On the morrow he would go forth into Galilee, and Jesus finds Philip, and says to him, Follow me.
Within four days of John the Baptist's testimony, a small group has begun to gather around Jesus. On this day the pattern changes. Everything Jesus asks of the next man fits into two words.
Every earlier disciple in the chapter came to Jesus through someone else's witness. With Philip it runs the other way.
Jesus Himself took the first step and found Philip, as verse 43 shows. He introduced Himself with two words: "Follow Me." Those two words were clearly enough. They presented Him to Philip as the LEADER, who has the right to command loyal obedience from each and all.
Philip needed a command. Andrew did not. One writer weighs that difference.
With Philip things were different. He was not drawn to the Lord in the same way, because the Lord had to command him to follow Him. We never read that he reached the place Andrew reached. But there is no doubt that any contact with the Lord must have blessed him.
A centre to come to is one thing. A road to walk is another.
We are going through a wilderness. We have to pass through a world full of traps, and many of them are hard to spot. So we need more than a centre to work towards. We need a path to follow. Where will we find the true path for our souls? Not when we get to heaven. There we will need no way, because everything there is good and bright. But here, where everything is wrong and enemies of every kind surround you, you need a way that never fails. Where can we find such a path? My answer: in the Saviour... He Himself is the path, the only true way for the Christian. Whatever comes — whatever difficulties or trials — find out what the will of the Lord is. The moment you submit to His will, you follow Him. To obey His word in faith is to follow Him.
Taking this path means leaving two others: the path you pick for yourself, and the path a stronger person picks for you.
It is a huge thing when Jesus rescues us from the waste of our own will, or from a heart tied to the will of someone stronger than us. It is a huge thing to know that in Him we have found not just the Messiah, but the centre of everything God has revealed, planned and purposed. So we gather with Him because we gather to Him. Everything else, whatever it claims for itself, only scatters. It is wasted work, or worse.
The first disciples came through human witness. Jesus calling Philip Himself does not set that work aside, and Philip takes it up at once.
On the third day, people became disciples of the Lord through the testimony of John the Baptist and of Andrew. Did the Lord discourage that? On the contrary, by calling Philip Himself on the fourth day He showed that it was the right thing at that time. And those words "Follow Me" were words of power to Philip. He asked no questions. He joined the little group linked on earth with the Son of God. But Philip, like Andrew, wanted others to share the blessing. When he found Nathanael, he could not stay silent.
The trip north is not just travel detail. One writer sees in it a picture of a later gathering of faithful Israelites.
Verse 43 introduces another day. That day fittingly pictures the regathering of the godly in Israel in the last days, after the church has been caught up to be with the Lord. Galilee reminds us of this godly remnant... The church of God began with a small core of godly Israelites. The restoration of Israel at the end of the tribulation will be the same: in both cases they come from the same root.
This same call comes twice in John: once at the start, once at the very end.
In the first chapter of John, Jesus said to Philip, "Follow me." In the last chapter He says to Peter, "Follow me." The first call came before the cross. The disciples had left everything to follow Him, because they had faith in Him. But when Calvary came, their steps faltered, and they all ran away.
- Found. Philip did not go looking; Jesus took the initiative and found him, introducing Himself with two words that carried the authority of a leader.
- Followed. Christ is not only the centre to gather to. He is the path to walk. To obey His word in faith is to follow Him.
- Freed. He frees a man from the waste of his own will and from the will of a stronger person. Everything gathered apart from Him only scatters.
- Forwarded. The two words were power to Philip. He joined without a question, then went to find Nathanael. The call moves on to the next person.
- Finished. The same "Follow me" meets Peter in the last chapter of John. The call that opens the Gospel is the call that closes it.
And Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.
John pauses to tell us where Philip came from, and the note ties him to Andrew and Peter. One line about a small fishing town raises real questions: who were these first followers, and what did their town do with such a privilege?
Bethsaida sat on the shore of the lake in Galilee. Its name says what the town lived on, and a fishing business ran from there.
It was a wonderful scene, beside Galilee's blue lake at Bethsaida, "The House of Fish," or as others put it, "The Place of Nets." Simon and Andrew lived there (John 1:44). With their partners James and John, and their father Zebedee, they worked at their trade along with their hired servants. Clearly they had a good large fishing business.
Philip belonged to that same district — and the district had a poor reputation. The people who came out to hear John the Baptist there were plain working people, and the religious leaders of the day dismissed the whole area.
He is mentioned as being of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter (John 1:44). It is more than probable that he was among the Galileans of that district who flocked to hear the preaching of John the Baptist. People spoke of no part of Palestine with such contempt as Galilee. Yet our Lord chose His apostles from these despised Galileans, who were simple, earnest, and devoted. "Search and look," said the Pharisees, "for out of Galilee arises no prophet." But sweeping statements are generally untrue. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" is a sample of the same thing.
Andrew and Peter had come to Jesus through John's testimony and Andrew's word. Philip's start was different: Christ went to find him. Writers note that his following began with a command from the Lord Himself.
