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.” John 1:45
Nathaniel has some honest questions: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). It is likely that this question arises directly from the accurate, but misleading words of his friend, Philip.
Remember, Philip has only just become a disciple of Jesus. On his first day as a follower of Christ, he goes and finds his friend. He is to be commended for that.
Philip says, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (1:45). Notice, he describes Jesus as “the son of Joseph.” That was wide open to misunderstanding.
Jesus was born of the virgin, Mary, who was espoused and later married to Joseph, but Joseph had no part in his conception. Luke says Jesus was “the son (as it was supposed) of Joseph” (Luke 3:23). People assumed he was the son of Joseph, because he was raised Joseph’s home.
No one would blame Philip for what he said here. It is highly unlikely that he would have learned about the virgin birth on his first day as a follower of Jesus!
There is an old saying, “God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick.” You don’t need to have everything worked out in order to invite a friend to meet Jesus.
Does your fear of misrepresenting him keep you from telling others about Christ?
