John 1:45 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.”

NIV: 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.'

NASB: Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, 'We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets also wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth!'

CSB: Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth."

NLT: Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.'

KJV: Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

NKJV: 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.”

Just as Andrew told Peter, Philip now tells Nathanael that Jesus is the Messiah. Philip refers to Jesus as "the One" written about in the Hebrew Scriptures. For centuries, the people of Israel had waited for "Messiah," a term which means, "Anointed One." In Greek, the word is translated as Christos, from which we get the English word "Christ." This figure was supposed to rescue Israel from her enemies, and lead them to freedom and glory. This is a figure Israel is supposed to be looking for, but most people would eventually reject Him. Philip is aware of the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Savior (Deuteronomy 18:18; Isaiah 40:3; Isaiah 53). Philip also tells Nathanael that Jesus is from Nazareth. John 21:2 tells us Nathanael's hometown is Cana, which might have been close to Nazareth. His response in verse 46 is sarcastic, suggesting that nothing good could come out of a back-water place like that.

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 back-water 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, and 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 identical to 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 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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.