We are continuing our series on the “C” Team today by taking a look at another of Jesus’ twelve apostles…and today we are going to take a look at the Nathanael. Now, I before we even begin I want you to realize one very important thing…this guy, as far as the Bible is concerned…he is as average as you get. In fact, there is only one book of the Bible that mentions him and it is the Gospel of John. So, naturally our text is going to come from there. Take your Bibles out and turn over to the first chapter of John and we’ll get to our text in just a moment. But, first, we have to answer a very important question…why isn’t Nathanael mentioned in the other gospels. We read in these gospels lists of the twelve apostles…. and Nathanael’s name isn’t in there. So, we have two options here…either the Bible is totally incorrect and historically inaccurate here, thus it is no good to us…or Nathanael had a second name. Now, does anyone want to go with the first option? I know that I don’t so it has to be the second one and I think that we can make a pretty good case for it. First, let’s remember that there was another apostle that was referred to by different names…Peter…remember that guy from last week? Sometimes he is Peter, sometimes he is Simon…and sometimes he is even Caiphas…the Bible spells it Cephas but the name is actually pronounced Caiphas just like the High Priest at Jesus’ trial. So, it wasn’t uncommon for people then to have two names…another example…Saul and Paul. They are the same person with Saul being his Hebrew name and Paul being his Roman name. But, there is even more evidence that Nathanael had another name.
In the lists of the twelve apostles where Nathanael does not appear there is another name that does not appear in the Gospel of John and that name is Bartholomew. Follow me? John doesn’t refer to Bartholomew but Matthew, Mark, Luke and Acts does. These four other books do not refer to Nathanael but John does. So, most Biblical scholars conclude that Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person. But wait…it goes deeper than that…in every instance except in Acts where Bartholomew is mentioned…it is Philip AND Bartholomew. These two men are joined together as if they were very close…like they were friends…. and we will see in our text that Nathanael also seemed to be very close to Philip as well. Lets read verses 43 through 45.
Ok, let’s stop there for a second…here we find Philip and he is called by Jesus. He has found the one that he believes to be the Messiah…the one that Israel has been expecting…the one that they believed would be their King. Philip…. the Messiah has called him and he is so excited he runs and tells…. Nathanael? I mean, I could understand his wife, his father, his mother, but Nathanael? Let me ask you a question…if you could only tell one person about Jesus the Messiah…if you had to pick only one person that you could share the Gospel with…wouldn’t it be the person you are closest to in the world. Anne…she’s a believer…but if she wasn’t I would tell her…now, I am not saying that Philip could only tell one person…but it stands to reason that the first person to hear this news from him would be someone who was very close to him…and he tells Nathanael. So, based on the grouping of Bartholomew and Philip in the other Gospels and Philip’s selection of who he first shared the news of the Messiah with…I think we can reasonably say that it is very possible that Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person. Can we be certain? No, the Bible doesn’t come right out and say that they are the same…but there are a lot of things in the Bible we can’t be certain of. Now, the fact that they are the same person is not real key to our series…we’re going to focus in on what John wrote today. But, I went into this much detail because I want to make sure you are equipped to handle a common objection to the Bible raised by unbelievers today. They will ask you: if the Bible can’t even get the names of the twelve apostles right…how can it have anything else right? So, my hope in taking this brief look at the differences in the Gospels concerning Bartholomew and Nathanael is to give you some answers to the questions raised by doubters…so you can give that answer that Peter talks about.
So, what is the goal today? What do we want to learn from Nathanael? The answer, to me, is that what we expect, what we are looking for, who we think Jesus is…its not always correct.
We read in the first few verses this morning that Jesus calls Philip and he is so excited that he goes and he finds his good buddy, Nathanael. This is the person that they have been waiting for throughout their entire lives and he wants to make sure that his friend doesn’t miss out on meeting him. So he finds his buddy and he tells him, “Hey! We found the Messiah…the one that all of our forefathers told us about…he’s here…he’s from Nazareth…Come and meet him!”
Now, if you had been waiting your whole life for someone and he finally arrived…wouldn’t you run out to meet him? I’m not that fast but if someone told me that the man who had all the answers to the problems of the world was down the street at the Gas Station…I don’t think anyone could beat me there. So, we would expect to find Nathanael racing to meet Jesus…but, what actually is his response? Let’s pick it up in verse 46 and find out:
Not exactly ground shaking is it? Nathanael didn’t exactly put on his Nikes and start running did he? Instead, he asks a question: Can anything good come from Nazareth? Can anything good come from that rinky-dink Podunk town?
I don’t know if you know this or not…but we here in the South are looked down at by a lot of people in the country. When we lived in California it worked just like Jeff Foxworthy says…when people heard my accent they automatically deducted 50 IQ points. Fortunately for me that can’t be right because if you took away 50 from me than I would be in the negatives and I think that that is impossible. But, the point is…when I told some people I was from Kentucky…I automatically heard all the jokes about my family tree not branching and all the other redneck jokes out there. These people had a preconceived notion of what I was like…and many of the felt that no intelligent or “great” person could come from Kentucky.
