John 1:45

Joh 1:45-46. Philip findeth Nathanael — Nathanael is supposed by many to have been the person, who, in the catalogue of the apostles, is called Bartholomew, that is, as the word signifies, the son of Tholomew, for Matthew joins Bartholomew with Philip, chap. Joh 10:3; and John places Nathanael in the midst of the apostles, immediately after Thomas, (chap. Joh 21:2,) just as Bartholomew is placed, Act 1:13. And saith, We have found him of whom Moses did write — “It seems Peter and Andrew, in their conversation with Philip, had induced him to believe on Jesus, by showing him how the predictions of the law and the prophets were fulfilled in him, a method which, perhaps, Jesus himself had taken to confirm Peter and Andrew, Philip’s instructers, in the good opinion they had conceived of him, by means of the testimony which their master, John the Baptist, had given concerning him.” Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? — A proverb, by which the rest of the Israelites ridiculed the Nazarenes. Nathanael, on this occasion, applied it the rather, because the Messiah’s nativity had been determined by the Prophet Micah to Bethlehem. As if he had said, Have we ground from Scripture to expect the Messiah, or any eminent prophet, from Nazareth? As Nathanael was a native of Galilee, it appears from hence that the Galileans themselves had but an ill opinion of Nazareth, as worse than the rest of that country; and, indeed, by the figure its inhabitants make in the evangelists, they seem to have deserved it. Philip saith, Come and see — Come talk with him thyself, and thou wilt soon be convinced that he is the Messiah. How cautiously should we guard against popular prejudices! When these had once possessed so honest a heart as even that of Nathanael, they led him to suspect the blessed Jesus himself for an impostor, because he had been brought up at Nazareth. But his integrity prevailed over that foolish bias, and laid him open to the force of evidence, which a candid inquirer will always be glad to admit, even when it brings the most unexpected discoveries.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

EXPLANATORY AND CRITICAL NOTES

Joh_1:45-51. Nathanael = Theodorus. The gift of God (נְתַנְאֵל). Probably this is the disciple mentioned afterward as Bartholomew (Mat_10:3). How quickly did those early followers of Jesus discover the marks of true discipleship! Philip was no sooner convinced than he sought Nathanael. Jesus from Nazareth.—It is not implied that the Evangelist was ignorant of the fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem: he is only reporting Philip’s words.

Joh_1:46. Nazareth was not apparently a place particularly distinguished, whilst the religious character of the inhabitants seems to have been a sort of unreasoning, not to say bigoted, Jewish orthodoxy (Luk_4:29). But probably a little of the scorn of an inhabitant of a neighbouring village, which plumed itself on being as good or better than Nazareth, may account for this language of Nathanael. But see also Joh_7:52.

Joh_1:47. No guile.—Not a Jacob, a supplanter, a man of guile; but an Israel, one who recognises his condition, and through prayer prevails with God (Hos_12:4-5). As Jacob’s character was changed, so his true descendants have no affinity with that side of his character by which he was known as the “Supplanter.”

Joh_1:48. Whence knowest Thou me?—The reply shows that Nathanael was not prepared to receive Jesus without some further testimony than that of Philip. The fig tree (1Ki_4:25; Zec_3:10).—Equivalent to home. Under the fig tree in garden or vineyard was probably a place sacred to meditation (Luk_13:6). I saw thee, etc. (Joh_1:49).—Nathanael realised that his most secret and sacred thoughts were known by this Person in whose presence he stood. Who could He be but the very Searcher of hearts Himself? “Thou art the Son of God”—therefore the King of Israel, the promised Messiah-King (Psa_2:2; Psa_2:6-7; Psa_2:12).

Joh_1:50. Jesus answered, etc.—This is not a question; it is rather a recognition by our Lord of the fact of Nathanael’s faith, leading Him to give the assurance to Nathanael and the other disciples present that their faith would be still more fully and gloriously confirmed.

Joh_1:51. Verily, verily (Ἀμὴν ἀμήν).—This formula is found twenty-five times in this Gospel. “Thence is derived the title of Jesus, the Amen (Rev_3:14). This word (from אמן firmum fuit) is, properly speaking, a verbal adjective, firm, worthy of faith … the repetition implies a doubt to be overcome in the mind of the hearer” (Godet). Angels, etc.—“Angels are instruments of divine power in the domain of nature (see the angel of the waters, Rev_16:5; of the fire, Joh_14:18). This saying refers therefore to phenomena which, while passing in the domain of nature, are due to a causality superior to the laws of nature. Can Jesus characterise His miracles more clearly without naming them?” (Godet). The reference is evidently to Jacob’s dream (Gen_28:12-13). But we must not exclude the appearance of angelic visitants in Gethsemane, at the Resurrection, and the Ascension.

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Joh_1:45-51

Nathanael, the guileless disciple.—Philip of Bethsaida, on receiving the divine call, at once obeyed. And like all true disciples of Jesus, the longer he companied with Him, the more blessed did His intercourse become, until he found Jesus clearly revealed to him as “He of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write.” And like all other true disciples, he found that it was impossible to keep this “good news” to himself alone. He must make it known to others. Meeting with a friend, one Nathanael, an inhabitant of the village to which Jesus was going—Cana—he told. him the joyful news. In this Nathanael a type of man meets us different from any of the other disciples yet mentioned. He was a man of pious disposition and devotional feeling, perhaps with a considerable leaning toward Rabbinic and Pharisaic ideas concerning Messiah and His kingdom (Joh_1:46). Above all, he seems to have been a man transparently honest and open, “an Israelite indeed without guile.” Probably he is the same as Bartholomew (see Explanatory Notes). It is easy to understand that his surname might be son of Ptolemœus. Under the name Nathanael he is mentioned only once again (Joh_21:2). From the narrative we learn that Nathanael was:—

I. A true Israelite waiting and praying for “the consolation of Israel” (Luk_2:25).—

1. Before Philip called him (Joh_1:48) he was engaged, apparently in prayerful meditation, under the fig tree. This fig tree was most likely in a retired spot in his garden or vineyard (Luk_13:6), under whose shade he retired in the hot March day for uninterrupted communion.

2. What his thoughts were precisely, what turn they took on that particular day, is not directly revealed; but if it may be surmised from Philip’s words, then it must have been on that supreme subject which the Mosaic economy with its sacrifices, and the prophets in their predictions, all pointed to. In spite of training and prepossessions, he may have been coming to realise that the Messianic hopes of his time were little in accord with what was revealed in the law and prophets concerning the Messiah. It may have cost him a pang to break even in thought with traditional opinion; but he was a man too honest and sincere not to follow the guidance of truth, when it was clearly revealed.

3. There may have been other and personal thoughts and feelings, personal dealings with God, secret and solemn; but this question of questions to the pious Jew would not, it may be safely assumed, be far away.

II. Nathanael was further careful in discriminating the claims of one described to him as the Messiah.—

1. While revolving these thoughts in his mind his friend Philip, evidently brimful of intelligence of some sort, met him. After exchange of greetings, and inquiry as to each other’s doings, Philip, no doubt without delay, spoke on the subject of which his mind and heart were full.

2. Strange, was this a reply to his prayers, a clearing up of his difficulties, the realisation of his hopes? What did Philip say? “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph!” Oh, impossible! Where was there any promise regarding Messiah connected with Nazareth?—above all places Nazareth, unnoted in the sacred writings, not even equal to his own Cana! Hence his in part disappointed and melancholy, in part pitying, reply to his more simple friend: “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

3. But his simply believing friend is not to be daunted. He is aware of his own inability to reason this Nathanael into belief. But there is a better way, a way sure of success. So he says to his friend, “Come and see!” The best counsel that could have been given. The weightiest proof of Christianity is personal experience of the blessedness of personal knowledge of Christ, and of participation in His life. In knowing Him in reality we know all. Nathanael, being an earnest man really seeking for truth, did not answer: “What need! He, whatever He is, cannot be Messiah if He is from Nazareth. Is not Christ to be born at Bethlehem?” Like the honest man he was, he would not take information on so momentous a subject on second hand, he would see for himself. There might be a mistake somewhere; his friend’s information might prove to be defective. He would see this new claimant of the Messiahship. The wonderful things related by Philip as having been said by John the Baptist (an upright, incorruptible man, a true prophet!) might be the prelude to some extraordinary revelation. If however this Jesus were not what He apparently claimed to be, it would be a friend’s duty to seek to rescue Philip from his delusion.

III. Nathanael’s earnest confession.—

1. As the two friends came into the presence of Jesus, Nathanael was astonished at the greeting which fell on his ears: “Behold an Israelite indeed,” etc. He saw his character laid bare in a sentence. We are not to think that there was anything like a want of modesty in Nathanael accepting without disclaimer this description of himself. It was the goal of character he had set before him, to be an earnest, candid seeker after truth. There was no false modesty about the man, any more than there was about the apostle Paul when he said, “I have lived in all good conscience,” etc. (Act_23:1). “Whence knowest Thou me?” is his astonished inquiry.

