John 1:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me."

NIV: The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."

NASB: The next day He decided to go to Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, 'Follow Me.'

CSB: The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, "Follow me."

NLT: The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, 'Come, follow me.'

KJV: The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

NKJV: The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”

Philip, like Andrew, has a Greek name—Philippos—rather than something more traditionally Hebrew. This shows the extent of Greek culture's influence on Israel by the time of Jesus' earthly ministry. John only briefly relates the conversation between Jesus and Philip. Most likely, it was more involved than Jesus simply walking up to Philip and saying, "Follow me," without any other words. John tells us what's needed to understand the event; that does not require a full transcript of their meeting. Galilee is a region west of the Sea of Galilee and probably where Jesus spent most of His youth.

At least seven of the twelve disciples were fishermen (John 21:2). This implies something important about how God uses people to accomplish His will. Fishermen, by necessity, were hard-working, practical, and durable men. They were not necessarily ignorant, but advanced education wasn't a requirement for them to do their jobs well. They were their era's equivalent of what today's western societies might call a "blue-collar" worker: one of the "common men" working a "common job."

Finding working people rather than illustrious people, was a deliberate part of Jesus' plan. Rather than recruiting the wealthy, or scholars, or warriors, Jesus went out and found workers. Serving God is first about willingness, not great talent or ability (1 Corinthians 1:25–31). Knowledge, wisdom, and experience are valuable (Proverbs 3:13). Yet talents are worthless unless connected to a willing and submissive heart.

John 1:43–51 shows Jesus recruiting Philip and Nathanael. Philip seems eager to follow Jesus. Nathanael is skeptical, especially because Jesus is from a low-reputation remote town like Nazareth. When Jesus demonstrates His supernatural wisdom, Nathanael proclaims Him as the "Son of God" and "the King of Israel." Jesus responds by predicting even more spectacular signs. He also refers to Himself using the term "Son of Man," an important figure in Jewish prophecy.

The first chapter of John introduces Jesus as "the Word," from the Greek logos. This chapter clearly describes Jesus as God. After this prologue, the chapter describes Jesus recruiting the first of His disciples, as well as a conversation between John the Baptist and the Pharisees. There are seven names or titles for Christ in this chapter, including "the Son of God," "the Word," and "the King of Israel."

The first chapter of the gospel of John equates Christ with God and introduces John the Baptist. The Baptist specifically points to Jesus as the Promised One. Jesus collects the first five of His disciples. In this chapter, Jesus is given seven descriptive names, including "the Word," "the Son of God," and "the King of Israel." This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the gospel, by giving the reader a sense of who Jesus truly is, and why He has come. The rest of the gospel is an exploration of the claims made in this initial passage.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.