Home Page

        Study the Bible

        with Pastor Gregory

        Would you like to ask Pastor Gregory a question?


        "The Skeptic Converted"
        John 1:43-51
        Theme:        The love flowing from the heart of Christ to the sinner overwhelms the skepticism and provides a basis for faith.

        1. I. The Heart of the Savior – 1:43-45

          1. The Mission of the Savior – vv. 43-44

            1. The Lord Jesus Christ described Himself as having come "to seek and to save that which was lost" – cp. Luke 19:10
            2. Here we see that from the very beginning of His ministry, this was demonstrated: "The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip."
            3. As we recognize the tremendous love of Jesus for sinners, we see His constant call and invitation to us who are struggling: "Follow Me."
            4. The love of God for you is so great, that even though you might be hesitant to "allow yourself to be found," Christ will search for you until He finds you and will, regardless of your condition, invite you to "follow Me."

          2. The Message of Those Saved – v. 45

            1. Once touched by the grace of God, converted sinners are progressively conformed to the likeness and character of Jesus Christ – even to the point of being made "partakers of the divine nature" – cp. 2 Peter 1:4
            2. One of the first and most clearly seen ways by which the likeness of Christ is seen in us is by sharing in the heart of God for sinners – "Philip found Nathaniel and said to him . . ."
            3. He then relays to Nathaniel what Jesus had apparently been teaching him from the Old Testament Scriptures – how that Moses and the Prophets all foretold of Him – cp. Luke 24:27
            4. His testimony is: "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
              1. That Philip identifies Jesus as being "of Nazarth" and not Bethlehem does not show error, merely that Jesus had grown up in Nazareth and was currently residing there.
              2. That Philip identifies Jesus as being "the son of Joseph" does not mean that Philip was in error, because Joseph was indeed the legal guardian of Jesus for whom Jesus worked as a carpenter.
            5. Thus the heart of the Savior fills the heart of the saved – spread the Gospel to those around us who are lost and need to know Him.

        2. II. The Hurdles to Salvation – 1:46-48

          1. The Partial Understanding of the Truth – v. 46

            1. However, do sinners immediately accept what they are told? Clearly not: "Nathaniel said to him, ‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’"
            2. Philip had just explained to Nathaniel how the Old Testament Scriptures spoke of the Messiah and Jesus was the fulfillment of those prophecies.
            3. Now Nathaniel becomes genuinely struck by what he perceives as a problem: the Old Testament Scriptures do not identify Nazareth as the place from which the Messiah would come.
            4. This question is not in any way filled with prejudice or disdain for Nazareth – as illustrated by Jesus’ later description of him.
            5. So often, people focus on the aspects of faith they do not understand rather than on the Person of Christ Himself – Philip understands this and doesn’t attempt to argue with Nathaniel.
            6. He merely invites Him to look at Jesus personally – "Come and see."

          2. The Powerful Unfolding of the Truth – vv. 47-48

            1. At Philip’s invitation, Nathaniel goes to see Jesus – and "Jesus saw Nathaniel come to Him, and said of Him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is not deceit!"
            2. What a tremendous insight into the focus of Christ Jesus – that He recognizes the genuineness of a man’s desire for God – cp. Proverbs 5:21; 15:3
            3. Since Jesus clearly refers to the account of Jacob’s ladder in the following verses, He may be contrasting Nathaniel here as a sincere and honest man to the deception of Jacob and His offspring.
            4. If so, Christ would be inferring that an honest quest for God was a uniqueness in Israel at the time – that here was a man who was genuinely "of Israel"
            5. Nathaniel wonders about Jesus’ assessment and asks: "How do you know me?"
            6. I believe Nathaniel was not belligerently contesting Jesus description of him, but was sensing the work of God’s Spirit in his heart and was sincerely asking.
            7. Jesus responds by displaying a bit of His divine power of omniscience: "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."
            8. The text does not inform us as to what was happening "under the fig tree," but I believe that Nathaniel had had a personal time with God – either confessing sin, praying for greater spiritual strength, or even calling on God to send the Messiah.
            9. When Jesus indicates to Nathaniel that he had actually been communing with Him in his prayer, Nathaniel is absolutely overwhelmed by the reality of Christ’s true identity.

        3. III. The Honor of the Son of God – 1:49-51

          1. The Pronouncement of His Honor – v. 49

            1. Nathaniel’s immediate response is: "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel."
            2. Here you see the power of the truth that overcomes the confusion arising out of a limited knowledge or understanding of truth – when God’s Spirit reveals to a person who Jesus Christ is, they are compelled to believe.
            3. As an encouragement to Nathaniel, Jesus states that because of his positive response to the awareness of Who Christ is through the illumination given him, "you will see greater things than these."
            4. These "greater things" include primarily refer to the redemption that would be accomplished by the One who is the Son of God as well as the Son of Man dying for sin and bridging the segregation between Heaven and earth.

          2. The Promise of His Honor – vv. 50-51

            1. Thus, Christ indicates that "you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
            2. This clearly recalls the situation in Genesis 28:12 where Jacob dreams of a ladder upon which angels were "ascending and descending."
            3. This dream prophetically portrayed the initiative of God in bridging the separation of man from the grace of God.
            4. Of course we know now that the single fulfillment of this bridge is the Lord Jesus Christ – described as the one mediator between God and man – cp. 1 Timothy 2:5.
            5. The "angels of God" are described in Hebrews 1:14 as "ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation"
            6. Thus, Jesus is declaring that the primary "greater thing" that Nathaniel and the other disciples would see is the work of grace whereby the portals of heaven are opened and the blessings of God’s provision is poured out upon those redeemed through the work of Christ.

        BCBC Home Page