2. The answer fills him with still deeper surprise, even with awe, finally deepening to conviction. Who was this whose eye marked him in his most secret moments, who penetrated into the recesses of his thought, and read at a glance character and life (Joh_1:47)? This must be none other than the Searcher of hearts (1Sa_16:7; 1Ch_28:9; Jer_17:10). Philip’s words, this strange greeting and stranger reading of his life, and the personal authority Jesus exerted on all good and earnest men who came under His influence, combined with overwhelming force to carry home conviction to the mind and heart of Nathanael, so that in assurance and reverence he cried, “Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God,” etc. (Joh_1:49).

3. The answer of Jesus is a gracious promise of a higher revelation still of His Messiahship to all His disciples—a promise first made in type at Bethel. Through Christ’s incarnation the stairway uniting earth and heaven, humanity and God, was completed, and through “the new and living way” all blessings, angelic and others, would come to man (Joh_1:51).

HOMILETIC NOTES

Joh_1:48. Spiritual conflict.—The Jews, like other Easterns, loved to meditate and study the sacred word under the shadow of some spreading tree; to engage in prayer and spiritual conflict (as our great Example did, Luk_22:39), or in intercourse with friends in some quiet retreat, under the open heaven, and surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature.

1. There must have been some special conflict, or the debating of some special question, in the mind of Nathanael on this particular occasion, as the sequel shows—something known to himself and to God alone.

2. Every earnest honest man will, like Nathanael, have his fig tree, or its equivalent, some haven of quiet retreat in which the momentous questions of life, of time and eternity, may occupy the mind in meditation and prayer. And it is well for men to be honest, thoroughly guileless and honest, with themselves at such times; for there is Another present, though unseen, who marks each secret thought, etc.

“He sees my wants, allays my fears,

And counts and treasures up my tears.”

So it was with Nathanael, and how blessed was the result!

3. But whether men follow Nathanael’s example or not, the Searcher of hearts can read their secret thoughts. What would He say to us were we to come before Him now? what will He say when we do stand before Him? In view of this, “what manner of persons ought ye to be,” etc. (2Pe_3:10-14).

Joh_1:45-49. Natural and spiritual growth.—

1. The law of nature is said to be development; in the spiritual world it is called the new birth. In the stillness, but not without pain, does the New Man behold the light of a new day. On Nathanael’s forehead, as he tarried in loneliness under the fig tree, there lay the rosy beams of a new day, the light of eternity.

2. It must have been a great hour that then struck for him, when the Lord, reminding him of an inward condition, and not of an external circumstance merely, unveiled to himself the astonished and agitated man: “I saw thee,” etc. No, it was no hour occupied by vain dreaming, by impure imaginings or burning desires for honour, that had passed there, “under the fig tree,” beneath the watchful gaze of the Lord. The greeting, “Behold an Israelite,” etc., points to a sacred, decisive occurrence in the breast of Nathanael.

3. The name Israelite, when all called Israel were not really of Israel, speaks of a spiritual affinity with Jacob.

4. The phrase In whom is no guile refers to such as follow the footsteps of David, as the latter from individual experience cried, “Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven,” etc. (Psa_32:1-5), because the secret curse is removed—all guile freely and fully confessed and repented of. Nathanael was an Israelite indeed because in solitariness he had striven like Israel, confessed and repented like David. And behold the greeting of the Lord is the assurance of forgiveness, is the proclamation of a new condition in truth, freedom, and activity. Brethren, the Israelite indeed finds, acknowledges, and prays to the true King of Israel, “Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel!”—Dr. R. Kögel.

Joh_1:50-51. Ancient visions realised.—Jesus said to Nathanael, “Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree,” etc. Jacob’s dream of the heavenly ladder has become a reality. The Son of man unites and reconciles heaven and earth; His angels carry the needs and prayers of believers up, and bring answers and aid down, this ladder. How the water becomes wine? No, thou wilt see greater things than these! Thou wilt see how Jesus comes with “water and blood”; how He who dies on the cross rises from the grave and ascends into heaven! And greater still than this, thou wilt at last be like Him, changed into His image from one degree of glory to another. With such sacred prospects Nathanael begins his public career. And Nathanael’s outward activity as an apostle would have been neither so hidden nor so fruitful, had not his life as a disciple been so retiring and receptive.—Idem.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Phases of discipleship.—The closing verses of this chapter carry us back to the early dawn of Christianity, and it is there we shall learn much concerning the true method of regarding it and the law of its progress. And one of the first things that strikes us is that while each disciple was led to Jesus in a different way, while each had different peculiarities of temperament and forms of belief, yet they each found in Christ Him for whom their souls had been longing. John and Andrew, the two disciples of the Baptist, heard their master speak of Christ as the “Lamb of God,” and at once followed Him. The words of the stern prophet of the wilderness having roused in them the sense of sin, they sought the Sin-bearer, and believed in Jesus as the One who should fulfil that deep necessity. On the other hand, the impetuous Peter, expecting the Messiah, and eager for His advent, was led by his brother to Christ, and with characteristic ardour followed Him. Philip, called by Christ Himself, feeling His mighty and mysterious influence, advanced in faith beyond them all, and proclaimed that that was He of whom prophecy for ages had been telling. And Nathanael, with his reflective, devout, guileless nature, found One who had read his devotional thoughts, and confessed Him to be the Son of God. Led by such different experiences, their faith was simply this: He whom their own spirits had been looking for had come, and because He fulfilled their necessities they believed He was the Christ. Marked by these strong differences of temperament, which always give rise to different forms of belief, they had yet one faith in common—faith in the living Christ. It was in that quiet simplicity, with that simple belief in a personal Saviour, that the great Christian age began.—E. L. Hull, B.A.

“Thou shalt see greater things than these.”—“And He said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open,” etc. The reference here seems to be to the vision of Jacob, and that vision helps us to understand Christ’s meaning. Christ declares the ancient dream to be fulfilled by faith in Him. The patriarch at Bethel found God near to him as his friend and guide, found the earth where he lay “a dreadful place,” and found the spiritual world close to him. These three things are actually realised by Christian faith—these are the “greater things” that follow its dawning:—

1. The felt presence of God.—As to Jacob heaven was opened and the Eternal near, so to the Christian heaven is unveiled and God revealed. To the eye of faith the Son of man becomes the ladder between earth and heaven on which the angels of God ascend and descend. This is the consummation of faith. It does not come suddenly, but as the soul advances in the divine life, sin’s harsh discords die, the clouds which once veiled the heaven roll away, disclosing the smile of love and pity in the eternal countenance, and the believer walks with God as with a friend.

2. The sacredness of life.—“And Jacob was afraid and said,” etc. The dream vision made him feel the sacredness of life. Again, this suggests a result of faith. Man naturally feels his nature defiled; faith in Christ, who wore it, transforms it into a sacred thing. In the light of that faith all life becomes glorified.

3. Union with the angelic world.—“The angels of God ascending,” etc. To the unbeliever that world is a myth—he sees nothing beyond the material sphere; but were he convinced of its existence the belief would be terrible. We feel instinctively that sin has excluded us from that “glorious brotherhood.” But Christ brings us into it once more. Faith sees in Him the Son of man as our brother and representative there, uniting us with “the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.”

We have greater things yet to see. Another world is dawning, its sights and sounds are near. Nothing but the veil of the body hides us from its scenes. We long sometimes for the land of constant spring, of mountain grandeur, and southern beauty. My friends, great lands are coming. We long for the glorious companionships of the past, of the great dead, of our own friends; we shall know them if we are “counted worthy to obtain that world.” Therefore fight on. There are many weary conflicts before you yet, but “add to your faith patience,” and you shall see the “greater things” when the lamps of faith and hope expire in the eternal light of heaven.—Idem.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

John

THE FIRST DISCIPLES: IV. NATHANAEL

Joh 1:45 - Joh 1:49.

The words are often the least part of a conversation. The Evangelist can tell us what Nathanael said to Jesus, and what Jesus said to Nathanael, but no Evangelist can reproduce the look, the tone, the magnetic influence which streamed out from Christ, and, we may believe, more than anything He said, riveted these men to Him.

It looks as if Nathanael and his companions were very easily convinced, as if their adhesion to such tremendous claims as those of Jesus Christ was much too facile a thing to be a very deep one. But what can be put down in black and white goes a very short way to solve the secret of the power which drew them to Himself.

The incident which is before us now runs substantially on the same lines as the previous bringing of Peter to Jesus Christ. In both cases the man is brought by a friend, in both cases the friend’s weapon is simply the expression of his own personal experience, ‘We have found the Messias,’ although Philip has a little more to say about Christ’s correspondence with the prophetic word. In both cases the work is finished by our Lord Himself manifesting His own supernatural knowledge to the inquiring spirit, though in the case of Nathanael that process is a little more lengthened out than in the case of Peter, because there was a little ice of hesitation and of doubt to be melted away. And Nathanael, starting from a lower point than Peter, having questions and hesitations which the other had not, rises to a higher point of faith and certitude, and from his lips first of all comes the full articulate confession, beyond which the Apostles never went as long as our Lord was upon earth: ‘Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel.’ So that both in regard to the revelation that is given of the character of our Lord, and in regard to the teaching that is given of the development and process of faith in a soul, this last narrative fitly crowns the whole series. In looking at it with you now, I think I shall best bring out its force by asking you to take it as falling into these three portions: first, the preparation-a soul brought to Christ by a brother; then the conversation-a soul fastened to Christ by Himself; and then the rapturous confession-’Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel.’