And what about other examples from fictional stories: in Beauty and the Beast we find the Beauty having a preconceived notion of what the Beast is like…in the movie Shrek…which by the way is Anne’s nickname for me when I shave my head…. the princess in that movie…she had a preconceived notion of who her rescuer should be…and man was she surprised when it turned out to be an ogre! And here we are dealing with much the same thing…. Nathanael…he had a preconceived notion of who the Messiah was supposed to be…and he definitely wasn’t from Nazareth…and it seems that perhaps he had good reason for these expectations. You see, the Messiah, he was the subject of over 300 prophecies in scripture…and Jesus fulfilled every one of them…but there was no direct prophecy in scripture about Jesus being from Nazareth.
Now, those of you that know your Bible, you immediately think of what Matthew wrote in 2:23 of his Gospel…that the prophets’ statements that “he will be called a Nazarene” were fulfilled in Jesus. But, did you know…this is not stated anywhere in the Old Testament? Nowhere in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, or any other prophets is there a statement that Jesus would be from Nazareth. Is this a contradiction? I don’t think so…the Holy Spirit inspired these gospel writers in ways that we will never be inspired. Also, don’t forget…there were such things as oral traditions that were not necessarily scripture…and it could have been one of these traditions Matthew was referring to…so, I don’t think there is a contradiction at all.
But, the point remains…Nathanael…as we will see later…he knew the scripture and the prophecies…and there was none about the Messiah being from Nazareth…so he had his doubts…but, what is Philip’s reply to that…he simply says: “Come and see.” There are no condemnations for unbelief…he doesn’t try to convince him…he simply brings his friend, Nathanael, to Jesus and lets him judge for himself.
So, here we have a bit of a personality profile of Nathanael…he is not gullible…he seems to be fact oriented…and he has to have a reason to put his faith in something. He’s not one tossed about by the fads of the era…but, he is still an average everyday person…nothing spectacular…a perfect member of the “C” team. Let’s read on to verse 51.
So, Nathanael, it seems, takes his friend’s Philip’s challenge. He goes to meet Jesus. I wonder what was going through his mind? Maybe it was how silly his friend was being…how can the Messiah come from Nazareth…maybe, just maybe there was a small glimmer of hope…hope that this could really be the one. Or maybe he just went because his friend bugged him to death…but the important thing is that he went.
So, he walks up to Jesus and there are no introductions…Jesus doesn’t give him time for that…he immediately says that Nathanael is an “Israelite, indeed” who had no deceit in him. The original language is really interesting here because what Jesus is literally saying is that Nathanael is definitely a true Israelite with not a bit of deception or craftiness within him. His motives are pure and, by being a true Israelite…he knew what the scriptures said. Remember last week when we talked about the education of young Jewish boys…there was a lot of scripture memorization. So, Jesus…with just one look…he is able to make this great character statement about Nathanael…he is a true, committed Israelite.
I can remember when I was growing up and when I would meet someone new…I would tell my dad…”You know, he’s a pretty good ol’ boy.” And my dad would tell me: “Well, he seems to be.” You see, my dad, he didn’t know what the character of that man’s heart was so he reserved his judgment and that is a lesson that I learned and I have kept with me to this day. I have had so many initial impressions of people turn out to be wrong…either I thought them to be pretty decent people and they turned out to be rogues or the other way around…I don’t have the ability to see into a man’s heart.
But, Jesus, he does…and here he pronounces Nathanael to be a “good ol’ boy.” The really amazing thing to me is that Jesus didn’t get on him for his initial questioning of who Philip claimed he was…after all, if Philip is a good enough friend, he wouldn’t have steered him wrong. So, why not just believe and come? But, Jesus, he didn’t do that…instead he has nothing but praise for Nathanael. He complements him…. making me believe that Jesus wasn’t offended at all.
You see…Nathanael had his doubts like Thomas did…but the difference was that Nathanael had never met Jesus and Thomas had…in fact Thomas had been with him for a long time, had saw the wonders that Jesus worked in his life…and doubted. That is why Thomas was rebuked…but here, Jesus he doesn’t get offended…and, like I said, he even complements this one who comes to seek him out.
We read later on that Nathanael confesses Jesus to be the Christ…after Jesus tells him where he saw him at…which was a great distance away. Nathanael…when he sees that this is no ordinary man…he sees what his friend sees in him and he immediately confesses Jesus to be the Christ…the Messiah…the Son of God. He believes but Jesus…he doesn’t just quit there…he goes on to tell Nathanael one other thing.
