Lives of Scripture

Philip, from Bethsaida, was called directly by Jesus -- 'Follow Me' -- early in His ministry, and immediately found his friend Nathanael, announcing, 'We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote' (John 1:43-45). When Nathanael was skeptical that anything good could come from Nazareth, Philip simply answered, 'Come and see' (1:46). Before feeding the five thousand, Jesus asked Philip where they might buy bread for the crowd, 'to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do'; Philip could only calculate that two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn't be enough, missing that Jesus needed no market at all (John 6:5-7). When Greeks at the Passover feast wanted to see Jesus, they approached Philip first, and he brought their request to Andrew before both told Jesus (John 12:20-22). At the Last Supper, Philip asked Jesus to 'show us the Father, and it is enough for us,' prompting Jesus's patient rebuke: 'Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father' (John 14:8-9). Scripture never shows Philip performing a dramatic act, but his repeated role as a practical-minded bridge -- bringing Nathanael, the Greeks, and his own honest questions to Jesus -- pictures the ordinary, often slow-to-understand faith most disciples actually walk in.