I. Look, then, first of all, at the preparation-a soul brought to Christ by a brother.

‘Philip findeth Nathanael.’ Nathanael, in all probability, as commentators will tell you, is the Apostle Bartholomew; and in the catalogues of the Apostles in the Gospels, Philip and he are always associated together. So that the two men, friends before, had their friendship riveted and made more close by this sacredest of all bonds, that the one had been to the other the means of bringing him to Jesus Christ. There is nothing that ties men to each other like that. If you want to know the full sweetness of association with friends, and of human love, get some heart knit to yours by this sacred and eternal bond that it owes to you its first knowledge of the Saviour. So all human ties will be sweetened, ennobled, elevated, and made perpetual.

‘We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write: Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.’ Philip knows nothing about Christ’s supernatural birth, nor about its having been in Bethlehem; to him He is the son of a Nazarene peasant. But, notwithstanding that, He is the great, significant, mysterious Person for whom the whole sacred literature of Israel had been one long yearning for centuries; and he has come to believe that this Man standing beside him is the Person on whom all previous divine communications for a millennium past focussed and centred.

I need not dwell upon these words, because to do so would be to repeat substantially what I said in a former sermon on these first disciples, about the value of personal conviction as a means of producing conviction in the minds of others, and about the necessity and the possibility of all who have found Christ for themselves saying so to others, and thereby becoming His missionaries and evangelists.

I do not need to repeat what I said on that occasion; therefore I pass on to the very natural hesitation and question of Nathanael: ‘Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ A prejudice, no doubt, but a very harmless one; a very thin ice which melted as soon as Christ’s smile beamed upon him. And a most natural prejudice. Nathanael came from Cana of Galilee, a little hill village, three or four miles from Nazareth. We all know the bitter feuds and jealousies of neighbouring villages, and how nothing is so pleasant to the inhabitants of one as a gibe about the inhabitants of another. And in Nathanael’s words there simply speaks the rustic jealousy of Cana against Nazareth.

It is easy to blame him, but do you think that you or I, if we had been in his place, would have been likely to have said anything very different? Suppose you were told that a peasant out of Ross-shire was a man on whom the whole history of this nation hung. Do you think you would be likely to believe it without first saying, ‘That is a strange place for such a person to be born in’? Galilee was the despised part of Palestine, and Nazareth obviously was a proverbially despised village of Galilee; and this Jesus was a carpenter’s son that nobody had ever heard of. It seemed to be a strange head on which the divine dove should flutter down, passing by all the Pharisees and the Scribes, all the great people and wise people. Nathanael’s prejudice was but the giving voice to a fault that is as wide as humanity, and which we have every day of our lives to fight with; not only in regard to religious matters but in regard to all others-namely, the habit of estimating people, and their work, and their wisdom, and their power to teach us, by the class to which they are supposed to belong, or even by the place from which they come.

‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ ‘Can a German teach an Englishman anything that he does not know?’ ‘Is a Protestant to owe anything of spiritual illumination to a Roman Catholic?’ ‘Are we Dissenters to receive any wisdom or example from Churchmen?’ ‘Will a Conservative be able to give any lessons in politics to a Liberal?’ ‘Is there any other bit of England that can teach Lancashire?’ Take care that whilst you are holding up your hands in horror against the prejudices of our Lord’s contemporaries, who stumbled at His origin, you are not doing the same thing in regard to all manner of subjects twenty times a day.

That is one very plain lesson, and not at all too secular for a sermon. Take another. This three-parts innocent prejudice of Nathanael brings into clear relief for us what a very real obstacle to the recognition of our Lord’s Messianic authority His apparent lowly origin was. We have got over it, and it is no difficulty to us; but it was so then. When Jesus Christ came into this world Judaea was ruled by the most heartless of aristocracies, an aristocracy of cultured pedants. Wherever you get such a class you get people who think that there can be nobody worth looking at, or worth attending to, outside the little limits of their own supercilious superiority. Why did Jesus Christ come from ‘the men of the earth,’ as the Rabbis called all who had not learned to cover every plain precept with spiders’ webs of casuistry? Why, for one thing, in accordance with the general law that the great reformers and innovators always come from outside these classes, that the Spirit of the Lord shall come on a herdsman like Amos, and fishermen and peasants spread the Gospel through the world; and that in politics, in literature, in science, as well as in religion, it is always true that ‘not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.’ To the cultivated classes you have to look for a great deal that is precious and good, but for fresh impulse, in unbroken fields, you have to look outside them. And so the highest of all lives is conformed to the general law.

More than that, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph,’ came thus because He was the poor man’s Christ, because He was the ignorant man’s Christ, because His word was not for any class, but as broad as the world. He came poor, obscure, unlettered, that all who, like Him, were poor and untouched by the finger of earthly culture, might in Him find their Brother, their Helper, and their Friend.

‘Philip saith unto him, Come and see.’ He is not going to argue the question. He gives the only possible answer to it-’You ask Me, can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ ‘Come and see whether it is a good thing or no; and if it is, and if it came out of Nazareth, well then, the question has answered itself.’ The quality of a thing cannot be settled by the origin of the thing.

As it so happened, this Man did not come out of Nazareth at all, though neither Philip nor Nathanael knew it; but if He had, it would have been all the same. The right answer was ‘Come and see.’

Now although, of course, there is no kind of correspondence between the mere prejudice of this man Nathanael and the rooted intellectual doubts of other generations, yet ‘Come and see’ carries in it the essence of all Christian apologetics. By far the wisest thing that any man who has to plead the cause of Christianity can do is to put Christ well forward, and let people look at Him, and trust Him to produce His own impression. We may argue round, and round, and round about Him for evermore, and we shall never convince as surely as by simply holding Him forth. ‘I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me.’ Yet we are so busy proving Christianity that we sometimes have no time to preach it; so busy demonstrating that Jesus Christ is this, that, and the other thing, or contradicting the notion that He is not this, that, and the other thing, that we forget simply to present Him for men to look at. Depend upon it, whilst argument has its function, and there are men that must be approached thereby; on the whole, and for the general, the best way of propagating Christianity is to proclaim it, and the second best way is to prove it. Our arguments do fare very often very much as did that elaborate discourse that a bishop once preached to prove the existence of a God, at the end of which a simple old woman who had not followed his reasoning very intelligently, exclaimed, ‘Well, for all he says, I can’t help thinking there is a God after all.’ The errors that are quoted to be confuted often remain more clear in the hearers’ minds than the attempted confutations. Hold forth Christ-cry aloud to men, ‘Come and see!’ and some eyes will turn and some hearts cleave to Him.

And on the other side, dear brethren, you have not done fairly by Christianity until you have complied with this invitation, and submitted your mind and heart honestly to the influence and the impression that Christ Himself would make upon it.

II. We come now to the second stage-the conversation between Christ and Nathanael, where we see a soul fastened to Christ by Himself.

In general terms, as I remarked, the method by which our Lord manifests His Messiahship to this single soul is a revelation of His supernatural knowledge of him. But a word or two may be said about the details. Mark the emphasis with which the Evangelist shows us that our Lord speaks this discriminating characterisation of Nathanael before Nathanael had come to Him: ‘He saw him coming.’ So it was not with a swift, penetrating glance of intuition that He read his character in his face. It was not that He generalised rapidly from one action which He had seen him do. It was not from any previous personal knowledge of him, for, obviously, from the words of Philip to Nathanael, the latter had never seen Jesus Christ. As Nathanael was drawing near Him, before he had done anything to show himself, our Lord speaks the words which show that He had read his very heart: ‘Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.’

That is to say, here is a man who truly represents that which was the ideal of the whole nation. The reference is, no doubt, to the old story of the occasion on which Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. And we shall see a further reference to the same story in the subsequent verses. Jacob had wrestled with God in that mysterious scene by the brook Jabbok, and had overcome, and had received instead of the name Jacob, ‘a supplanter,’ the name of Israel, ‘for as a Prince hast thou power with God and hast prevailed.’ And, says Christ: ‘This man also is a son of Israel, one of God’s warriors, who has prevailed with Him by prayer.’ ‘In whom is no guile’-Jacob in his early life had been marked and marred by selfish craft. Subtlety and guile had been the very keynote of his character. To drive that out of him, years of discipline and pain and sorrow had been needed. And not until it had been driven out of him could his name be altered, and he become Israel. This man has had the guile driven out of him. By what process? The words are a verbal quotation from Psa 32:1 - Psa 32:11: ‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.’ Clear, candid openness of spirit, and the freedom of soul from all that corruption which the Psalmist calls ‘guile,’ is the property of him only who has received it, by confession, by pardon, and by cleansing, from God. Thus Nathanael, in his wrestling, had won the great gift. His transgression had been forgiven; his iniquity had been covered; to him God had not imputed his sin; and in his spirit, therefore, there was no guile. Ah, brother! if that black drop is to be cleansed out of your heart, it must be by the same means-confession to God and pardon from God. And then you too will be a prince with Him. and your spirit will be frank and free, and open and candid.