I can imagine Jesus standing there…with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face when he tells him…to paraphrase…man, you haven’t seen anything yet. You are going to see such amazing things with me…you are going to see heaven open…angels descending…you think that it is amazing that I told you that I saw you standing under that tree…just wait! Nathanael, I am going to knock your socks off.
This, to me, is the key for this passage and it can be taken two very opposite ways. First, I think that sometimes, when we come to Jesus…we are amazed with the small things…and we don’t even begin to realize the wonders that he is going to accomplish in our lives and the amazing things that we are about to see.
It’s kind of like real little kids at Christmas time. Have you ever seen a really little child open up a Christmas gift…one that you spent a lot of time picking out and one that you are just absolutely positive that they are going to love…so the day comes and they open the gift. They tear open the wrapping paper…they rip open the box…and they pull the toy out…and what do they want to play with? The Box! Here they have this super cool toy that you spent all this time picking out for them and they want to play with the stupid box.
Isn’t that kind of like us when it comes to Jesus sometimes? I mean, we are everyday average people just like our friend Nathanael here…and when we encounter Christ…when we come to him…we are so amazed at the small things that he has accomplished in our lives…that we don’t even look for the big things. We have no anticipation for the great things to come. Like the real little children…we are happy to play with the box…we trust him for our salvation…as if that is a small thing…but we are happy with that and look for nothing else. Friends, let me tell you something…God Almighty has things in your life that he wants to show you…things he is going to do for you and through you…and he doesn’t want you to just be content to play with the box. He wants you to be eagerly awaiting the things that he has in store.
Now, the other end of the spectrum…sometimes…your initial call to him…when he calls you out of a life of sin that is separating you from his favor…it may not be a real earth shattering experience. Let’s go back to our text here…Jesus, he tells Nathanael that he saw him under the tree…and Nathanael immediately confesses him to be the Christ. Now, we’ve already concluded that this is a pretty small thing compared to the things to come but that was enough for our friend here. He didn’t tell Jesus…ok…that’s pretty good…but show me something else…give me something more impressive…more substantial. No, he immediately confesses Jesus…with this “small” sign. He doesn’t hold out for a miracle…he doesn’t hold out for a resurrection…. and he doesn’t even hold out for a voice from heaven saying…”Nathanel, follow me!”
Here’s the point and I want those of you who haven’t come to a relationship with Christ to listen very closely because this is for you…God…he doesn’t use a megaphone to call you very often. How many times have we heard of people praying for the healing of a loved one…bargaining with God…God if you will perform this miracle I will believe and trust in you…God if you will do this great work for me than I will trust. We wait for this big revelation from Heaven…calling us to follow…. and that begs the question…if you receive the “big” things first…how can you be satisfied…what else is there to offer. If God saves you by appealing to you in this sensational manner…what else is left after that. No, my friends, and please, listen to me very closely here…God…he often asks for your acceptance in a still small voice. It might be from the pulpit…it might be from a friend…or it might simply be in a quiet time with him. Don’t wait for the Earth shaking revelation…listen for that still small voice…open your heart to him and pray for his Holy Spirit to call to you in any manner he wants…and be willing to listen and respond…and when you do…don’t just settle for the small things…but look for the bigger and more impressive things…. just like Jesus showed Nathanael.
So, what about Nathanael…what was the result for him of this encounter with Christ. We have already said that he isn’t mentioned after Acts 1 by either name Nathanael or Bartholomew. So what happened?
Well, we don’t have scripture but we have the writings of the Early Church fathers like Eusebius. These fathers tell us that Bartholomew…he goes to India as a missionary and he possibly leaves a copy of the Gospel of Matthew there…and depending on which tradition you believe…he is either martyred by being skinned alive and then beheaded…or by being skinned alive and then crucified upside down…. either way…not a very pleasant way to meet your end…. no matter which tradition you believe we can certainly conclude that he died a martyr. But, can’t you see why he would? He went from being an everyday, average person to being a friend of the King. He received a very small revelation from Christ…of being seen under a tree…and he went on to see people healed of every kind of sickness imaginable…. every handicap imaginable…people raised from the dead…and eventually the death of his Messiah…but also his resurrected body as well. How could he be anything but a willing and capable member of the “C” team of apostles?
By the way, the same can be true for you too. I’m not saying that you will see all these miracles…but…you can go from an average person to a member of the “C” team. You see, membership in the “C” team…it’s not closed. It didn’t end with the death of John the apostle. He is still looking to add to it…in fact, Jesus himself said that was who he came to save…not those who are religious…not those who have it all together…because none of us do. He came for those who really needed him…. the everyday, average people and he can take those same people and turn the world upside down. He did it with Peter, he did it with Nathanael…and he can do it with you…regardless of your status with him…whether you have already joined the team and just got distracted…or you are a new member. So, as we come to our time of invitation…I want to invite you to come and join the team.
