Philip found Nathanael
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2019 16:00:21 +0000
Gospel: Jn 1:45-51
PHILIP found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
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The Gospel of John emphasizes the idea of “witnessing.” John the Baptist, sent to testify to the light, points to Jesus as the Lamb of God and the bridegroom. Andrew, the first to follow Jesus, finds his brother Simon and tells him, “We have found the Messiah.” In turn, Philip who is called by Jesus to follow him, finds his friend Nathanael and tells him that they have found the one written about in the law of Moses and in the Prophets.
Nathanael is from Cana in Galilee where Jesus will turn water into wine (cf Jn 2:1-11). He is probably prejudiced against the little village of Nazareth and so is reluctant to believe Philip. After all, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” It takes but a claim of Jesus that he has seen Nathanael under the fig tree for Nathanael to become a disciple.
A harmonized reading of the Gospels tends to identify Nathanael with Bartholomew of the Synoptic Gospels. This is because in the Synoptic listings of the Twelve, the name Bartholomew comes after that of Philip. Moreover, Bartholomew is a patronymic name, one that gives the name of the father, thus leaving open the possibility that this disciple has another name, precisely: Nathanael Bar-Talmai.
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