Nathanael, with astonishment, says, ‘Lord, whence knowest Thou me?’ Not that he appropriates the description to himself, or recognises the truthfulness of it, but he is surprised that Christ should have means of forming any judgment with reference to him, and so he asks Him, half expecting an answer which will show the natural origin of our Lord’s knowledge: ‘Whence knowest Thou me?’ Then comes the answer, which, to supernatural insight into Nathanael’s character, adds supernatural knowledge of Nathanael’s secret actions: ‘Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. And it is because I saw thee under the fig-tree that I knew thee to be “an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.”‘ So then, under the fig-tree, Nathanael must have been wrestling in prayer; under the fig-tree must have been confessing his sins; under the fig-tree must have been longing and looking for the Deliverer who was to ‘turn away ungodliness from Jacob.’ So solitary had been that vigil, and so little would any human eye that had looked upon it have known what had been passing in his mind, that Christ’s knowledge of it and of its significance at once lights up in Nathanael’s heart the fire of the glad conviction, ‘Thou art the Son of God.’ If we had seen Nathanael, we should only have seen a man sitting, sunk in thought, under a fig-tree; but Jesus had seen the spiritual struggle which had no outward marks, and to have known which He must have exercised the divine prerogative of reading the heart.

I ask you to consider whether Nathanael’s conclusion was not right, and whether that woman of Samaria was not right when she hurried back to the city, leaving her water-pot, and said, ‘Come and see a man that told me all that ever I did.’ That ‘all’ was a little stretch of facts, but still it was true in spirit. And her inference was absolutely true: ‘Is not this the Christ, the Son of God?’ This is the first miracle that Jesus Christ wrought. His supernatural knowledge, which cannot be struck out from the New Testament representations of His character, is as much a mark of divinity as any of the other of His earthly manifestations. It is not the highest; it does not appeal to our sympathies as some of the others do, but it is irrefragable. Here is a man to whom all men with whom He came in contact were like those clocks with a crystal face which shows us all the works. How does He come to have this perfect and absolute knowledge?

That omniscience, as manifested here, shows us how glad Christ is when He sees anything good, anything that He can praise in any of us. ‘Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.’ Not a word about Nathanael’s prejudice, not a word about any of his faults {though no doubt he had plenty of them}, but the cordial praise that he was an honest, a sincere man, following after God and after truth. There is nothing which so gladdens Christ as to see in us any faint traces of longing for, and love towards, and likeness to, His own self. His omniscience is never so pleased as when beneath heaps and mountains of vanity and sin it discerns in a man’s heart some poor germ of goodness and longing for His grace.

And then again, notice how we have here our Lord’s omniscience set forth as cognisant of all our inward crises and struggles, ‘When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.’ I suppose all of us could look back to some place or other, under some hawthorn hedge, or some boulder by the seashore, or some mountain-top, or perhaps in some back-parlour, or in some crowded street, where some never-to-be-forgotten epoch in our soul’s history passed, unseen by all eyes, and which would have shown no trace to any onlooker, except perhaps a tightly compressed lip. Let us rejoice to feel that Christ sees all these moments which no other eye can see. In our hours of crisis, and in our monotonous, uneventful moments, in the rush of the furious waters, when the stream of our lives is caught among rocks, and in the long, languid reaches of its smoothest flow, when we are fighting with our fears or yearning for His light, or even when sitting dumb and stolid, like snow men, apathetic and frozen in our indifference, He sees us, and pities, and will help the need which He beholds.

‘Think not thou canst sigh a sigh,

And thy Saviour is not by;

Think not thou canst weep a tear,

And thy Saviour is not near.’

‘When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.’

III. One word more about this rapturous confession, which crowns the whole: ‘Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel.’

Where had Nathanael learned these great names? He was a disciple of John the Baptist, and he had no doubt heard John’s testimony as recorded in this same chapter, when he told us how the voice from Heaven had bid him recognise the Messiah by the token of the descending Dove, and how he ‘saw and bare record that this is the Son of God.’ John’s testimony was echoed in Nathanael’s confession. Undoubtedly he attached but vague ideas to the name, far less articulate and doctrinal than we have the privilege of doing. To him ‘Son of God’ could not have meant all that it ought to mean to us, but it meant something that he saw clearly, and a great deal beyond that he saw but dimly. It meant that God had sent, and was in some special sense the Father of, this Jesus of Nazareth.

‘Thou art the King of Israel,’ John had been preaching, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ The Messiah was to be the theocratic King, the King, not of ‘Judah’ nor of ‘the Jews,’ but of ‘Israel,’ the nation that had entered into covenant with God. So the substance of the confession was the Messiahship of Jesus, as resting upon His special divine relationship and leading to His Kingly sway.

Notice also the enthusiasm of the confession; one’s ear hears clearly a tone of rapture in it. The joy-bells of the man’s heart are all a-ringing. It is no mere intellectual acknowledgment of Christ as Messiah. The difference between mere head-belief and heart-faith lies precisely in the presence of these elements of confidence, of enthusiastic loyalty, and absolute submission.

So the great question for each of us is, not, Do I believe as a piece of my intellectual creed that Christ is ‘the Messiah, the Son of God, the King of Israel’? I suppose almost all my hearers here now do that. That will not make you a Christian, my friend. That will neither save your soul nor quiet your heart, nor bring you peace and strength in life, nor open the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven to you. A man may be miserable, wholly sunk in all manner of wickedness and evil, die the death of a dog, and go to punishment hereafter, though he believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the King of Israel. You want something more than that. You want just this element of rapturous acknowledgment, of loyal submission, absolute obedience, of unfaltering trust.

Look at these first disciples, six brave men that had all that loyalty and love to Him; though there was not a soul in the world but themselves to share their convictions. Do they not shame you? When He comes to you, as He does come, with this question, ‘Whom do ye say that I am?’ may God give you grace to answer, ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,’ and not only to answer it with your lips, but to trust Him wholly with your hearts, and with enthusiastic devotion to bow your whole being in adoring wonder and glad submission at His feet. If we are ‘Israelites indeed,’ our hearts will crown Him as the ‘King of Israel.’

Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1:45 Philip, a Greek name, and Nathanael, a Hebrew name, represent the mix of cultures in Galilee. Jesus’ message there addressed both audiences. When Greeks wanted to see Jesus in Jerusalem, they approached Philip (12:20-22). • Jesus grew up in Nazareth, a mountain village southwest of the Sea of Galilee.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Joh 1:45. Εὑρίσκει, findeth) Philip, after being called, immediately sets himself to gain another [makes a gain on his talent, ‘lucrifacit’].—τὸν Ναθαναήλ, Nathanael) It is probable that he was admitted among the apostles, and that he was the same person as he who is called Bartholomew, by a secondary name derived from his father, Tolomæus, as Simon from Jona [Bar-Jona], James and John from Zebedee [“the sons of Zebedee”]: For Judas also was called Lebbæus or Thaddæus. Certainly at Mat 10:3 [the list of the apostles], he is joined to Philip; and at Joh 21:2, Nathanael is put down in the midst of the apostles, immediately after Thomas; comp. Act 1:13, “Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew:” and it seems likely, that his name would have been submitted to the apostles casting of lots [as a candidate for the vacant apostleship, to which Matthew was elected by lot], Act 1:23, [whereas Barsabas and Matthias were the only two submitted to it], had he not been already among the apostles. lie was certainly a friend of the Lord equally dear [to Him], as a friend can be dear to a prince, though not employed on his embassies.—λέγει, saith) with a loud voice, Joh 1:48,[43] and a joyous voice. [Μωσῆς, Moses) Joh 5:39; Joh 5:46, “Search the Scriptures, for,” etc., “and they are they which testify of Me:—“Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me; for he wrote of Me.”—V. g.]—εὑρήκαμεν, we have found) I, Andrew, and Peter.

[43] “Before that Philip called thee,” φωνῆσαι, raised his voice to thee.—E. and T.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joh 1:45 . ἦν δὲ ὁ φίλιππος … Πέτρου . This is inserted to explain how Jesus happened to meet Philip: he was going home also; and to explain how Philip’s mind had been prepared by conversation with Andrew and Peter. The exact position of Bethsaida is doubtful. There was a town or village of this name (Fisher-Home) on the east bank of Jordan, slightly above its fall into the Sea of Galilee. This place was rebuilt by Philip and named Julias, in honour of the daughter of Augustus. Many good authorities think that this was the only Bethsaida (see Dr. G. A. Smith’s Hist. Geog. of Palestine , p. 457). Others, however, are of opinion that the manner in which Bethsaida, here and in Joh 12:21 , is named with an added note of distinction, “the city of Andrew,” “of Galilee,” requires us to postulate two Bethsaidas. This is further confirmed by the movements recorded in Joh 6:16-22 . Cf. Mar 6:45 . Those who accept two Bethsaidas locate the one which is here mentioned either opposite Bethsaida Julias and as a kind of suburb of it or farther south at Ain Tabigha (see Rob Roy on the Jordan , 342 392).

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The good endeavors even of the unlearned, God doth so allow, that he maketh them masters to the learned.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Nathanael--(See on Mat 10:3).

Moses--(See Joh 5:46).

son of Joseph--the current way of speaking. (See Luk 3:23).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 45. Nathanael] This apostle is supposed to be the same with Bartholomew, which is very likely, for these reasons

1. That the evangelists who mention Bartholomew say nothing of Nathanael; and that St. John, who speaks of Nathanael, says nothing of Bartholomew.

