The name Philip stirs up many references to people and places in the Bible. We have the book of Philippians (written to the church at Philippi), Philip the brother of Herod the Great (associated with the beheading of John the Baptist), Philip the Deacon and Evangelist (led an Ethiopian eunuch to the Lord), and Philip the Apostle (or Disciple). The latter is the focus of our study. He was one of the twelve original disciples chosen by Jesus Christ. There is not a lot written about him, but we can learn something from his few mentions in the Word of God.
Philip is consistently included in the list of twelve disciples (Mat 10:3, Mar 3:18, Luk 6:14). But nothing else specific is mentioned about him in the first three gospels. The Book of John provides the best picture of Philip’s character, and where we will look to learn about discipleship from his life. He is introduced as Jesus is assembling His core group of disciples, just after Andrew and Peter meet the Lord.
John 1:43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
Philip was found of Christ. He was searched for and invited directly from Jesus to follow Him. Philip didn’t have the witness of John the Baptist or direct testimony of a trusted brother. He had a basic faith proposition from an apparent stranger. This is a great example of choosing to believe without seeing evidence beforehand.
Discipleship starts with a faith proposition. Will you commit before you know everything that you are getting into, and how it will all turn out? If you are ready for God to work in your life, then yes! Step forward in faith to do the next right thing.
John 1:45 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.
John 1:46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
In obedience to Jesus’ invitation to “follow me”, Philip immediately began following the example of Christ, using the few words and actions of Jesus that he knew. First, he followed in finding. He found another person, Nathanael. Secondly, he followed in inviting. Philip invited Nathanael the same way Jesus had first called Andrew and an unnamed disciple in John 1:39, Come and see.
Discipleship is founded on the concept that we need to be followers of Christ. Even if we don’t know all the scriptures and haven’t attended Bible College, we can obey the few things we do know. Philip didn’t complicate the message, but simply obeyed. You don’t have to wait to follow Jesus. You can do it today.
Philip was likely present for many, if not all, the other subsequent miracles and teachings that Jesus did along with other disciples. He saw some amazing things, all giving him reason to believe that Jesus was bestowed with the power of God and was above earthly limitations. However, the next time we hear of him directly, his faith is less than stellar.
John 6:5 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?
John 6:6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
John 6:7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
Jesus was proving Philip, that is, testing him. Nobody likes a test. If you remember high school or college test days, they probably conjure up memories of nervous sweats and an upset stomach. This was a test of Philip’s faith. Would he not only believe in the identity of Christ, but actually process the question in a spiritual light versus a physical context? His answer was pragmatically correct – they didn’t have enough money to buy bread for 5000+ people. However, he missed the bigger truth. They didn’t need to buy any bread. God would provide the bread. It was a teaching moment for Jesus to guide Philip by exposing his weakness. How often do we fall victim to the same thinking? We try to fix the problem instead of considering how God can solve the problem outside the worldly obstacles.
Discipleship will come with testing. When we decide to follow Christ, there will be trials in life, and we will be tempted to rely upon the world’s solutions. We may struggle to process these tests in a spiritual way. Trust God to guide you to His solution, not your own quick fix.
Philip’s life is quite relatable to a modern-day disciple of Christ. He was a believer, and earnestly wanted to follow Jesus. But he wasn’t perfect. He lacked faith at moments and failed to understand spiritual truths at other times (Joh 14:6-11). He was corrected, and chose to submit, rather than walk away. We know that he remained in the group of Apostles through the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. Philip continued to develop into a crucial member of the early church. His legacy is not connected with boisterous actions or special commendations, but rather a humble desire to follow his Lord. We would do well to align our heart’s desire to continue in faith through the mistakes and missteps of our imperfect lives.
Gordon Kimble serves on Midtown Baptist Temple’s Executive Board along with directing the children’s ministry.