Philip and Nathanael Become Disciples

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.  He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’  Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’  Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom there is no deceit!’  Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do you know me?’  Jesus answered him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.  Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!’  Jesus answered him, ‘Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe?  You will see greater things than these.’  And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’” –John 1:43-51 (ESV).

“The next day” in the opening of this passage from John’s gospel refers to the day after Jesus had called John himself as a disciple, and Andrew and Peter, and two days after John the Baptist had declared that Jesus was the Son of God.   Some scholars call Philip and Nathanael brothers.  Their calling is similar to that of Andrew and Peter, with Andrew finding Christ first and then going to find his own brother, Peter.  In Galilee, Jesus “found” Philip who was from the same city in Galilee, Bethsaida, where Andrew and Peter were from.  The important thing we see here is that each time the men who first encountered Jesus and were moved by Him to follow, went seeking others to follow Jesus whom they believed strongly from the time they first met Him was the Messiah, the Christ.  “Come and see,” they invited.  And Jesus was so compelling and had such a quality of spiritual insight that they wanted to follow Him.

Nathanael first shows some doubt, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Nazareth was an obscure town, not mentioned in the Old Testament, and certainly not held as a place from which the Messiah would come. To counter Nathanael’s doubts, Philip wisely invited him to come and meet Jesus for himself.  No doubt Philip, in his short time of knowing Jesus, had recognized something strong and different about Him.  When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching Him, he made an unusual statement about his character:  “Behold, and Israelite indeed in whom there is no deceit!”  He was comparing Nathanael as an opposite of the long-ago Jacob who had deceived his brother Esau to get his father’s blessing.  Then Jesus told Nathanael He had already seen him “under the fig tree.”Much of speculation and imagination has been written about Jesus observing Nathanael as he was ‘under the fig tree.’  What had drawn Jesus’ attention to him, and why was this significant enough for John to mention it as he wrote of the calling of Philip and Nathanael?  We don’t have the answer to these questions, except to surmise that wherever we are, Jesus in His omnipotence already knows about us and wants us to follow Him..After Nathanael’s declaration “You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!” Jesus promised Nathanael he would see greater things, and he referred to the dream of Jacob in the Old Testament when he saw a ladder reaching to Heaven and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.  This was a designation Jesus used for Himself as Messiah  It is a term indicating that Jesus was completely partaking of the human nature, but at the same time He was completely divine.

Scholars believe that Nathanael and Bartholomew are one and the same disciple, with Bartholomew used in some of the lists of disciples, and Nathanael used here at the time of his calling as recorded by John.  We see in Philip first coming to Jesus and then inviting Nathanael a firm pattern of how we ourselves should lead others to discipleship.  We come to know Jesus and decide to follow Him.  He makes such a difference in our lives that we want to invite others to “Come and see” Jesus for themselves.  Like Philip to Nathanael, we want them to experience the joy of knowing the Messiah, the Savior.  And, like Nathanael and Philip, they can know that Jesus knew and loved them even before they came to Him. He awaits, still, each individual’s response.

At a Well in Samaria

“Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’  So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of his word.  They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’”-John 4:39-42 (ESV. Read John 4:1-45)

We call her “the woman at the well in Samaria.”  John does not give her a name in his gospel.  But the depth of insight with which John tells her story inspires us to know that Jesus was concerned about all people.  He, a Jew, did not despise and look down upon the half-breed Samaritans.  He took time to talk to an outcast woman—one who came to the community well at a time when it was not frequented by many others from the town of Sychar.  There was a reason for her choice of time to fetch water.  She evidently had not taken seriously the marriage vows, for she had been married five times.  And even at the time of Jesus’ encounter with her, the man with whom she lived was not her husband.  Oh!  Would Jesus, a Jew, stoop to talk to one as ill-regarded as she?  And then He said something to her about living water, water that could permanently quench thirst.  She wanted that water, but she didn’t know exactly how to go about acquiring it.  Jesus knew she needed further counsel and instruction before she understood about the “living water” He offered.

Before His disciples returned from the town where they had gone to purchase food, Jesus had quite a discussion with the woman at the well.  She tried to get him on a detour by discussing where the Samaritans worshiped in comparison to where the Jews worshiped.  But when she said she knew that Messiah was coming, and that He would tell them ‘all things.’ He said to her, “I who speak to you am He” (v. 26).

