The Apostle Philip

Philip

(John 1:43-46)
Philip was of the town of Bethsaida, like Andrew and Peter. Philip is found by Jesus as Jesus is leaving (Bethany?) to go to Galilee. I'm not sure where Jesus found Philip. Is Bethsaida between Bethany and Galilee?

Jesus said to Philip, "follow me." And what does Philip do? He went and found Nathanael (Bartholomew) and said, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

Nathanael is not impressed. "Nazareth!" (Can't you just hear the contempt in his voice?) "Can anything good come from there?" Not put off, Philip answers, "come and see."

From this vignette, we see that Philip knew of the hope of the Messiah as stated in the Law and the Prophets. And somehow, Philip was convinced that Jesus was it. The only recorded conversation that passed between Jesus and Philip, up to this point, was 'follow me.'

I wonder what else Philip saw or heard from Jesus that convinced him to tell Nathanael that he, and others, had found the Messiah.


(John 6:1-7)
At the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus went up a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Passover feast was near. And Jesus saw the large crowed and he asked, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" To whom did Jesus ask this question? Not Simon, not Andrew, not James or John. It was Philip.

Maybe Philip was closest to Jesus when Jesus asked this question. John records that Jesus did this to test Philip. Jesus already knew what he was going to do. What kind of test was it? A test of faith? Faith in what? That Jesus could provide for the people? Philip, surmising the situation responds, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Based on this answer, I'm not sure if Philip passed the test.

(John 12:20-21)
After the triumphal entry, some Greeks, who were in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, approached Philip and said they would like to see Jesus. Why Philip? Because he was from Bethsaida? Did Bethsaida have a large Greek population?

What did Philip do? Did he go tell Jesus right away? He went and got Andrew and both of them told Jesus. I wonder why Philip got Andrew.

(John 14:1-14)
Jesus comforts his disciples by telling them that he is going to prepare a place for them in his father's house and that he will come back for them.Jesus tells them they know the way to the place he is going. Thomas asks, how can we know the way? Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

And then Philip pipes up, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." I don't know if that shows faith or lack thereof. But Jesus' response sounds like a rebuke. "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"

So, there you have it, four passages, all in John, regarding Philip. He's only barely sketched. He was from Bethsaida. He brought Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus. He looked at matters practically. Eight months' wages won't afford even a bite for 5,000 people. He was not a loner. He says to Nathanael, "we found the one Moses wrote about and of whom the prophets also wrote." He takes Andrew with him to relay a request by some Greeks to see Jesus. He does not seem to grasp the concept that Jesus is the way to the Father. "After all this time together, don't you know me Philip?" Depending on how it's said, that could cut to the heart. I wonder if this inspired Philip to be a missionary, if in fact he became one. Anybody know if went out and preached the Gospel? What happened to Philip after the events recorded in the NT?