2. No notice is taken any where of Bartholomew's vocation, unless his and that of Nathanael mentioned here be the same.

3. The name of Bartholomew is not a proper name; it signifies the son of Ptolomy; and Nathanael might have been his own name.

4. St. John seems to rank Nathanael with the apostles, when he says that Peter and Thomas, the two sons of Zebedee, Nathanael, and two other disciples, being gone a fishing, Jesus showed himself to them, Joh 21:2-4.

Moses in the law] See Ge 3:16; Ge 22:18; Ge 49:10; De 18:18.

And the prophets] See Isa 4:2; Isa 7:14; Isa 9:5; Isa 40:10; Isa 53:1, c.; Jer 23:5; Jer 33:14-15; Eze 34:23; Eze 37:24; Dan 9:24; Mic 5:2; Zec 6:12; Zec 9:9; Zec 12:10.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

45. Philip findeth Nathanael. Though proud men despise these feeble beginnings of the Church, yet we ought to perceive in them a brighter display of the divine glory, than if the condition of the Kingdom of Christ had been in every respect, from the outset, splendid and magnificent; for we know to how rich a harvest this small seed afterwards grew. Again, we see in Philip the same desire of building which formerly appeared in Andrew. His modesty, too, is remarkable, in desiring and seeking nothing else than to have others to learn along with him, from Him who is a Teacher common to all.

We have found Jesus. How small was the measure of Philip’s faith appears from this circumstance, that he cannot utter a few words about Christ without mingling with them two gross errors. He calls him the son of Joseph, and says, that Nazareth was his native town, both of which statements were false; and yet, because he is sincerely desirous to do good to his brother, and to make Christ known, God approves of this instance of his diligence, and even crowns it with good success. Each of us ought, no doubt, to endeavor to keep soberly within his own limits; and, certainly, the Evangelist does not mention it as worthy of commendation in Philip, that he twice disgraces Christ, but relates that his doctrine, though faulty and involved in error, was useful, because it nevertheless had this for its object, that Christ might be truly known. He foolishly says that he was the son of Joseph, and ignorantly calls him a native of Nazareth, but yet he leads Nathanael to no other than the Son of God who was born in Bethlehem, (Matthew 2:1,) and does not contrive a false Christ, but only wishes that they should know him as he was exhibited by Moses and the Prophets. We see, then, that the chief design of doctrine is, that those who hear us should come to Christ in some way or other.

There are many who engage in abstruse inquiries about Christ, but who throw such darkness and intricacy around him by their subtleties that they can never find him. The Papists, for example, will not say that Christ is the son of Joseph, for they distinctly know what is his name; but yet they annihilate his power, so as to hold out a phantom in the room of Christ. Would it not be better to stammer ridiculously, like Philip, and to hold by the true Christ, than by eloquent and ingenious language to introduce a false Christ? On the other hand, there are many poor dunces in the present day, who, though ignorant and unskilled in the use of language, make known Christ more faithfully than all the theologians of the Pope with their lofty speculations. This passage, therefore, warns us that, if any unsuitable language has been employed concerning Christ by ignorant and unlearned men, we ought not to reject such persons with disdain, provided they direct us to Christ; but that we may not be withdrawn from Christ by the false imaginations of men, let us always have this remedy at hand, to seek the pure knowledge of him from the Law and the Prophets.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(45) Philip findeth Nathanael.—See Joh_1:41; Joh_1:44. Nathanael is the Hebrew of the Greek word Theodorus, God’s gift. The former is found in Num_1:8; 1Ch_2:14. The latter is preserved in the names Theodore and Dorothea. He belonged to the town to which Jesus was going (Cana of, Galilee, Joh_21:2). Philip then probably went with Jesus and found Nathanael at or near Cana (Joh_1:48). He is, perhaps, the same person as Bartholomew; but on this, see Joh_21:2, and Note on Mat_10:3. The more formal statement of the proof in this case, as compared with that of the two brothers (Joh_1:41), agrees with the general character of Philip and with the less close relationship.

Of Nazareth.—Better, from Nazareth. Nothing can be argued from these words, or those which follow, as to ignorance of the fact of, or the events attending, the birth at Bethlehem. It is to be noted that the words are Philip’s, not the writer’s. Very possibly, one who had been in the company of Jesus for a few hours only was then unacquainted with these incidents. In any case he expresses the common belief of the neighbourhood and the time, and it is an instance of St. John’s dramatic accuracy that he gives the words as they were spoken, and does not attempt to interpret them by later events or by his own knowledge. (Comp. Joh_7:42; Joh_7:52; Joh_8:53, et al.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

45. Nathanael] = ‘Gift of God.’ The name occurs Num_1:8; 1Ch_2:14; 1Es_1:9; 1Es_9:22. Nathanael is commonly identified with Bartholomew; (1) Bartholomew is only a patronymic and the bearer would be likely to have another name (comp. Barjona of Simon, Barnabas of Joses); (2) S. John never mentions Bartholomew, the Synoptists never mention Nathanael; (3) the Synoptists in their lists place Bartholomew next to Philip, as James next his probable caller John, and Peter (in Matt. and Luke) next his caller Andrew; (4) all the other disciples mentioned in this chapter become Apostles, and none are so highly commended as Nathanael; (5) All Nathanael’s companions named in Joh_21:2 were Apostles (see note there). But all these reasons do not make the identification more than probable. The framers of our Liturgy do not countenance the identification: this passage appears neither as the Gospel nor as a Lesson for S. Bartholomew’s Day.

We have found him, of whom, &c.] “A most correct representation of the current phraseology, both in regard to the divisions of the O.T., and the application of the Messianic idea.” S. p. 35.

Moses] viz. in Deu_18:15 and in all the Messianic types, promises to Adam, Abraham, &c.

Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph] The words are Philip’s, and express the common belief about Jesus. It was natural to say He was ‘of’ or ‘from Nazareth,’ as His home had been there; still more natural to call him ‘the son of Joseph.’ The conclusion that the Evangelist is ignorant of the birth at Bethlehem, or of the miraculous nature of that birth, cannot be drawn from this passage. Rather, we may conclude that he is a scrupulously honest historian, who records exactly what was said, without making additions of his own.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Philip findeth Nathanael,.... Who was of Cana of Galilee, Joh 21:2 and where, it is very likely, Philip found him; since we quickly read of Jesus, and his disciples being there. This man is thought, by some, to be the same with Bartholomew; and so he is called Bartholomew, in a Syriac dictionary (o); and the rather, since he and Philip are always mentioned together in the account of the apostles, Mat 10:3. And certain it is, from the above mentioned place, that Nathanael was among the apostles after our Lord's resurrection; and it is highly probable was one of them? his name might be Nathanael bar Tholmai, the son of Tholmai, Ptolomy, or Tholomew. It is the same name with Nethaneel, and which is read Nathanael, as here, in:

"And of the sons of Phaisur; Elionas, Massias Israel, and Nathanael, and Ocidelus and Talsas.'' (1 Esdras 9:22)

and by the Septuagint on Ch1 2:14 Neh 12:36; and signifies one given of God; and is the same with Theodore in Greek, and Adeodatus in Latin; a doctor of this name, R. Nathaniel, is mentioned in the Jewish writings (p):

and saith unto him, we have found him of whom Moses, in the law, and the prophets, did write. He does not say, that he, and Andrew, and Simon, had found the Messiah; though he designs him by this circumlocution; Nathanael being, as is generally thought, a person well versed in the law, and the prophets, and so would at once know who Philip meant: for Moses, in the law, or Pentateuch, in the five books written by him, frequently speaks of the Messiah as the seed of the woman, that should break the serpent's head; as the seed of Abraham, in whom all nations should be blessed; and as the Shiloh to whom the gathering of the people should be; and as the great prophet, like to himself, God would raise up among the children of Israel, to whom they were to hearken: and as for the prophets, they wrote of his birth of a virgin; of the place of his birth, Bethlehem; of his sufferings, and the glory, that should follow; of his resurrection from the dead, his ascension to heaven, and session at the right hand of God; and of many things relating to his person, and office, and work. And Philip having given this general account of him, proceeds to name him particularly; and affirms him to be

Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph; that his name was Jesus, which signifies a saviour; and answers to the promises, and prophecies, and character of him in the Old Testament; that he was of Nazareth, a place not above three hours walk from Cana, as Adrichomius says, where Philip and Nathanael were: Nazareth was the place where Christ had lived almost all his days hitherto, and therefore is said to be of it; though Bethlehem was the place of his birth, which Philip might not as yet know; as Capernaum afterwards was his city, or the more usual place of his residence: and that he was the son of Joseph; this Philip says, according to the common opinion of people, for he was supposed to be the son of Joseph; he having married his mother Mary.

(o) Bar Bahlui apud Castell Lex. Polyglott. col. 2437. (p) Pirke Eliezer, c. 48.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Ver. 45. Philip findeth Nathanael] Whom some make to be the same with Bartholomew. I affirm nothing.