When the disciples returned, the woman left her water jar and ran to Sychar.  Would her townspeople believe this outcast woman who had a message?  “”Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did.  Can this be the Christ?”  Maybe it was the change in her countenance, as she invited them to see for themselves.  Maybe it was the very fact that, outcast before, she now spoke to them—and that compellingly so that they listened and went to see for themselves.  One woman’s changed life and testimony resulted in a whole town hearing Jesus for two days.  We are told “many believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony” (v. 29)…and also “because of His word”(v. 41)   This was not just a wayside encounter.  Jesus “had to pass through Samaria” (v. 4).  I like the KJV version: “And he must needs go through Samaria” as if He had a sense of mission.  And He did.  Someone was there who needed to hear, see and accept Him as Messiah.  What a lessons this whole story of the woman at the well in Samaria teaches us!  She was an unlikely prospect for salvation, but touched by Jesus, she made a whole town aware of who He is and what He can do for a person who believes.  Praise be to God!

Two Contrasting Ways: of the Righteous and of the Wicked

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he mediates day and night.  He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.  The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away..Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”-Psalm 1 (NKJV).

Psalm 1 provides a timely introduction to the whole Psalter.  A wisdom psalm, its theme is the blessedness of the righteous compared to the character and destiny of the wicked.  It is fitting that this Psalm is a beatitude.  It begins by describing the condition of the blessed man and listing his characteristics.  He does not take advice (counsel) from the ungodly.  He does not associate (stand) with sinners.  He is not scornful of others.  His delight is in God’s law.  A striking simile likens him to a strong tree beside a water supply that bears fruit in season and does not wither or fade away.  Furthermore, the righteous knows success in his undertakings.

Compared to the righteous man, the wicked man is like chaff and is easily influenced to evil, just as the wind drives the chaff away.  When the Psalmist says that “the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,” he does not mean that he will not receive judgment in the final reckoning of God’s time of separating the good from the evil.  Rather, the meaning is that when that judgment comes, the ungodly and his works will not stand—will not pass the test.  At the last judgment, Jesus will say to the wicked, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23, NKJV).

On the farm when I was a child, my father grew wheat and rye.  The threshers would come to our farm when the grain was ripe and harvested to thresh it, leaving a large pile of fragrant straw.  The grain was gathered into bins, but before it was stored, because the old threshing machines could not get all the chaff out of the grain, we would have to allow the wind to help with separating the chaff from the wheat.  I can see my father and other adults, with the thick threshing sheet on the ground, holding a vat of grain tilted on their shoulder and allowing it to fall slowly onto the sheet.  As the wind blew, the chaff would separate from the grain and blow away.  The grain was then ready to store and would be used to take to mill for our own flour, or some of the grain would be fed to animals on the farm.  The separation of the wheat from the chaff was a necessary procedure, one that took care and attention from the farmer.  Likewise, in the judgment, the godly and ungodly will be separated, as the chaff was separated from the wheat. 

The righteous are blessed.  The ungodly will perish.  This is as clear a statement as we can find of the destinies of the good and the evil.  The word “knows” as used in verse 6:  “the Lord knows the way of the righteous” is used in the sense that God has chosen to enter into a covenant relationship with people and only the righteous have responded to and reciprocate that covenant bond.  Because the godly have responded to God, He knows, cherishes, and allows the righteous to stand. The relationship is offered to all, but only those who choose to enter into it can be saved.  We need to be sure “our calling and election are secure.  Moreover, we need to witness to others to help them come into this godly relationship with the Lord.

God Helps Those Who Seek Him

“I will lift up my eyes unto the hills—From whence comes my help?  My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.  He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand.  The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.  The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.  The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.”  -Psalm 121 (NKJV).

The theme of this song is the great safety of the godly who put their trust in God’s protection.  This psalm was probably used as an antiphonal hymn.  In our day we would call it a responsive reading.  A note explains that it is “a song of degrees.”  This means that when the people approached the Temple in Jerusalem, or maybe a synagogue in other towns, they would form a processional and sing this hymn, with the first group singing verses 1 and 2 (as it is divided now), a second group singing verses 3 and 4 and thus continuing until the end of the psalm.  Imagine how they made the hills resound as they ascended to the Temple in Jerusalem.  It must have been a beautiful processional, with zeal and reverence surrounding those who declared their trust in the one true God who protected them all the time and under any conditions, and moreover was the keeper of their soul forevermore.

