PHILIP

PHILIP

John 1:43-46

 

            The account of Philip is full of interest, because the man stands in contrast to any whom we have yet dealt with in these articles, and consequently there is a change in the method of the Master with him. It is a significant fact that all we know of Philip we learn from the Gospel of John. In a few sentences scattered over four chapters, we find these references. (John 1:43-46; 6:5-7; 12:20-24; 14:7-10).

          Matthew, Mark and Luke all give his name as being one of the apostles, but beyond that says nothing about him. I am well aware of the fact that an argument from silence must always be used with care, and yet to me it is, as I have said, suggestive that neither of these three give us any details concerning this man. Believing that these writings are God-breathed writings, one still necessarily recognizes the human element in them, and it is on this basis that it seems to me impressive that neither Matthew, Mark nor Luke make any reference to him. Necessarily they were compelled to include his name in the list of the apostles, because he was chosen of the Lord. To me it is quite conceivable that they may have wondered why he was thus chosen; but the fact remains, and therefore each of them names him in that connection. One may summarize by saying that the suggestion is that he may be described as an unimpressive man.

          But John had eyes for his Lord, and a wonderful understanding of Him, and he saw that He was interested in Philip; and so, in the natural and proper course of his writing, he has given us the incidents to which we have referred.

          Philip is first seen just after Andrew and John had followed Jesus, and Simon had been called. The day after these events Jesus found him. The reading here may possibly mean that Peter found him, but I think the whole context of the whole account compels the other conclusion. Philip does not seem to have been with Andrew and John in the inner circle of John's disciples. We are told, the reference unquestionably being to our Lord, that: "On the morrow He was minded to go forth into Galilee, and He findeth Philip."

          The result of that finding was that very soon, Philip, speaking to his friend, Nathaniel, otherwise Bartholomew, is heard telling him that they: "Have found Him, of Whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write"; and he gives His name, Jesus.

          We do not see him again in the chronological sequence of our Lord's ministry until at least a whole year had passed away. He appears in John 6, when in the presence of the multitude Jesus turned to him and said: "Whence are we to buy bread that these may eat?"

          All the disciples were there probably, and so it is significant that the question was addressed to this man. Reverently we may paraphrase Philip's answer. In effect he said, What is the use of talking about where we can obtain bread when we have not money enough to purchase it? To that protest our Lord made no reply in words. He did, however, answer by His action of feeding the five thousand without a reference to the two hundred pennyworth of bread.

          We see him next in the final days in Jerusalem, when amid the turmoil, certain Greeks, proselytes of the Gate, but certainly Greeks, Hellenes not Hellenists, found him, and told him they desired to see Jesus. Evidently not quite knowing what to do, he found Andrew, and after consultation, they told the Lord, bringing forth from Him His remarkable reply.

          We see him again in the upper room, in the company of those who were surrounding our Lord, as He talked to them about His going. It was Philip who then said: "Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us."

          Now as we go over these illustrations, and look at the man, we ask, what kind of a man was he? I am not now thinking of him as the result of his contact with Jesus, but of the man himself as he is revealed. The first thing that I should personally say, perhaps the superficial thing, and therefore I name it first, is that he seems to me to be a man who, to use a phrase which I think we owe to Scotland, was "slow in the uptake." For instance, at the very beginning he had to be found. He was not among the number of those who rapidly moved towards Jesus. He was not in the forefront of things. The two men who lived in the same town with him, did not find him.

          Moreover, he could not argue. When Nathaniel raised his question about Nazareth, all Philip could say was, "Come and see." Indeed we realize it was a fine thing to say, but it shows his disinclination for argument. Moreover, when he raised a question of the money for feeding the crowd, he is revealed as a man not sure. The thing comes out again when at the coming of the Greeks he sought consultation with Andrew.

          But he was certainly a practical man. That also is proven by his reply to Nathaniel. Knowing, as also Nathaniel did, the corruption of Nazareth, it was not easy to answer. The practical solution was that Nathaniel should himself come and investigate. His practical nature is equally manifest in his mathematical calculation. It is again manifest in the fact already twice referred to, of his consultation with Andrew at the coming of the Greeks.

          But we have not said the greatest thing about Philip yet. Following the stories, we realize that he was a singularly devout soul. When speaking to Nathaniel he said: "We have found Him of Whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write."