We have found] The Greek word imports the sudden and unexpected finding of such a community as he looked not for. See Isa 65:1. ευρηκαμεν. ευρημα, lucrum insperatum, et repente oblatum.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Moses, in the law - Moses, in that part of the Old Testament which he wrote, called by the Jews “the law.” See Deu 18:15, Deu 18:18; Gen 49:10; Gen 3:15.

And the prophets - Isa 53:1-12; Isa 9:6-7; Dan 9:24-27; Jer 23:5-6; etc.

Jesus of Nazareth ... - They spoke according to common apprehension. They spoke of him as the son of Joseph because he was commonly supposed to be. They spoke of him as dwelling at Nazareth, though they might not have been ignorant that he was born at Bethlehem.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Philip having himself discovered Christ, is not willing to eat his morsels alone, but desires to communicate his discovery to others; he finds (whether casually, or upon search, is not said) one Nathanael, he was of Cana in Galilee, Joh 21:2. (The name is a Hebrew name, signifying, The gift of God; some think it the same with Nethaneel, 1Ch 15:24.) Having found him, he tells him with great joy, that they had found him of whom Moses had wrote in the law, the Shiloh, mentioned Gen 49:10, the Prophet, mentioned Deu 18:15, the Branch of the Lord, mentioned Isa 4:2, the Messiah, mentioned by Daniel, Dan 9:25,26, and all the other prophets, him whom they usually called Jesus of Nazareth, ( there he was conceived, there he was bred, Luk 2:4,51, though he was born in Bethlehem of Judah, Luk 2:4), and who was commonly thought to be the son of Joseph. If Philip did only cum vulgo loqui, speak as was commonly said, though himself knew and believed other things, he is not to be blamed; but the most think Philip discovered here his own weakness, both in thinking Christ the son of Joseph, and to have been born at Nazareth. It is certain that the apostles themselves at first, yea, and till Christ’s resurrection from the dead, had a very imperfect notion of Christ as the true Messiah. Grace may consist with great weakness as to knowledge.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

45. We have found—A celebrated mathematician of antiquity, while meditating, suddenly solved one of the profoundest problems of geometry. Such was his rapture at the discovery, that he instantly ran through the street clapping his hands and exclaiming, Eureka, I have found. Philip here joyfully uses the same word, We have found. He had discovered the great problem of salvation.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Further convictions of the disciples. (b) The theme of the Old Testament. Philip findeth Nathanael. He has no sooner accepted the Lord who found him, than he is eager to communicate the Divine secret to others. It seems widely accepted, though without any positive proof, that this Nathanael was identical with the Bartholomew (Bar Tolmai, son of Ptolemy) of the four lists of apostles, on the following grounds:

(1) In Joh_21:2 Nathanael once more appears among the innermost circle of the apostles, and is moreover mentioned there in company with Thomas. In the synoptic Gospels Bartholomew is associated also with Philip, although in Acts, Luke ranks him with Matthew.

(2) It is probable that Nathanael was one of the twelve, and, this being so, it is more probable that he should have been identical with Bartholomew than with any other, he is distinguished from Thomas and the two sons of Zebedee in Joh_21:2, and the whole circumstance of his call suggests no resemblance to that of Matthew.

(3) His well known name is only that of a patronymic, and suggests the existence of another and a personal name. This identification cannot be proved, but there is no other that is more probable. Nathanael (laegtni), as a name in Hebrew, is identical with Theodorus, "God is giver". (Num_1:8 1Ch_2:14; see also RAPC 1Est_1:9 9:22) Thoma ("Die Genesis des Johannes-Evangeliums," p. 409, etc.) endeavours to identify Nathanael with Matthew, and to institute a series of ingenious comparisons between the synoptic "Matthew and Zacchaeus" and this Israelite without guile, and to compare the marriage feast at Nathanael"s "Cana" with the feast in Matthew"s, or Levi"s, house. The subtle fancy and dramatic moral which he attributes to every clause of the narrative render the authorship a greater puzzle than ever. Philip saith unto him, We have found we, the group of friends already illumined with the sublime hopehim of whom Moses in the Law, and the prophets, wrote. This reveals the characteristics of the conversation which had passed between the Lord and the favoured three. It corresponds with what occurred on the way to Emmaus. The Lord rested upon the germinant ideas, and prophetic hopes, suggestive types, and positive predictions of the Old Testament, and met, while he refined and elevated, the current expectations of his time. There was to be no break with the old covenant, except by fulfilling it, establishing its reality and its vast place in the revelation of the supreme will of God. The question naturally arises, "Well, but who is he? what is his name? whither has he come? whence does he hail?" The continuation of the sentence is obviously not in apposition with the on egraqen , but the direct object of eurhkamen . We have found Jesus theSon of Joseph of Nazareth. This is the simple utterance of a matter of fact a current piece of intelligence now circulating in the group of the earliest disciples. The idea of his being Joseph"s Son was widely diffused; the fact that the Lord spent the first thirty years of his human life in Nazareth, was a commonplace of the synoptic story. The argument of the Tubingen and Straussian criticism, that the fourth evangelist was ignorant of Christ"s Birth from above, is contradicted by the prologue, with all the assertions of the Lord"s pre-existence, and especially by ver. 14 with Joh_3:6, Joh_3:13. That he was ignorant of the birth in Bethlehem, with the numberless proofs of his knowledge of Matthew"s and Luke"s Gospels, is absurd. The language put into Philip"s lips does not exhaust the knowledge of the evangelist on this subject. (cf. Joh_7:42)

Vers. 45-51. The calling of Nathanael.

After Jesus finds Philip, Philip finds Nathanael. "One lighted torch serves to light another, and thus faith is propagated.

I THE CHARACTER OF NATHANAEL, OR BARTHOLOMEW. He was a devout Jew, a student of Scripture, of a thoughtful temper, and of prayerful habits. He was above all a guileless Israelite: "An Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.

II THE DIFFICULTIES OF NATHANAEL. "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?

1. A guileless man may have prejudices as well as difficulties; but in this case the difficulties were of more account than the prejudices, because they may have been grounded upon the fact that there was no prediction of a Messiah issuing from Nazareth.

2. It is not inconsistent with his guileless character that he should refuse to be satisfied without sufficient reason. Nathanael was not a simpleton, to be carried about by every wind of doctrine or by every false Christ.

3. It is a proof of a genuinely sincere and straightforward nature that sufficient evidence brings full persuasion to his mind. It is not enough that Jesus unveils his character; he must also give him evidence of a power to know all that Nathanael did as well as thought. "Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

III CONSIDER HOW CHRIST DEALS WITH A GUILELESS MAN. Our Lord uses many tests according to the different characters of men.

1. There is no test like that of personal experience. "Come and see," said Philip. It is impossible to conceive of wiser counsel. Few doubters are influenced by reasoning and argument. Philip says to Nathanael, "I have found a Saviour: come and see him for yourself.

2. Christ welcomes the guileless inquirer. This is evident from the encouraging insight expressed, in the words, "Behold an Israelite indeed!

3. Christ satisfies him, for he wins his fairly. Nathanael utters the emphatic testimony: "Thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel a testimony at once to Christ"s Divinity and his Messiahship.

4. Christ promises a still fuller satisfaction to the intellect and heart of all disciples. "From henceforth ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

(1) This does not refer to the Transfiguration, which was not witnessed by all to whom these words were addressed;

(2) nor to the Ascension, for the heavens were not opened and angels were not seen on that occasion;

(3) nor to the ministry of angels as they waited on Jesus at the various stages of his trial;

(4) it refers to Jacob"s ladder, which signified the opening up of a new and living way into the holiest of all "by Christ"s flesh," in virtue of which not only greater proofs, in the shape of miracle and signs, would be given to the sonship of Jesus than any they had yet witnessed, but a constant communication would be kept up between heaven and earth, even after the Son of man should have left the world, through virtue of his Mediatorship. The angels are the messengers of the Redeemer"s will, constantly ascending and descending in their errands of mercy and love.

5. Christ reveals himself to the whole race of man as the Son of man. This chapter is singularly rich in the names that are ascribed to Christ. It contains no less than twenty-one names or titles of him. But the most precious to the believer"s heart, in the longing for sympathy, is that which Christ only applies to himself, "the Son of man.

Vers. 45-51. The candid disciple.

Nathanael is a person of whom we know but very little. That he was of Cana, that he was probably the same as Bartholomew, that, after the resurrection of Jesus, he was in company with Peter upon the Lake of Gennesareth, this is all we are told concerning him, except what we learn from this passage. Our chief interest in him, therefore, lies in his call to the discipleship of the Lord.

I MORAL PREPARATION FOR DISCIPLESHIP. Like many of Christ"s friends, Nathanael was disciplined and fitted beforehand for the new fellowship.

1. He was devout, meditative, and prayerful. It seems likely that, "under the fig tree," he was engaged in the study of the Scriptures and in prayer.

2. A true and spiritual, and not merely a nominal, a national, Israelite. There were many descended from Abraham who were not Abraham"s children spiritually. This man was a true "prince with God one worthy of his privileges and his name.

3. Guileless; not indeed free from sin, but transparent in character candid, open to the light, anxious to be holy and to find God. Such training as this was the best preparative for Christian discipleship.

