus. One of them, Andrew, brought Simon Peter to the Lord. The other disciple who followed Jesus could be the writer himself. The writer then accounted for the calling of Philip, and as a result, Philip brought Nathanael to the Lord Jesus. One would observe that those who followed Jesus had confident claims of who He was. Andrew knew Him as the Messiah. It was the same with Philip, but he was more specific. Philip referenced the Torah and the writings of the prophets and said that He was the son of Joseph. Nathanael would proclaim Him to be the Son of God and the King of Israel.

1. Philip

   The account says that the Lord found Philip. He told Philip, “Follow me.” Philip comes from the same place as Andrew and Peter came from. Philip reached out to Nathanael and spoke about prophetic fulfillment.
   
   43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 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.” (John 1:43-45).
   
   
   

2. Nathanael

   Nathanael seemed to give a sarcastic statement when he replied to Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” There was probably social bias about Nazareth. When Jesus saw him, He mentioned that he was an honest Israelite.
   
   46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you” (John 1:46-48).
   
   
   

3. Son of God, King of Israel

   John, the evangelist and the writer of the account, used Nathanael’s statement to reveal who Jesus is. Nathanael stated that He was the Son of God and King of Israel. In Hebrew thinking, Son of God denotes a special relationship with God.
   
   49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And 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” (John 1:49-51).
   
   Nathanael believed. Then the Lord mentioned that he would see greater things. Then the Lord referenced the vision of Jacob in Bethel. That Nathanael would see the same thing. It would no longer be about the place of worship but the person to be worshiped.
   
   
   

Application

1. Follow the Lord Jesus

   The Lord said to Philip, “Follow me.” Until today, He calls people to follow Him. Although we know that not everyone will follow Him, we must. Many in Israel would not follow Him, but few did. Even if not many will follow Him, we should.

   
   

2. Witness to your circle

   Andrew heard the witness of John the Baptist before he followed Christ. Simon Peter heard Andrew’s witness before he followed. Philip, someone geographically connected to Peter and Andrew, heard Christ directly and followed Him. Nathanael heard Philip’s witness before he followed Christ. So let us witness about Jesus in our circle.
   

3. Worship Him

   Part of worship believes in who Christ is. From our hearts, we call to Him as Creator, Messiah, Son of God, and King of kings. We are not obligated to worship in Bethel or Jerusalem; we are not limited to geography. We worship Christ Himself from our hearts and with communities of believers.
   
   

Reflection & Discussion

1. What is the connection between Philip and Simon Peter? Is it relevant?

2. How did Philip and Nathanael describe Jesus?

3. Explain the connection of Jacob’s dream to the claim of the Lord.