John 1 Verses 40-42

John 1:40 “One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”   

One of the most overlooked subjects in our day in America is the subject of individual evangelism.  Andrew practiced individual evangelism when after following Jesus found his own brother Simon and saith unto him, “We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”  At this point, neither, Andrew nor Peter, had been called to preach.  As Andrew had now become a follower of Jesus, he testified to his brother Peter about the one whom he had found.  Andrew is a good example for us today to practice individual evangelism.   

“And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”  The name, Peter, means a pebble.  The name Cephas means a stone.  When Jesus told Peter that upon this rock I will build my church, the rock, is interpreted as a giant boulder.  Neither a pebble nor a stone is anywhere near the size of a giant boulder.  Christ built the church upon himself.  However, the church founded upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone.  The Lord by changing Peter’s name to Cephas was telling him that he would be a foundation stone in the Lord’s church.  I am sure that Peter did not understand this at the time.  Often, we find that when someone comes to be a disciple that their lives are changed and they become different than they were before.  This was true of Saul as his name was changed to Paul.  Saul means a mighty one and Paul means little.  No doubt by the scriptures, Paul’s view of himself changed once the Lord appeared unto him on the Damascus road.  A pebble is usually just a very small rock among many small rocks.  However, a stone used in the foundation of a building has an important role.  As a fisherman for fish, Peter, was just one of many fishermen.  However, as a fisherman for men, Peter was to play a very significant role in the early church and we are blessed with the Lord’s blessings upon Peter unto this very day. 

John 1 Verses 43-51 

John 1:43 “The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 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. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” 

“The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.”  Notice that Jesus sought out Philip.  How often in the experiences of God’s children that they find that the Lord has sought them out.  Due. 32:9 “For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. 10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.”  Just as the Lord found Philip, the Lord found Jacob in a desert land, and in a waste howling wilderness.  The Lord seaks out his people.  Moreover, once the Lord found Philip he said unto him “Follow me.”  The Lord calls upon his people to become followers of him, i.e., to be his disciples.

“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.”  Notice in the passage above this that the Lord found Philip.  Now we see that when the Lord found Philip that Philip found the Lord.  When a person realizes that Christ is in their lives and has made himself known unto him, then he wants to share this information with others.  Philip went to his brother Nathanael to tell him what he had found.  Moreover, he identified the one whom he had found as the one in which Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write.  He said unto Philip that it was Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.  In other words, the promised Messiah had come and it was Jesus of Nazareth. 

“And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”  At this time Philip’s testimony was met by Nathanael with skepticism and doubt.  However, Philip was not deterred and answered Nathanael with “Come and see.”  In other words, don’t just take my word for it, but come and see for yourself.  Philip set a good example in personal evangelism.  Too often we think that we have to explain everything about our beliefs and practices when we visit with those outside the faith, when a better way is to invite them to come and see.   

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”  Jesus greets Nathanael when he saw him coming with what would seem to Nathanael to be a strange greeting.  No doubt Nathanael would wonder how this man would know about him with them not having met before.  Thus “Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me?”  With the next statement Jesus proved to Nathanael that this was no ordinary man who had spoken to him: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.”  Nathanael had been alone under the fig tree and for Jesus to have known that he was under the fig tree would have been impossible except He be the Son of God.   

Nathanael’s reaction to what Jesus had just told him was: “Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”  In this statement Nathanael recognized that Jesus was not only the Son of God, but also the Master teacher and the promised King of Israel.   

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”  Nathanael had believed because of what Jesus had said.  Jesus told Nathanael you are going to see greater things.  He said that he would see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.  In the Old Testament Jacob in a dream had seen: Gen 28:12 “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.”  Thus the ladder of Jacob’s dream was symbolic of Jesus with the angels of God ascending and descending upon him.