II INTELLECTUAL PREJUDICE AGAINST DISCIPLESHIP. This state of mind is not incompatible with that already described. Nathanael was not eager to welcome the new Teacher and Leader of men. Morally cultured though he was, he resented the supposition that the Messiah could spring out of a town so small, insignificant, and despised as Nazareth. His first inclination was to discredit the witness, and to smile at the sudden enthusiasm of his friend Andrew. And in this Nathanael did but anticipate the action of the Jews, who were offended at what they deemed the weakness of the cross, and of the Gentiles, who were offended at what they deemed its folly. It is not only bad men whose prejudices keep them from Christ; good men have their prejudices prejudices not to be overcome by reasoning, but which will yield to the demonstration of personal experience.

III DECISIVE MEANS BRINGING ABOUT DISCIPLESHIP. Several steps are here taken, which deserve to be carefully followed.

1. The mediation and testimony of a friend.

2. The invitation to a personal interview with Jesus, accepted as readily a sit was wisely suggested.

3. The evident insight possessed by Jesus into human character. He needed not that any man should tell him; he knew immediately what was the character of him who was introduced to him.

4. The revelation of the man"s heart to himself by the authority of the Divine Rabbi. Others standing by could not fathom all the depths of this interview and conversation. But Jesus knew all, and Nathanael felt the omniscience of the Being he now began to understand.

IV BOLD AVOWAL OF DISCIPLESHIP. The process in the scholar"s mind was swift, but not rash or unwarranted. His confession was full and rich, but not extravagant. To Nathanael, over whose mind there flashed a flood of revelation, Jesus was

(1) the Rabbi,

(2) the Son of God,

(3) the King of Israel.

This witness seems incapable of expansion. All his afterlife was to Nathanael an opportunity for filling up the outline which his faith thus sketched in a few bold strokes. He never went beyond these first convictions.

V RECOMPENSE OF DISCIPLESHIP. Such spiritual sympathy, such courageous confession, was not unrewarded. In response, the Messiah:

1. Accepted the new and ardent pupil as one of his own attached and privileged companions.

2. Assured him of progressive illumination and experience.

3. Promised him participation in the glorious vision of the future, in the celestial exaltation of the Son of man. T.

Vers. 45-51. The guileless inquirer.

Notice

I THE CHARACTER OF NATHANAEL IN ITS DISTINGUISHING FEATURES. "An Israelite indeed." This title was partly given to Jacob, and assumed by his descendants. But many of them were Israelites only in name, not in deed. Hereditary titles are often hollow and unreal. They were genuine when bestowed at first as tokens and rewards of courage and service, but when assumed on account of birth merely, they often lack reality. Nathanael was a true descendant of Jacob, and even superior to his illustrious spiritual ancestors Israelite indeed." His character was distinguished by:

1. Genuine devotion. This made him an Israelite indeed, a genuine heir of the title conferred on his illustrious ancestor prince of God," one who could in prayer be victorious with the Almighty. What was he doing underneath the fig tree alone? One thing, doubtless, was struggling, wrestling with God in prayer; and he was successful. The shady fig tree was his Peniel. Every Israelite indeed has his Peniel and fig tree somewhere. Genuine devotion is retiring. The most successful victories are won in seclusion Very different was Nathanael from Israelites alone in name, who loved to pray standing in public places in order to be seen. The Israelite indeed retires in order not to be seen by any but by the Father of spirits. Every true character is devotional, and the truest devotion is retiring and almost shy. It is the courtship of the soul. It is to be feared that much of the devotion of the present day is mere empty parade. Let ethers have the rostrum and the corners of the streets; give me the fig tree.

2. Transparent sincerity. "In whom there is no guile.

(1) No guile of intellect. There is a guile of intellect, the prolific parent of sophistry, the mental devil of poor humanity.

(2) No guile of heart the parent and refuge of deceit and secret vice.

(3) No guile of conduct. If absent inwardly, it will be absent outwardly. Gullets peculiarly an inward vice. It shuns publicity, it inhabits the inward recesses of the mind and heart; but when there, it must come to the surface sometimes for breath, occasionally seen by men, always by God. Nathanael was free from this. It is not said that he had no sin, no fault, no weakness; he had, as indicated by his question to Philip, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" He was tainted with the prejudices of his age, and with doubt in consequence; but it was an outward pimple rather than an inward cancer. He had no guile, else it would remain within. Sincerity or guilelessness is an elementary and essential principle of Christian character. Without it Christ was helpless even with regard to the outwardly proper, he had to leave them with a "woe;" but with it he was triumphantly merciful and saving. Even with regard to the outwardly rebellious and sinful, he was their Friend and Saviour, and they became his followers.

3. Honest and earliest inquiry after saving truth.

(1) He was meditative. He retired regularly under the fig tree, not merely for prayer, but also for holy meditation and honest search for Divine truth. He lived not by bread alone, but felt that his soul must have suitable food as well as his body. tie hungered after truth, and made a diligent search for it.

(2) He made the best use of the advantages he possessed. He had Moses and the prophets, and he was an earnest student of them. He had fully grasped the central truth of their teaching the promised Messiah; he studied his character and gazed with delight at his portrait as drawn by their inspired pen. Doubtless he had been a spellbound listener of the great herald of the wilderness, and his soul was stirred into burning expectation. In this respect he was an "Israelite indeed," being the genuine growth of the Messianic promises, and waiting for "the Consolation of Israel.

(3) He welcomed every new light. No sooner Philip said, "Come and see," than he at once came to Jesus. He "proved all things," and "held fast that which was good.

4. Intelligence and readiness of faith.

(1) He was ready to believe. He had a believing soul. He had lived by faith in the coming Redeemer. There were Christians before the appearance of Christ, looking forward by faith to him; there were Israelites indeed; and Nathanael was one of them.

(2) His faith was discerning. He saw the Son of God in the Son of Joseph, the King of Israel in Jesus of Nazareth; and the mist of prejudice and doubt vanished before the gaze of his faith and the sight of Jesus.

(3) His faith was intelligent. He believed because he was convinced, and was convinced because Christ gave an unmistakable proof of his superhuman knowledge so peculiar to the Messiah. His faith and reason went hand in hand, and were mutually helpful; so that his faith was intelligent and his intelligence faithful.

5. A confession of conviction.

(1) His confession is respectful. "Rabbi a title of honour and respect.

(2) His confession is prompt. No sooner was he convinced than he confessed another proof of his guilelessness. Many of the Pharisees believed, but on account of guile did not confess. The "Israelite indeed" promptly confessed him.

(3) His confession is full, and given in an intelligent manner. "Thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." His conceptions of Jesus are worthy of him and of the "Israelite indeed." The character of Nathanael was altogether so transparent that Jesus could in it see his own image as in a glass, and Nathanael could see in Jesus the Son of God and the King of men.

III HIS CHARACTER IN RELATION TO JESUS.

1. It was such as to attract the admiring attention of Jesus. Philip was quick in thought and motion with regard to Nathanael. He ran to inform and invite him; but Jesus was before him. "Before Philip called thee,...I saw thee." There is a law of attraction in the spiritual world Nathanael was attracted by Jesus, and Jesus by Nathanael. The pure are attracted by the pure; the sincere by the sincere; and Israel"s King was attracted by the "Israelite indeed.

2. It was such as to cause Jesus to point it out to others. Jesus was frank and open, and loved to reveal his moral taste and likings. "Behold!" he exclaimed; "look at it, it is worth seeing.

(1) It is rare. Comparatively rare in every age, especially in that age of unbelief, hypocrisy, and sham. it was a lonely fruit on the almost barren fig tree of Judaism. It was like a lonely star in a sky of almost universal gloom, like a field of corn in a continent of barrenness, or like a lonely well in a burning desert a treat to Jesus and to his disciples then and now.

(2) It is very valuable. A genuine coin, a pearl. Most valuable because real and useful. Jesus was going to cultivate the world, plough and sow it; it was most important to have good grain for seed it was scarce. Jesus could only have a handful, but quality was mere important than quantity.

Nathanael had the right quality a genuine seed of the kingdom of heaven, a pillar of the new temple of truth, and a model of character for all ages.

(3) It was very beautiful. Beauty is ever attractive and worthy of notice, especially spiritual beauty beauty of character, beauty of soul; and of all beautiful things a beautiful character, a beautiful soul, is the most attractive and most worthy of attention. Jesus points to it, and thus directs the moral taste of the world. The world says," Behold this or that;" but Jesus, "Behold an Israelite indeed," etc. Nathanael"s character was beautiful, especially in that age of moral deformity. It was like a lily among thorns.

3. It is such as introduces its possessor to a caesar acquaintance with Jesus, and to brighter visions of his Person, character, and position. "Thou shalt see greater things than these.

(1) Greater proofs of his Divinity and Messiahship. Clearer proofs of his superhuman knowledge, especially of his power in his miracles his miracles of power and love; new manifestations of the beauty of his Divine and human character.

