- Before His Call
“Philip” means “lover of horses.” The name is Greek but, like all of the twelve apostles, Philip was a Jew. He was from the town Bethsaida, ruled by Philip the Tetrarch, brother of Herod. (Luke 3:1) Philip the Tetrarch named the city Bethsaida after the death of the emperor Augustus. He was a popular ruler, built buildings and brought trade to this town on the northern shores of Galilee. It is quite probable that Philip the Apostle was named after this admired leader.
Bethsaida the town—“House of Fish”—was also the home of Andrew and Peter as well as James and John, sons of Zebedee. Quite likely, Philip was associated with these men who were in business with Zebedee in what was a successful business at that time.
Jesus, in His preaching, singled out this prosperous “House of Fish” in one of His unforgettable messages. As quoted by Luke in his gospel, He said: “Woe unto thee Chorazin! Woe unto thee Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” (Luke 10:13) Bethsaida, home to at least five of the 12 apostles, had the privilege of hearing and seeing the mighty words and works of God as perhaps few other cities of His day. Yet they, by and large, had not repented. Thus the stern rebuke from the Lord’s lips.
Philip was probably a disciple of John the Baptist. He is not to be confused with either Philip the deacon (Acts 6) or Philip the evangelist (Acts 8).
- At His Call and Commission (John 1:43)
Philip was “found” by the Lord Jesus the day after Andrew had received his call to “come and see” where Jesus dwelt. On that day, John records that Jesus was on His way to Galilee, and it was on that journey that Jesus “findeth Philip, and saith into him, ‘Follow me.’”
The next thing we learn of Philip is that he immediately went and found his friend, Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45) It is evident that Philip had been searching the scriptures and had learned from the writings of Moses and the prophets that Israel could and should expect a Messiah through the lineage of Joseph. There may well have been a “Messianic expectation” abroad at that time among serious students who had access to the prophecy of Daniel—as the wise men from the East might well have had, causing them to make an arduous trip of several hundreds of miles to meet the one who was born to be King of the Jews. Nathanael, however, could not quite “wrap his head” around the fact that the long-awaited Messiah was come from such a low-life city as Nazareth! (John 1:46)
So, Philip and the other apostles were commissioned to be with Jesus and to preach. They spent more than three years living with and learning from Him. They learned from the Master what it was to enjoy genuine fellowship; they asked for and received instructions on prayer, preaching, propagation of the gospel, and the future growth and development of His kingdom on earth (see Matthew 13—the eight parables He taught in light of His rejection by Israel’s leaders).
- After His Commission
Philip has gotten a lot of “bad press” and some writers consider him dull, even a bit stupid. The reason for this harsh assessment was his response to Jesus’ question on the occasion of the feeding of the 5,000. (John 6:5-7) Seeing the great company, five thousand men plus women and children, Jesus said to Philip, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” (“And He said this to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.”) Philip answered Jesus: “Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them that every one of them may take a little.” We can be certain that Jesus was not trying to make Philip look like a dunce. He no doubt was using this as a teaching moment. By the way, try to recreate the scene in your mind and put yourself in Philip’s sandals. What would you have said had Jesus posed the question to you?
The other instance that featured Philip and Jesus interacting was in the upper room, when Philip said to Jesus, “Lord shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.” He made that statement in response to Jesus saying that “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.” (John 14:7,8) Jesus’ reply to Philip’s request to see the Father was, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known me?” (John 14:9) How could it be that, after three years, the disciples still did not know Him? Well, how long have you walked with Him? Do you feel as though you know Him, or might you sigh and say with Paul, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.” (Phil.3:10) Jesus knew that none of His followers would really know Him until the Comforter had come who would “glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (John 16:14)
Charles Kingsley, well-known English novelist, was once asked, “What is the secret of your success?” His reply was, “I had a friend.”
Someday in that eternal city, one might ask Philip how it was that he had come to sit on one of the twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:14-30); or how had it happened that he had his name inscribed on one of the foundation stones of the eternal City of God. (Rev. 21:14) Philip just might answer, “I was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew, Peter, James and John, and I had some good friends.” Unlike Philip the Roman Tetrarch of his day, Philip the Apostle never made much of a splash in his time; but, though he never ruled a city here on earth and was never highly acclaimed by men, his memory will live as long as God lives. In that Kingdom over which Christ will rule, Philip will sit on a throne as a judge, and his name will be engraved on the foundation stones of the gates of the Holy City of Jerusalem. Selah!
“His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matt. 25:23)
YOU and GOD 