In this short psalm of eight verses, the word “keep” and its synonyms are used over and over. Imagine going in a group along the dangerous roads in Palestine to Jerusalem for worship and festival days.  They could easily be beset by robbers.  The hot sun by day and the cool desert nights would make travel hard and uncomfortable.  Even against the elements the Lord gave his protection. He kept unsure feet from stumbling.  This is to be understood in both a physical and spiritual sense. He who made heaven and earth would protect his people and keep them safe day and night from every evil that lurked about them. 

As they traveled they might see look on the mountains and see shrines made to idols, false gods that had no ability to help those who worshiped them.  The question then takes on deeper meaning: “From whence comes my help?”  The immediate and sure answer is “My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.”  God’s faithful people looked beyond the hills dotted with idol groves and thought of the Almighty Creator who made the heavens and earth, the One who never slumbers nor sleeps, the ever-watchful, ever-caring Father.  In the sentence “The sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night” there is a double meaning.  The Jews followed a lunar calendar.  So here the psalmist is referring not only to being protected from the strong rays of the hot sun by day and from the chill and discomfort of the much colder nights.  He is referring to days (ruled by the sun) and months (ruled by the moon).  Therefore, God’s protection lasts through days and months, from season to season. 

He keeps us from all evil.  It is true that God has created us to have free choice.  We make up our own minds whether we will follow and obey Him or be distracted and led astray by all manner of evil.  In God’s grace, He turns what is evil away from us, and from the trials and troubles of life we can gain good and grow stronger in the Lord.  Paul wrote of this in Romans 8:28:  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Read Psalm 8 again, prayerfully and meditatively.  Thank God for His protection and care.  We read in Psalm 73: 23, 26:  “I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.  You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.  My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  Praise be to God!

Prayer for Restoration

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.  Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit.” –Psalm 51:10-12 (KJV. Read Psalm 51).

Psalm 51 is known as a penitential psalm.  The note to “the choirmaster” at the beginning of the Psalm explains that it is a psalm of David after the prophet Nathan confronted the king about his sinful encounter with Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, and of arranging for the death of her husband by sending him into the thick of battle.  The account of Nathan’s confrontation and rebuke of King David can be read in 2 Samuel 12:1-14.  Although David’s personal prayer of confession, penitence and plea for restoration, this psalm is also a universal hymn by which anyone who is truly seeking the Lord may express the sincere desire for restoration.

It is well for us to study the progression of this psalm as an example for our own prayer for restoration to fellowship with God.  “Have mercy on me, O God.” (v. 1)  Without God’s mercy—His unmerited favor—we can hardly hope for restoration.  If He considers our sin and its consequent punishment without our sinful condition being tempered with His mercy, there is little hope of reconciliation with Him   “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.”  A plea for cleansing precedes any hope for restoration.  “I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is ever before me” (v. 3).  How weighted down is the sinner with the knowledge of his transgression.  He recognizes that, even if the sin is against others, he has sinned against God.  Through verse nine the confession of sin and the affirmation of God’s omniscience are acknowledged.  “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (v. 10)  The confessor of sin is now ready to make his petition before God; only God can take hold of a sinful heart and make it right; only God has the power to renew the human spirit and not cast him away and to “restore the joy of Thy salvation.”  With penitence, confession and restoration accomplished, the forgiven sinner then makes vows to God that involve what he will do for God:  “Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways” (v. 13), “my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness (v. 14); “my mouth shall show forth Thy praise (v. 15).  He considers what sacrifices the Lord desires most and determines that “a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart” (v. 17) are far superior to any other sacrifices.  Then and only then, after complete heart-surrender to God will He be pleased with and accept any offerings we present to Him.  God is not interested in our seeking to buy His favor.  He looks on the heart.  Indeed, we need to pray daily, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Although originating with King David who reigned from about 1005 to 965 B. C., this psalm is for any age and any person who sincerely seeks with a penitent heart to approach God and experience spiritual renewal.  Confession which is an admission, declaration or acknowledgement of a condition is definitely a part of worship.  We have long heard the adage, “Honest confession is good for the soul.”  Confession of sin is a part of both private and public worship.  The important element we must remember and seek is to be sincere and honest in our confession, and in our pleas following confession.  What better prayer can we pray than that our heart be made right with God?  “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” 

Prayer:  Today, Lord, we confess our sins and ask Your forgiveness.  Let us know the joy of deliverance and restoration.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.