(2) A clear view of the communication between heaven and earth of which Jesus is the Medium. "Ye shall see heaven open," etc. The heaven was not merely open, but it was opened, and opened by Christ. This was one of the first acts of his redeeming intervention. It was closed by man"s sin, opened by the Son of man"s grace. Heaven is ever open to the "Son of man," and ever open to faith in him. Jacob saw the communication between heaven and earth in the ladder. Jesus is the reality of his vision. Angels ascend and descend on and through him. Every prayer goes up and every blessing comes down from heaven through him. Through him there is a free trade carried on between heaven and earth. "Angels ascend and descend," etc. They are very fond of him. As soon as he left heaven for earth they were after him, singing the hymns of his advent and the anthems of his loving mission; they were ready to serve him in his temptation, his agonies, and his ascension; they were ever surrounding his Person. And they are fond of all who by faith are related to him; they become "ministering spirits." The descent from and ascent to heaven would be too deep and high for angels but on the Son of man.

LESSONS.

1. Many of the most beautiful characters are comparatively private, like Nathanael rather felt than seen and heard, characterized by quiet usefulness, moral beauty, transparency and sunshine of soul, rather retiring, and to be found under the fig tree rather than on the branches.

2. You must have the Saviour to appreciate them fully and point them out. At the last day he shall exhibit many of these retiring but specially beautiful ones. They are only fully known and valued by him. They shall appear with him in glory.

3. Faith is rewarded here and hereafter. Its reward is seeing great: things, and ever greater things. It is vision of the spiritual and the Divine, and its visions are increasingly grand. Believe in Christ, and heaven is opened; and, once opened, the privileges are great, and the outlook glorious and illimitable. B.T.

Vers. 45-51. Jesus and Nathanael.

Jesus praises Nathanael both in what he says to others concerning him, and what he says directly to himself. Whatever Jesus may have found praiseworthy in the other four disciples, he said nothing. Nathanael stands out very distinctly as having in him elements of character needing to be published to all disciples. Jesus meant to say to others, "Be ye as this man. Be ye also Israelites indeed, in whom there is no guile. Be ye those who have peculiar individual experiences under the fig tree." And so we must try to discover what it is to be "an Israelite indeed," and what it was Jesus specially observed when Nathanael was under the fig tree.

I Begin with the most definite word, AN ISRAELITE INDEED. Some are Israelites only in appearance Israelites according to the flesh, perhaps, yet not therefore Israelites indeed. An Israelite indeed is one like Israel. Israel is the man of two names Jacob to begin with, Israel afterwards. We must look at him in all the scenes of his life. Jacob at Bethel must be specially considered, also that later wrestling till the breaking of the day. On that occasion Jacob was resolved. With him it was now or never. He had a blessing to get that meant salvation and prosperity, and therefore, as a drowning man grasps the rope, he grasped the only Being who could give that blessing. That was how Israel got his name, entered into his privilege, and became an example to us. An Israelite indeed is one who wrestles with the Giver of spiritual blessings; one who has known long agonies of the heart; one who has toiled with strong crying and tears, if only he might get the blessing of a conscience undefiled, and a heart perfectly subjected to the will of God.

II THE LIGHT THUS CAST ON THE CHARACTER OF NATHANAEL. He was an Israelite indeed. Therefore he had known intense spiritual struggles. His bosom had been the seat of some great searching influence akin to that which Israel passed through when he wrestled to the breaking of the day. Nathanael must have had his time of wrestling under the fig tree. Something was resolved, something attained. What the something was we know not, for Jesus perfectly respects Nathanael"s secret, even while he makes Nathanael feel that he knows it.

III WE ALL SHOULD HAVE OUR TIME UNDER THE FIG TREE. Seek a season wherein the underlying realities of life shall meet us face to face. Struggles like those of Nathanael are indicated again and again in the Book of Psalms. If yea would understand Ps 139, you must have had your time under the fig tree. Till you have had such a time you are without a key to the deepest, most precious utterances of Scripture. The thought of Nathanael should stir us up to that struggle which makes a spiritual man so rich and strong, and, above all, so satisfying a sight to the Lord Jesus Christ.

IV WHEN WE ARE UNDER THE FIG TREE JESUS KNOWS ABOUT IT. Nathanael knows that Jesus has gazed upon his heart and seen its most hidden thoughts. He is not dependent upon the exactness of our recollections, or the fulness of our descriptions. He sees the fulness of the inward life just as it is. Nathanael knew that henceforth to one Being in the universe at least secrets were not secrets. Not merely that Nathanael was seen, but seen by the eye of Jesus, that made the discovery so important. "I saw thee." Put all the fulness of meaning you can into that "I Y.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jesus of Nazareth - So Philip thought, not knowing he was born in Bethlehem. Nathanael was probably the same with Bartholomew, that is, the son of Tholomew. St. Matthew joins Bartholomew with Philip, Matt. x, 3, and St. John places Nathanael in the midst of the apostles, immediately after Thomas, chap. xxi, 2, just as Bartholomew is placed, Acts i, 13.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The last person mentioned in this chapter, who was called to own and embrace Christ for the Messiah, is Nathanael: who this Nathanael was, doth not certainly appear; but it is evident, he was a sincere, good man, though prejudiced for the present against Christ, because of the place of his supposed birth and residence, Nazareth: Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? That is, can any worthy or excellent person, much less the promsied and long-expected Messias, come out of such an obscure place as Nazareth is? Whereas Almighty God, whenever he pleases, can raise worthy persons out of contemptible places.

Observe farther, How mercifully and meekly Christ passes over the mistakes and failings, the prepossessions and prejudices, of Nathanael; but takes notice of and publicly proclaims his sincerity: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile! that is, no guile imputed, no guile concealed, no prevailing guile. It being only true of Christ, in a strict and absolute sense, that there was no guile found in his lips; but, in a qualified sense, it is true of Nathanael, and every upright man: they are true Israelites, like their father Jacob, plain men; men of great sincerity and uprightness of heart, both in the sight of God and man. And whereas our Saviour speaks of him with a sort of admiration, Behold an Israelite in whom is no guile!

We learn, That a person of great sincerity and uprightness of heart towards God and man, a true Nathanael, an Israelite indeed, is a rare and worthy sight, Behold an Israelite indeed!

Learn, 2. That such indeed as are Nathanaels, need not commend themselves; Christ will be sure to do it for them. Nathanael conceals his own worth: Christ publishes and proclaims it, and calls upon others to take notice of it. Behold, &c.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

45. Philip findeth Nathanael. As we learn from John 21:2, Nathanael was a Galilean, his home being at “Cana in Galilee.” His name only occurs in these two places. He is supposed to have been one of the Twelve, the same one mentioned in the other Gospels as Bartholomew, which means “son of Tolmai.” The use of the name in John 21:2 favors this hypothesis. We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write. There was only one to whom this could refer, “The prophet like unto Moses,” the Messiah; and when Philip names Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael is at once skeptical whether the Messiah could come out of Nazareth, an insignificant and despised place.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

45. ἀπὸ Βηθ. For the change of preposition see on Joh 11:1. The local knowledge displayed in this verse is very real. S. John would possess it; a writer in the second century would not, and would not care to invent. This is ‘Bethsaida of Galilee’ (Joh 12:21) on the western shore, not Bethsaida Julias (see on Mat 4:13). In the Synoptists Philip is a mere name: our knowledge of him comes from S. John (see on Joh 1:42, Joh 6:7, Joh 12:21, Joh 14:8).

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

45.] On the futility of Mr. Greswell’s distinction between ἀπό as signifying mere habitation, and ἐκ, nativity, see reff. and note on ch. 11:1. This is Bethsaida on the Western bank of the lake of Gennesareth; another Bethsaida (Julias) lay at the top of the lake, on the Jordan. See note on Luk 9:10.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

45. Nathanael is a Hebrew name, נְתַנְאֵל, meaning “God has given,” the equivalent of the Greek Theodore. He was of Cana of Galilee (21:2), and it was perhaps there that Philip found him, as Cana is the next place mentioned (2:1).

Nathanael has been identified, e.g. by Renan and Zahn, with Bartholomew, because (1) in the Synoptic lists of the apostles, Philip is associated with Bartholomew as he is here with Nathanael, and (2) while the name Nathanael does not occur in the Synoptists, Bartholomew (which is only a patronymic, Bar Tholmai) is not found in Jn.

This group of disciples are represented as students of the O.T. As Andrew says, “We have found the Messiah” (v. 41), so Philip says, “We have found Him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote.” This is what was explained to the disciples at Emmaus (Luk 24:27). The reference to “Moses” includes at any rate Deu 18:15.

The Person in whom these prophecies were fulfilled is described by Philip as “Jesus, a son of Joseph (not the son, τὸν υἱόν of the rec. text being erroneous), the man from Nazareth.” It is certain that the author of the Fourth Gospel did not regard Jesus as a “son of Joseph”; for him Jesus was μονογενὴς θεός (v. 18). But he does not stay to explain that Philip’s confession fell short of the truth, just as he does not comment on the query, “Is not this Jesus the son of Joseph?” (6:42). Jn. is sure that his readers are of one mind with himself as to the Divinity of Jesus, and that they will not misunderstand. This characteristic of Jn.’s style has been called “the irony of St. John,”1 and it appears several times. (Cf. 6:42, 7:35, 18:28, 19:19.)

τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζρέτ. “The man from Nazareth” (so Act 10:37) was the natural designation of Jesus by those who only knew where He lived (see on 18:5). “Jesus of Nazareth” is still a descriptive phrase on the lips of many who are assured that He was θεὸς ἐκ θεοῦ.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.