Notes for Home Bible Study March 11, Philip and Nathanael

March 11

Jesus’s  72  Steps From Glory to Glory

Step 11    From Bethabara to Bethsaida

                                         John 1:43-51

This week we will stay in John.  Last week, John the Baptist introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God. This encouraged John, the son of Zebedee and Andrew, the brother of Simon, to leave from following John the Baptist to follow Jesus. Andrew brings his brother Simon to Jesus, who then gives Simon the name Peter. 

Last week, Jesus was at Bethabara, which means “House of the Ford, or crossing place”.  He leaves there to go to Bethsaida, which means “House of the Hunter or Fisherman”.  This is a city in Galilee.    

* The word Beth always means house

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* Jesus calls these men to follow Him, but this is not to say that He is calling them as disciples yet.  Jesus will have many followers, but it will be toward the end of His first year of Ministry before He names the twelve as disciples. (See Mark 3:13 and Luke 6:12-16)

1. John 1:43  Jesus meets and calls Philip to follow Him.  
2. V. 44-45  Philip finds Nathanael. Jesus is the One promised by God and written about for generations. Again, imagine being THE generation that meets the Messiah! 

• V. 46  John Nathanael is skeptical. 

• Philip is positive. “Come and See”.  
• Nathanael was hung up on the title, Jesus of Nazareth. He probably knew that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and also had a low opinion of Nazareth 
• Philip didn’t argue, He just said, “Come and See”

Philip was an effective witness because, although he didn’t understand everything about Jesus, he was willing to share what he knew.  (It is not our job to convince anyone to follow Jesus.  When we tell people about Jesus, the Holy Spirit will do the convincing.)

• V. 47  What did Jesus mean when He called Nathanael an Israelite with no guile or deceit?  Maybe that this was an Israelite whose word you could trust. Unlike the first Israelite.
• Who was the first Israelite?  Jacob.  What was he known for? 

• V.49  Nathanael confesses Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel
• He was amazed that Jesus knew he had been sitting under a fig tree. This just shows that Jesus will deal with us wherever we are.  Nathanael was under a fig tree, Zacchaeus was up a sycamore tree, and the dying thief was on a cruel tree “Cross”.
• Nathanael was promised that he would someday see heaven open and the angels ascending and descending on the Christ. This would happen at the ascension, “Acts 1:9-11”
• Nathanael addresses Jesus as the King of Israel, but Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man. This is His favorite title for Himself. He uses it more than any other name, and Nathanael and Philip are the first to hear it from Him. 

•  V.50-51  This is Jesus’s first prediction. It is interesting and thrilling that the first prediction does not refer to His suffering, death, or even His resurrection. But to the fact that one day He will ascend to His throne in Glory.  

Maybe this is what Isaiah was referring to

 “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ ”Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV