Jesus decided to move to Galilee but first he called a fourth man, Philip, to join him (1:43). Philip came from the same town as Andrew and Simon Peter (l: 44). Philip, in turn, looked for Nathanael, who is not mentioned in the synoptic gospels, and witnessed to him that he and the others had found the 'one of whom Moses wrote' (Deuteronomy 18: 15, 18), who was 'Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth' (1:45). By the end of this passage it is clear that the author wants his readers to see that Nathanael's description of Jesus was inadequate and only the beginning of understanding about him. Nathanael's response to Philip's witness was sarcastic but honest; he was not a man to be deceived by false prophets. No one expected the Messiah to come from Galilee. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he saw the honesty in the man (l: 47). In John's gospel Jesus is portrayed as knowing the inner mind and character of those he met, as we see in passages such as 2 :25,4: 17-19, 5 :6, 13: 10,21,26. As soon as Nathanael had spoken directly with Jesus, he knew that he had met 'the Son of God and the King of Israel' (l: 48-49) because Jesus had seen into his thoughts and character. What Philip had told him about Jesus was quite inadequate to describe him. Jesus then predicted the greater truth that the disciples would come to know; he used of himself the title used in the synoptic gospels, 'Son of Man.' This title, found in all four gospels, shows Jesus as being of divine origin but fully sharing and representing human life. That Jesus is the Mediator between God and man can be understood from 1:51. The angels symbolize the continual flow of divine love and help from God to man, and the flow of intercession from man to God to which God responds.

From 1:35-51, it can be understood that the first five disciples to join Jesus before he left the Jordan valley to return to Galilee, his home area, were all disciples or followers of John the Baptist.

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