On the next day He decided to go to Galilee, and Jesus finds Philip and says to him, Follow me. It is an immense thing to be delivered by Jesus from the waste of one's own will, or from having your heart tied to the will of a man stronger than yourself. It is an immense thing to know that we have found in Him not merely the Messiah, but the centre of all God's revelations, plans, and purposes. So we gather with Him because we gather to Him.
Philip did not come to Jesus the way Andrew did.
With Philip things were different. He was not drawn to the Lord in the same way, for the Lord had to command him to follow Him. But beyond doubt he must have been blessed through coming into contact with the Lord in any way.
Andrew had already brought his brother; Philip immediately goes after Nathanael. What links the two townsmen is not just an address but a pattern.
We find these two men go out to bring others to the One whom they had found. It must always be so when real blessing is received. Its course is outward and onward to others. If there is no desire in your heart to see others blessed, we greatly doubt whether you have received the blessing yourself. One thing is absolutely certain — you are not enjoying it.
Three of the twelve came from this one place, and the Lord worked there beyond the ordinary measure. That is exactly why His later word against it is so heavy.
That city had a day of visitation. It had been greatly favoured. The Lord had done His mighty works there beyond the common measure. And Andrew, Peter, and Philip, three of the Lord's apostles, had belonged to that town (see John 1:44). But such favour, such a day of merciful, gracious visitation, had been slighted. The place had not turned to Him who had blessed it. It had not repented (Matt. 11:20).
The location has long been debated. Commentators differ over whether one town or two bore the name, and the wording of John 12:21 has been read as a clue.
There is a question whether there were two places of this name, as Trench thought. One would be on the western shore of the lake, in Galilee, and another on the eastern shore, in Gaulonitis. Thomson held that there was only one. We meet the name again in John 12:21, where "Galilee" is added as if to distinguish it.
- Place. Bethsaida means "house of fish." It was a working town on the lake, home to the fishing business of Simon, Andrew, James and John.
- Privilege. From a region others said no prophet came out of, the Lord drew three of His apostles: Andrew, Peter and Philip.
- Call. Jesus came to Philip Himself and told him to follow — a different road in from Andrew's, out of the same town.
- Spread. Both men went out to bring others to the One they had found. Blessing runs outward, or it is not being enjoyed.
- Responsibility. Bethsaida was greatly favoured, yet it slighted that visit and did not repent.
Philip finds Nathanael, and says to him, We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the law, and the prophets, Jesus, the son of Joseph, who is from Nazareth.
Philip has only just begun to follow Jesus, and already he is looking for someone else. His words to Nathanael pack the whole Old Testament into one sentence. Then he ties that sentence to a man from a village nobody respected.
One person brings the next: Andrew went to Peter, and now Philip goes to Nathanael. The joy is too fresh to keep quiet.
The earliest disciples had just found a heavenly joy. Eager and generous with it, they want to tell the news and bring others to share the presence of Jesus with them. This is how Nathanael comes into the scene… Philip had already shared the joy with Andrew, Peter and others. Now he delights to pass it on to Nathanael.
"Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote" is not a vague compliment. Philip names the prophet like Moses and the subject of every prophecy. The long search is over.
As with Andrew, so with Philip, he wanted others to share in the blessing. When he found Nathanael, he could not keep silent… Andrew spoke to his brother Simon about the Messiah. Philip's testimony was much fuller. He named the prophet like Moses, the theme of prophecy, Jesus son of Joseph, and Nazareth as well. John the Baptist was not the prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15. Philip, however, was sure he had now met Him.
Philip could appeal to those writings because no one around him questioned their authority.
John records "Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote" as a known and accepted truth; the Psalms equally so.
Philip tied those great titles to a name: "Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael could not accept that pairing.
Nathanael was not at all prepared for this. His heart truly did look for the One of whom Moses and the prophets wrote. But that the Christ was Jesus from Nazareth, the son of Joseph, he had yet to learn… It had never occurred to him how the Messiah could be "from Nazareth," let alone "the son of Joseph." Even a despised Galilean looked down on that village… If Philip had said "from Bethlehem, the son of David," the expecting Jew would have felt no such shock. But in truth, this passage shows the Lord as wholly above all earthly associations, and so He could come down to the lowest.
Philip had been following Jesus for a day. The description he gives reflects that — and God still used it.
Philip followed and became a seeker of others, though he did not yet know much. To Nathanael he could only speak of "Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." That was neither a very lofty nor a very accurate description of the One he had just begun to follow. At first it slightly prejudiced Nathanael: still, it was enough to lead him to a meeting with the Lord.
Commentators weigh Philip's words differently. Stuart calls his testimony fuller than Andrew's; others measure it by its effect on the hearer.
If you compare this testimony with Andrew's, you will see the difference at once. Nor was it so successful. Nathanael objected at once: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Only Philip's next words drew him to Jesus: "Come and see. Prove it for yourself before you judge."
Philip did not defend Nazareth. He handed the question back to the Person Himself.
Philip was wiser than to argue the point, and is ready with the kind and practical invitation, "Come and see."
Many who speak about Christ have met Nathanael's reaction and been stung by it.
