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NT

John 1:43-51

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q The next day Jesus decided r to go to Galilee.

Τῇ ἐπαύριον ἠθέλησεν ἐξελθεῖν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν

He found Philip

καὶ εὑρίσκει Φίλιππον.

and said to him,

καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς•

“ Follow me.”

ἀκολούθει μοι.

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progression

Now s Philip was from Bethsaida,

ἦν δὲ ὁ Φίλιππος ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδά,

the city of Andrew and Peter.

ἐκ τῆς πόλεως Ἀνδρέου καὶ Πέτρου.

Philip found t Nathanael

εὑρίσκει Φίλιππος τὸν Ναθαναὴλ

and said to him,

καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ•

“We have found him of whom u Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote,

ὃν ἔγραψεν Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ καὶ οἱ προφῆται εὑρήκαμεν,

Jesus v of Nazareth, w the son of Joseph.”

Ἰησοῦν υἱὸν τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζαρέτ.

Nathanael said to him,

καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ναθαναήλ•

x “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

ἐκ Ναζαρὲτ δύναταί τι ἀγαθὸν εἶναι;

Philip said to him,

λέγει αὐτῷ [ὁ] Φίλιππος•

“ Come

ἔρχου

and see .”

καὶ ἴδε.

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Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him

εἶδεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὸν Ναθαναὴλ ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν

and said of him,

καὶ λέγει περὶ αὐτοῦ•

“ Behold , y an Israelite indeed,

ἴδε ἀληθῶς Ἰσραηλίτης

z in whom there is no deceit!”

ἐν ᾧ δόλος οὐκ ἔστιν.

Nathanael said to him,

λέγει αὐτῷ Ναθαναήλ•

“How a do you know me?”

πόθεν με γινώσκεις;

Jesus answered him,

ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ•

“Before Philip called you,

πρὸ τοῦ σε Φίλιππον φωνῆσαι

when you were under the fig tree,

ὄντα ὑπὸ τὴν συκῆν

series

I saw you.”

εἶδόν σε.

temporal

Nathanael answered him,

ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ Ναθαναήλ•

b “Rabbi, c you are the Son of God!

ῥαββί, σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ,

You are the d King of Israel!”

σὺ βασιλεὺς εἶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ.

Jesus answered him,

ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ•

“Because I said to you,

ὅτι εἶπόν σοι ὅτι

‘I saw you under the fig tree,’

εἶδόν σε ὑποκάτω τῆς συκῆς,

do you believe?

πιστεύεις;

inference

You will see greater things than these.”

μείζω τούτων ὄψῃ.

situationresponse

And he said to him,

καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ•

“Truly, truly, I say to you, 1

ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν,

you will see e heaven opened ,

ὄψεσθε τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεῳγότα

and f the angels of God ascending

καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους τοῦ θεοῦ ἀναβαίνοντας

and descending on g the Son of Man.”

καὶ καταβαίνοντας ἐπὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.

actionresult

Philip is responding like his Lord. What exactly does this invitation to "come and see" entail?

What in the world is verse 44 doing here? Philip has the same hometown as Jesus' first disciples. This also could mean that Philip had literally followed Jesus to Galil

Before you ever find Jesus, Jesus finds you.

Not confident in the defining of this relationship.

Philip gets it wrong. He immediately goes, shares Christ, and gets it wrong. What a tragedy. Is that how this story goes? No. Jesus sees Philip while Philip is ministering to Nathanael, and Jesus saw Nathanael before Philip ever stumbled through sharing Christ with him. What matters in ministering, therefore, is sincerity of witness and purity of heart, not quality of speech and strength of arguments .

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discourse

Group Discussion

Pre-Questions When was the last time you shared the gospel with someone? What was going through your head? What was your strategy? Is the gospel something that should only be shared with unbelievers? Why or why not? What caused you to believe in Jesus? (Focus Passage) John 1:43-51 Guiding Questions What was Jesus asking Philip to believe when Jesus told him to "follow me"? Do you think that Philip did a good job of witnessing to Nathanael? Why or why not? (Peripheral Passage) 1 Corinthians 1:17-2:5 What does it mean to be a good witness according to this passage? What does Paul mean in 1 Corinthians 2:2 when he says that he "desired to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified"? (Focus Passage) John 1:43-51 Guiding Questions What is Jesus saying about Nathanael when he says that he is, "an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit"? Remember, Nathanael had just doubted that Jesus was good. Jesus says this to Nathanael instead of shaming him for doubting. This is important, because Jesus instead uses Nathan's new identity in Christ to motivate him to intimacy with Jesus instead of shame. Why is shame not a good motivator for change? What stands out to you in Jesus' response to Nathanael? He says, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Why do you think that Nathanael believes Jesus after He says this? Are Jesus' final words to Nathanael a correction or an encouragement? Why do you think so? BAGs to take with us Say this is your Bible reading one morning (or 2 or 3). What do you think John wants you to believe after reading this? God can do more than you ever imagine with your pitiful, stumbling obedience. You don't have to talk like an apologist on YouTube. You can simply say what you have seen. The only thing that makes a witness qualified is seeing something. What do you think John wants you to do (action) ? What Jesus said-- to go and make disciples, and to believe the whole way that it is Jesus Who accomplishes that through us. How does the gospel help us to do that? The gospel is the truth that God is for us even when we're not for Him. God longs to use my failures to proclaim His name. So, if I fail in my evangelism, I know that God loves to use my failures for not only my good, but for the good of those around me. Failure is never the end of growth, it's the beginning of growth.

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