There are a lot of individuals mentioned in the Bible. A particular group is pretty important, the apostles of Jesus. One of those is Philip, someone of whom we know very little. What we do know of him is instructive, however.
The first three gospels mention Philip only once each and then only while listing the twelve. John, however, mentions him in five different situations. The first is when Jesus finds Philip:
John 1:43 (ESV) The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
John’s first three chapters all are added information to the other three gospels. The event recorded by this verse takes place after Jesus has been baptized and after His temptation. He has recuperated and is about to begin His ministry. This is not the choosing of the disciples as is recorded in Matthew chapter 10. It is a sort of first contact with a few prospective disciples.
Philip is considered a bit “slow” by several commentators, but I disagree. After Jesus called him, Philip found Nathanael and told him they had found Him “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” So, Philip called on Moses and the prophets for authority to identify Jesus as the Messiah, not something a “slow” person was likely to do. I think Philip was just something of a misfit, a duck that wasn’t swimming in the pond with the other ducks.
We look at the apostles like Paul and Peter and wish we were all like them, bold risk-takers. Philip was like so many of us, though. When, in John chapter 6, Jesus asks Philip where they might buy enough food to feed the 5000 (plus women and children), Philip didn’t know. He said $20,000 in today’s money wouldn’t be enough. The text says Jesus said this to test Philip and Jesus already knew what He would do. Philip blew it. It was Andrew who brought a boy with some loaves and fish, and Jesus fed the people with that.
Later in the passage we see the disciples picked up 12 baskets of leftovers, one basket for each disciple including Philip to learn of Jesus’ power.
In chapter 12 of John, Philip is spotlighted once again. This time some Greeks came to Philip asking to see Jesus. Philip went to Andrew first, and they went to see Jesus together. Andrew was always bringing people to Jesus, so Philip probably felt safe. We do this too. We, like Philip, feel safer in numbers when trying to introduce someone to Jesus. Philip was playing it safe.
Lastly, in chapter 14 of John, the disciples are with Jesus at the Last Supper. Jesus will be crucified the next day. The majority of the lessons are over, and Peter has identified Jesus as the “Christ, The Son of the living God.” Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father, and Jesus says “Have I been with you so long, Philip? If you have seen me you have seen the Father.” Philip still didn’t have the full picture.
There is a fourth list of the apostles besides those listed in the first three gospels. It appears in Acts 1:13 after Jesus had ascended to heaven. Philip’s name is still on the list.
Back at the Last Supper for a moment, this time in Matthew chapter 26, Jesus told the disciples one of them would betray Him. It wasn’t just Philip, the misfit disciple, who said “Is it I?” It was every single disciple. It wasn’t just Philip that was the misfit. They all knew they were.
Why is this important?
Back in John 1:43, it says Jesus “found” Philip. Philip is the only disciple where this word “found” is used. The language there indicates Jesus was looking for Philip when He found him. Though He knew who and what Philip was, Jesus sought him out to serve. Then Jesus says “Follow me.” The word for “follow” means to make a commitment, not to just trail behind. Jesus truly wanted Philip as part of the Kingdom plan.
Church history says Philip left Jerusalem and ministered in Syria and Ethiopia. About 54 a.d., Philip had converted the wife of the Roman governor in Hieropolis, Syria, and was crucified upside down for it beside his companion, Nathanael. Philip’s preaching from that inverted cross was so powerful the bystanders were converted freed Nathanael. When they approached Philip, he refused and said it was an honor to die like this for His Lord.
Be encouraged if you’re a Philip. We are all Philips. It is the Philips of the church who are so often the heroes of the faith.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 