Philip

43The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me."

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

NoteGalilee is the part of the country in the north. Jesus grew up there.

44Philip came from a town called Bethsaida. Andrew and Peter came from that same town.

Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

NoteBethsaida was a small fishing town beside a big lake.

45Philip found Nathanael. He said, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law. The prophets wrote about him too. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

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.

Note"The law" means the first books of their Bible, written by Moses. "The prophets" means the books of the men who spoke for God.

46Nathanael said, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

NoteNazareth was a small, plain town. Nobody expected anyone important to come from there.

47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him. He said about him, "Here is a true Israelite. He does not trick anyone."

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

NoteAn Israelite is one of God's people, Israel. The King James says he has "no guile." Guile means tricking people or being sneaky.

48Nathanael asked, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you."

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.

NoteA fig tree grows sweet fruit and has wide leaves. People sat in its shade to be quiet and pray.

49Nathanael said, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

NoteThe Jewish people were waiting for a king God would send them. Nathanael is saying Jesus is that king.

50Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see much greater things than that."

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.

51Then he said, "I tell you the truth. You will all see heaven open. You will see God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man."

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.

NoteThe King James says "Verily, verily." That means "this is really true," a way of saying listen carefully. Angels are God's messengers. Long ago Jacob dreamed of angels going up and down a stairway to heaven. "Son of man" is a name Jesus used for himself.

1After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee. That lake is also called the Sea of Tiberias.

After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

NoteThe Sea of Galilee is a big lake, not an ocean. It was full of fish, and fishermen worked there. Tiberias was a town on its shore. That is why some people called the lake by that name too.

2A big crowd followed him. They had seen him heal sick people in powerful ways.

And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

NoteA miracle is something wonderful that only God's power can do.

3Jesus went up on the mountain. He sat down there with his disciples, his close followers.

And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

NoteDisciples are students. These were friends who went everywhere with Jesus and learned from him.

4The Passover was near. It was a special holiday for the Jewish people.

And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

NotePassover was a big holiday every spring. Jewish families ate a special meal together. They remembered how God brought their people out of Egypt long ago. Many traveled to Jerusalem for it.

5Jesus looked up and saw a big crowd coming to him. He said to Philip, "Where can we buy bread for all these people?"

When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

6Jesus asked this to test Philip. He already knew what he was going to do.

And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

NoteIn the King James, "prove" means test. Jesus was testing Philip, not proving something.

7Philip answered, "Even eight months of pay would not buy enough bread. Not everyone would get even a little piece."

Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

NoteThe King James says "two hundred pennyworth." A penny back then was a whole day's pay for a worker. So that much money was about eight months of work.

8Andrew was one of his disciples. He was Simon Peter's brother. Andrew said to Jesus,

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,

9"There is a boy here with five barley loaves and two small fish. But that is almost nothing for so many people."

There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

NoteBarley bread was the cheapest kind of bread. Poor families ate it. The loaves were small and flat, more like little round pancakes.

10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place. So the men sat down. There were about five thousand of them.

And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

NoteOnly the men were counted. Women and children were there too. So the crowd was even bigger than five thousand.

11Jesus took the loaves and thanked God for them. He handed the food to his disciples. The disciples handed it out to the people sitting there. He did the same with the fish. Everyone got as much as they wanted.

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

NoteJewish people always thanked God before eating. Jesus was doing what everyone did at a meal.

12When they were full, he said to his disciples, "Pick up the leftover pieces. Do not waste any of it."

When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

13So they picked the pieces up. The leftovers from the five barley loaves filled twelve baskets.

Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

NoteThese baskets were big ones. People carried them on trips to hold food.

14The people saw the sign that Jesus did. They said, "This really is the Prophet that God promised to send into the world."

Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

NoteA prophet is someone who tells people what God says. Long ago Moses promised that God would send one special Prophet. The people thought Jesus was that one.

20Some Greeks had come to worship at the holiday too.

And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:

NoteThese Greeks came from other lands. They were not Jewish, but they came to worship Israel's God.

21They came to Philip, one of Jesus' followers. He was from the town of Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, "Sir, we want to see Jesus."

The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

NoteGalilee was the part of the country where Jesus grew up. Bethsaida was a small fishing town beside a lake there.

22Philip went and told Andrew. Then Andrew and Philip both went and told Jesus.

Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.

23Jesus answered them, "The time has come for the Son of Man to be given glory." Son of Man was a name Jesus used for himself.

And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

Note"Son of Man" was a name Jesus used for himself. "The hour" does not mean sixty minutes. It means the special time God had picked.

24"I am telling you the truth. A grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die. If it does not, it stays just one seed. But if it dies, it grows and makes much fruit.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

NoteWheat is a plant. Its seeds are ground up to make bread. A seed looks dead down in the dirt. Then it grows into a new plant with many seeds.

25"Anyone who loves his own life will lose it. Anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it forever.

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

26"Anyone who serves me must follow me. My servant will be where I am. My Father will honor anyone who serves me.

If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

NoteTo honor someone means to treat that person as important.

8Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need."

Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

NotePhilip was another of Jesus' twelve close friends. "Shew" is just the old spelling of "show." "It sufficeth us" means "that is enough for us."

9Jesus said, "Philip, I have been with you a long time. Do you still not know me? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. So why do you ask me to show you the Father?

Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

10Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words I say to you, I do not say on my own. The Father lives in me, and he is doing his work.

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Note"I speak not of myself" does not mean "not about myself." It means "these words are not just my own idea." "Dwelleth" is an old word for "lives." "I speak not of myself" means "I do not say these words on my own."

11Believe me when I say I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. Or else believe because of the works themselves.

Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

Note"Works" means the things Jesus did, like healing people who were sick. His friends had watched him do things nobody else could do.

12I tell you the truth. Whoever trusts me will do the same works I do. He will do even bigger things, because I am going to my Father.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Note"Verily, verily" was a way of saying, "Listen, this is really true."

13And I will do whatever you ask in my name. Then the Father will be honored through the Son.

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

NoteBack then, doing something in someone's name meant acting for that person. A servant could speak in his master's name. So asking in Jesus' name means asking as one of his own people.

14If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.

If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.