          We have thus an incidental proof that he was a student of the Scriptures of his own people, especially familiar probably with the two first divisions of those Scriptures, the Law, and the Prophets. It is interesting, in passing, to remind ourselves that the Law referred to the Torah, that which we now describe as the Pentateuch, which constituted the first and highest division of the Hebrew Bible. The term the Prophets had a larger significance than we may imagine from our knowledge of our Old Testament. Under the heading, The Prophets, were two sections, the Former Prophets, and the Latter Prophets. The Former Prophets included the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. The Latter Prophets were Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the Twelve, commonly called Minor. These were the writings with which Philip was familiar. It is therefore interesting that he did not name the third division, the Kethubim, or Writings. This division contained all the Wisdom and poetic Literature. Again let it be remembered that an argument from silence is to be taken carefully, but it is at least suggestive that he does not seem to have been as interested with the poetry of his people, as with the Law and the Prophets.

          As in other cases, we may gain some idea of the man from his friends. The one specially mentioned is Nathaniel, the guileless soul, according to the estimate of Jesus.

          It always seems to me, however, that the man is most startlingly and dearly revealed in the cry that escaped him in the upper room: "Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us."

          In that final hour, and with the group of his fellow-disciples about him, at last he uttered the great cry, which, in the last analysis is the ultimate cry of humanity.

          This, then, was the man, a quiet, unimpressive man, but devout, and in the deepest of him, however difficult he found it to express himself, conscious of the utmost necessity of certainty concerning God.

          We turn to watch our Lord's method with him, and in doing so, necessarily the first thing that impresses us is that Jesus found him. He went after him of set purpose, and with equal certainty in intimate knowledge, and with definite intention. He went after him because He needed him, because He knew him; and in all probability, knew it was not probable that other men would seek him.

          Then it was to this man Philip that our Lord, according to the records, first used this formula, which I think we are warranted in saying He loved to use, namely, "Follow Me." Necessarily, the accounts of Jesus are comparatively fragmentary, but they are perfect in their illustration of the whole fact of His ministry and method. As we trace the account, we find six or seven occasions upon which He used this formula. This was the first.

          He did not say to Philip, "What seek ye?" He did not say to him, "You shall be rock." He approached this quiet, unimpressive man, this man steeped in the knowledge of the writings of the Law and the Prophets, this man with a great sense of the need for God at the center of his personality, and He said to him, "Follow Me." It is important that here we should repeat what perhaps has often been said, that the words "Follow Me" hardly convey the strict meaning of the words which Jesus employed. If we used such an expression today we should immediately think that we were calling someone to follow us, as we led in the way. Now our Lord did use such a word, but here this is not it. The simple significance of this command is expressed by rendering it, Join Me in the way. Or we may put it more simply by saying that it meant, Travel with Me, Accompany Me.

          Each of these two words is found in what our Lord said at Caesarea Philippi. "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."

          Literally, if any man would follow Me, that is, come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and travel with Me.

          If the call was thus characterized by simplicity there were tremendous implications in it. It called Philip to surrender himself to the intentions of Jesus. He was no longer to choose his own pathway, but to walk side by side with his Lord. The call to accompany Him upon the way necessitated the surrender of him in the matter of the choice of the pathway, and the destination intended. But the beauty and the glory of it are that it shows that wherever one travels in the Divinely appointed pathway, the Lord Himself is with him.

          Thus our Lord approached Philip, found him, and unquestionably gained him. Though we are not told so in so many words there is no doubt that he obeyed. Almost directly afterwards we find him telling his friend what travailing with Jesus meant, accompanying One Who had been foretold in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets.

          Then after a little while, our Lord chose him as one of His apostles, appointed him with the others, first to be with Him, and then to send him forth as His representative and messenger.

          Still later, we find our Lord asked him a question concerning the feeding of the multitude. "Whence are we to buy bread that these may eat?"

          Now it is significant that He did not ask this question of Andrew, or of John, or of Peter, but of Philip. It is the only occasion upon which we find our Lord seemed to ask advice of anyone, and John, who is telling the account, is careful at this point to insert the statement: "This He said to prove him; for He Himself knew what He would do."

          He did not need advice, He did not need counsel; but Philip needed proving, needed to see more than he had yet been able to see. Asking the question Philip found his, mind challenged. He gave his answer quite honestly, and in doing so, revealed himself. Having thus expressed himself, he, in company with the others, received the command to make the crowd sit down, and evidently he obeyed. Then he saw his Lord take those loaves, and begin to break them, and as that exquisite couplet of one of our hymns says: "'Twas spring-time when He blessed the bread, 'Twas harvest when He brake."