How many since Philip's day have gone through what he found! They were blessed in their own soul, and the question of salvation was clear to them. So they thought everyone would listen to their testimony and accept it too. But disappointment, perhaps keen disappointment, awaited them. They had spoken to dull and even deaf ears, and spoken in vain. The reason was not hard to find. Those they spoke to had never known personal dealings with Christ.
- Found. Philip had only just begun to follow Jesus, yet the joy of it sent him straight out to find Nathanael, as Andrew had gone to find Peter.
- Written. Philip announced that the search of the Law and the prophets was over. The prophet like Moses, the theme of prophecy, now had a name and a face.
- Lowly. He tied that glory to "Nazareth" and "son of Joseph," the very words that offended. Yet the Lord stands above all earthly ties, and so He can stoop to the lowest.
- Imperfect. His description was neither lofty nor accurate, and he had followed Christ for only a day. It still carried a man to Jesus.
- Invited. When his words met an objection, Philip did not argue. He said, "Come and see." A meeting with Christ does what testimony alone cannot.
And Nathanael said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip says to him, Come and see.
Philip has just told his friend that the One the Scriptures promised has come — Jesus of Nazareth. That last word almost ends the conversation. Nathanael's blunt question and Philip's three-word reply raise two lasting issues: why the Saviour's address was one people despised, and how to answer a doubter.
To call a man a Nazarene was an insult in that day. One writer explains why:
It was the well-understood language of contempt in that day: He should, in other words, be called a Nazarene. Nazareth was the most scorned of places. The men of Judea looked down on Nazareth. The Galileans despised it too, even though it was part of their own district. Later we read of an Israelite with no deceit in him. When he heard of Jesus being there, he exclaimed, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" So if one spot in Palestine matched the rejection Christ received more than any other did, it was Nazareth.
Nathanael was waiting for Israel's Saviour. Nothing about this name fit what he expected:
A place not even named in the Old Testament. In Galilee, too. And a village that produced so little good that it had quite a bad name among those who knew it. For Nazareth to be the home of Israel's Saviour strained Nathanael's mind almost to refusal. Philip's wise reply led him to come and see. Was he disappointed? Does God ever disappoint the man or the woman who is content to receive and learn Christ in the unexpected place?
Nathanael did not doubt that the Messiah would come. What staggered him was the address and the family name attached to Him:
He believed in the glory of the Messiah's Person, as far as the Old Testament had revealed it in advance. But it had never occurred to him that the Messiah could be "from Nazareth," let alone "the Son of Joseph." Even a Galilean, a man others already looked down on, thought that village contemptible... If Philip had said "from Bethlehem, the Son of David," the waiting Jew would have felt no such shock. But in truth, the Lord stands here wholly above all earthly ties, and so He could come down to the lowest.
Commentators differ on what lies behind the question. One hears in it the ordinary scorn of the day:
He does not hide that Christ had come from Nazareth, a place people despised. No doubt Nathanael's objection voiced the common prejudice of the Jews.
Another writer hears something else in the same words — not a sneer, but the voice of a searching heart:
His answer — "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" — is not the language of popular prejudice. Such words may well have been common on the lips of scorners. But this is the language of a soul just emerging from a place where deep searching had led to some humbling and unsettling experiences in the heart and conscience. ... So he went at once when Philip called him. He would walk to Nazareth, for a soul convicted of its own sin can call nothing common or unclean except itself. If Nazareth is vile, Nathanael in his own eyes is viler still.
Philip offers no defence of Nazareth and no counter-argument. He hands the question over to the Person Himself:
How wisely Philip met him! Argument would never have convinced Nathanael. But Philip knew what time spent with Christ had done for him. So he answered quietly, "Come and see."
The invitation puts the burden of testing where it belongs — on the objector's own eyes, before his verdict is fixed:
Nor was it so remarkably successful, for we find that Nathanael at once began to object, saying, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" And it was not until Philip said, "Come and see. Prove it for yourself before you judge," that Nathanael was drawn to Jesus.
One sight of Jesus overturned everything Nathanael had said:
How that little word "Nazareth" came between Nathanael and the Son of God! But when he sees Jesus, he finds that Philip has not said half enough, and falls down in worship at once.
The same two words are still ours to say — and they test the one who says them:
How beautiful, if someone has criticism about the Lord Jesus, to say, Come and see. But how often, sadly, we do not have the strength to say "Come and see", because what do people see in us? ... Can I say to everyone in my neighbourhood, "Come and see", when it comes to the Lord Jesus?
- Despised — Nazareth was the most scorned town in the land. Even Galileans looked down on it. The address matched the rejection Christ came to bear.
- Unnamed — the village never appears in the Old Testament. Nathanael had no room in his thinking for a Messiah from there. "Bethlehem, the Son of David" would have raised no objection.
- Disputed — commentators differ. One hears the common prejudice of the day. Another hears a soul just humbled by deep searching.
- Invited — Philip did not argue. He said, "Come and see." Argument would never have convinced Nathanael; a sight of Christ did.
- Undersold — one sight of Christ ended the prejudice and brought worship. Philip had not said half enough. "Come and see" is still the invitation to give.