7036 - We Have Found Him - John 1:41-51
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7036 - We Have Found Him
7036 - We Have Found Him
Today we focus upon the closing verses of chapter 1 of John’s gospel. Listen to verses 41 through 51 as David reads them:
“The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). Then he brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).”
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
This passage reveals that these men had come to where John the Baptist was ministering along the Jordan River. They had an intense interest in the prophesies which talked about the coming Messiah, and we sense, that they were seeking this coming Messiah. They had an impression that the work of John the Baptist might be a good place to gain more insight.
Andrew and Simon Peter along with John, Philip and Nathanael were all friends or relatives and lived in Bethsaida, near Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee. Actually John and Andrew were the first to visit with Jesus.
Then Andrew excitedly found Simon Peter and exclaimed, “We have found the Messiah.”
We need to pause from our discussion about these men to make clear that the word “Messiah” was the Hebrew word equivalent to the Greek word Christ (or Christos). Literally this means the anointed One.
In the minds of these young seekers they knew of Him in its highest use, as a prophetic character, as the One promised of God to be the great Deliverer. This carried the idea of God’s gracious manifestation of himself to men, and the establishment of His kingdom on the earth and Christ would be the reigning King.
The glory and hope of Israel for centuries was of the One who was to come and bring God and His people into a noble relationship together. At the time Jesus entered the earth the national dream had become twisted into a longing just to be freed from the Romans. They had missed the extensive prophesies of the suffering Savior who had to precede the conquering savior.
Let’s get back to looking at these young men who became disciples of Jesus.
When Andrew told Simon Peter about Jesus, Simon seems to have responded to Jesus in belief, and Jesus affirmed him by placing the name Cephas, or Peter, upon him. This name stuck and he served throughout his life under the name Peter.
We see some attitude of incredibility in Nathanael when Philip told him about Jesus. He did not have the same accepting attitude which Simon Peter had. Nathanael’s response was, “can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
But all of Nathanael’s uncertainty was wiped away when Jesus said to him, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree.” Nathanael perceived in these words that Jesus was truly a man of power and his immediate reply was, “Teacher, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus assured him that these young men were destined to experience a higher level of spiritual awareness in future days.
These five men: James and John, Andrew and Philip and Nathanael (believed also to be also called Bartholomew) immediately became disciples of Jesus and were later chosen as Apostles.
“The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). Then he brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).”
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
This passage reveals that these men had come to where John the Baptist was ministering along the Jordan River. They had an intense interest in the prophesies which talked about the coming Messiah, and we sense, that they were seeking this coming Messiah. They had an impression that the work of John the Baptist might be a good place to gain more insight.
Andrew and Simon Peter along with John, Philip and Nathanael were all friends or relatives and lived in Bethsaida, near Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee. Actually John and Andrew were the first to visit with Jesus.
Then Andrew excitedly found Simon Peter and exclaimed, “We have found the Messiah.”
We need to pause from our discussion about these men to make clear that the word “Messiah” was the Hebrew word equivalent to the Greek word Christ (or Christos). Literally this means the anointed One.
In the minds of these young seekers they knew of Him in its highest use, as a prophetic character, as the One promised of God to be the great Deliverer. This carried the idea of God’s gracious manifestation of himself to men, and the establishment of His kingdom on the earth and Christ would be the reigning King.
The glory and hope of Israel for centuries was of the One who was to come and bring God and His people into a noble relationship together. At the time Jesus entered the earth the national dream had become twisted into a longing just to be freed from the Romans. They had missed the extensive prophesies of the suffering Savior who had to precede the conquering savior.
Let’s get back to looking at these young men who became disciples of Jesus.
When Andrew told Simon Peter about Jesus, Simon seems to have responded to Jesus in belief, and Jesus affirmed him by placing the name Cephas, or Peter, upon him. This name stuck and he served throughout his life under the name Peter.
We see some attitude of incredibility in Nathanael when Philip told him about Jesus. He did not have the same accepting attitude which Simon Peter had. Nathanael’s response was, “can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
But all of Nathanael’s uncertainty was wiped away when Jesus said to him, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree.” Nathanael perceived in these words that Jesus was truly a man of power and his immediate reply was, “Teacher, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus assured him that these young men were destined to experience a higher level of spiritual awareness in future days.
These five men: James and John, Andrew and Philip and Nathanael (believed also to be also called Bartholomew) immediately became disciples of Jesus and were later chosen as Apostles.