          Thus Philip was brought into the presence of the sufficiency of his Lord. Two hundred pennyworth of bread was not enough to give each a little. The Lord was able, with five loaves, to feed the multitude. One is reminded of the classic account of the pagan general, to whom one day in stress of war, an underling came and said, "Sire, we have only so many soldiers." The old general replied, "For how many do you count me?" A lad with five loaves and two small fishes is utterly inadequate. But the lad and the loaves and the fishes with Jesus' are enough. Of course, one is not saying that our Lord wrought the miracle for Philip; but knowing Himself what He would do, He made it the occasion of calling forth a mental activity on the part of Philip which was replied to by the revelation.

          The next scene is that in which Philip was dealt with by our Lord, in the company of Andrew, at the coming of the Greeks. As we have said, these men were unquestionably proselytes, for they had come up to the Feast. We need not stay to discuss the reason of their desire to see Jesus. It is, however, important to remember that they had turned from paganism to Hebraism, and now, probably disappointed with what they had found, they had heard of the new Voice concerning which everyone was talking. After consultation with Andrew, Philip, possibly feeling gratified that these Greek proselytes were seeking their Master, told Jesus of the fact. I do not think the account can be read without the consciousness that the answer of Jesus must have been an almost staggering one to Philip. It is impossible here and now to fully go into that reply of our Lord, but we may with profit ponder some of its sentences.

"The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified . . . Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name."

          This soliloquy of Jesus w answered by the voice from heaven, whereupon the Lord spoke again: "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Myself."

          The bearing of all this upon our article is the fact that Philip heard, and we may very reverently say that the answer of Jesus to Philip and Andrew in effect was this. These Greeks cannot see Me now. The only way in which they will ever see Me will be by the way of My death and resurrection. It may be at once objected that surely Philip and Andrew and the Greeks were then looking at Jesus. In that connection we may remind ourselves that very soon after Jesus was saying to Philip: "Have I been so long time with you, and cost thou not know Me, Philip?"

          The whole incident shows that our Lord was revealing to Philip, and of course to the rest, that the only way in which He could be seen in His glory was the way of the Cross.

          A few hours passed, and Philip was in the upper room with the rest of the disciples and his Lord. There, in the midst of the conversation he uttered the tremendous word, to which we have already referred: "Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us."

          At this point our Lord rebuked him for his slowness, for his blindness, as He said to him: "Have I been so long time with you, and cost thou not know Me, Philip?"

          Philip had not responded as he might have done, or our Lord would never have addressed him thus. The point of value, however, is that if He told him he was blind, He did not leave him there. He uttered those wonderful words, which in some senses may seem to be central to the Person of Jesus in human life and human history: "He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father."

          Now this man, equipped and illuminated by the Holy Spirit, and thus coming to full understanding of the One he had found at the beginning of his discipleship, is seen with the rest facing the future of responsibility.

          We may thus summarize. Philip was obedient to the first call, and began to travel with Jesus, immediately bearing his testimony to the fact that he had found the Messiah. Through the years we watch a growing understanding through the patience of the Lord, and so from that point on, until he saw the Father in the face of Jesus.

          Beyond this, we know nothing of Philip. We have no record of any words he uttered, of any work he did, of any letter he wrote. We have no account of his journeys. It may be necessary to point out here that he must never be confused with Philip the deacon, of whom we have some account in the book of the Acts. We repeat, therefore, we know nothing more about him, except that his name, as an apostle, is discovered upon the foundations of the city of God.

          Unquestionably the message of this article is one to the slow man, and perhaps to the unimpressive man. There are many such. Andrew will not seek them, even though they live in the same town. Christ, however, is ever minded to pass their way. These are the people that He is ever seeking and that because He wants them; and more, because He needs them. He has a use for such in that great fellowship of His followers through which He is carrying on His mighty work. Possibly enrolled among His disciples they will be slow to the end, but He will be patient to the end. The probability is that their biographies will never be written. In passing we may say that they may gain much by the omission. But their name will be written in the city of God. Let them then join Him in the way, and travel with Him, until that hour shall come in which He, in fellowship with His own, will "see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied." (Isa. 53:11)