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“search the scriptures” John 5:39
Among the apostles those with Hebrew sounding names predominate, Matt. 10. 2-4; Philip is one of the minority with a Greek name. This is significant in various ways. Firstly; as we shall see, he is associated with incidents which teach us about the extension of the Gospel to the Gentile world. Secondly his character and natural aptitude seem to be that of one who brings others to the Lord Jesus. Finally there seems to be a shyness or diffidence about him which he nevertheless overcomes when he takes directly to the Lord Jesus what must have been troubling all the apostles.
Concerning the diffidence of Philip, this is in contrast to his name, which means “lover of horses”, Naturally we should expect someone warlike and thrusting, like his namesake Philip of Macedonia the father of Alexander. “The horse is prepared against the day of battle” we read, Prov. 21. 31. However, “An horse is a vain thing for safety”, Psa. 33. 17, and it is better to trust in the Lord our God. Philip enters into a warfare but not in his own strength — his hesitance and shyness is in many ways a characteristic we might emulate.
Philip was found by the Lord Jesus in Galilee. Galilee means “rolling” and reminds us of the rolling away of the reproach of Egypt at Gilgal, Josh. 5.7-9, and that “we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh”, Phil. 3.3. Before we reach that state there has to be a spiritual circumcision; we have to be found in Galilee of the nations by the Lord Jesus, among the people that sit in darkness, Isa. 9. 1-2.
The Lord Jesus simply said, “Follow me”! It is a simple command and one that has not yet been withdrawn or altered. Philip did that in simple obedience and very soon, like his Lord, he was finding Nathanael. “Given of God” is the meaning of that name and the meaning is significant in several ways, but for Philip and for present-day Philips it emphasizes the fact that our service can only be done by the power of God in simple obedience to His Word.
Verse 45 tells us something more about Philip. It shows us clearly that he knew his Bible. There is quiet confidence and certainty in the way Philip speaks to Nathanael. This passage is full of finding, but finding implies the seeking. There are things that the Gentiles seek, Matt. 6. 32, but Philip was after what really mattered, having once been found by a seeking Saviour. “He that seeketh findeth”, 7. 7, 8, was the promise of the Lord Jesus; obviously Philip had changed his ambitions, his seekings from those of Galilee of the Gentiles to those of his Master. He must also have been searching the Scriptures, John 5. 39, for he had proved the words of the Lord Jesus Christ spoken later that “they are they which testify of me”. It is sure that the degree in which we search the Scriptures is the degree in which we shall find, not only the Lord Jesus, but fruitful service. It may not be service such as Philip’s though it will certainly include witnessing.
Versed in Scripture though he was, Philip did not argue with Nathanael. There is a time for “disputing daily”. Personal knowledge, an introduction and a personal encounter is what counts for salvation. So Philip’s “Come and see” was, at the time, more effective than any argument. There is a time to speak and a time to keep silent, Eccl. 3. 7; we, like Philip, need to know when one or the other is appropriate. This is not to say that Philip was yet a fully fledged worker. The Christian can never say that he has arrived, that he is now complete. He must be ever learning, ever going. Like Philip he has much to learn.
Sometimes in our Christian experience there is a time of testing. It may involve the most harrowing and difficult circumstances such as our brothers and sisters in certain countries now suffer. On the other hand we may have a difficult problem to solve which defies all human ingenuity and experience. This was the next step in Philip’s spiritual experience as it is recorded in John’s Gospel.
The Lord Jesus is as much concerned for the physical as for the spiritual wellbeing of His people, though these have an order of precedence. In the natural order of things the physical comes first, but with God the spiritual comes first, Matt. 6. 32, 33.
A “great crowd” had come to the Lord Jesus. In John 1 we read about the ones and twos coming to the Lord Jesus. Here it is a “great crowd”. The problem posed to Philip is one about feeding this crowd. It is likely that today we get our priorities wrong. We set about preaching to great crowds but do not think about the Lord’s question to Philip about feeding them. Peter got his instruction later, John 21. 15-17; Philip was to have his now.
In thinking about feeding we must, as has been implied, think about both physical and spiritual food. Both came from the Lord and we, as Philip, have to learn about the all-sufficiency of our Lord Jesus Christ. The amount needed to buy food showed the greatness of the problem. Two hundred pennyworth is two hundred times a labourer’s daily wage. There were five thousand men beside women and children.
We might wonder why the question “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”, was asked of Philip and not of the other disciples. Why did the Lord Jesus wait to test Philip only? The answer to that is not completely clear, but it is certain that the Lord Jesus looks on the hearts. He knows our particular needs and He knows what is best for our spiritual development. If the problem is too big, we might either give up in despair or take it back to Him. That is what He wanted here and we can imagine a puzzled Philip calculating the sum of money required to feed such a multitude, and turning in bewilderment to the Lord Jesus.
The answer was not given directly; rather it was demonstrated by Philip’s fellow-apostle and neighbour Andrew. The Lord Jesus knew what He would do; Andrew had someone to bring. That someone had something to give. Thus the miraculous all-sufficiency and our need for dependence upon Him was demonstrated to both Philip and Andrew as soon as they were brought to recognize their own lack. To rely on our own resources, our will power, intellect or strength of character is to fail. “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me”. To rely on Him is to succeed; without Him we can do nothing.
There were “certain Greeks” among the worshippers; perhaps they were in the process of becoming proselytes. It has been suggested that these men, technically foreigners and, as yet, strangers to the covenant of promise, came to Philip because of his Greek Name, (W. E. vine, John). It may also be that they saw in Philip something of the character of the Lord Jesus whom they wished to see.
To Philip this was another problem, one which he could not solve and which needed consultation with Andrew, another disciple with a Greek name. Perhaps Philip could not reconcile the seemingly conflicting teaching given by the Lord in His dealings with the Syro-phenician woman, Mark 7. 26, and in His instructions not to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans, Matt. 10. 5. There was nothing wrong in Philip’s consulting Andrew. It might be argued that he should have gone straight to the Lord, but sometimes the Lord likes us to consult together about matters before we bring them to Him, 18. 19. In a multitude of councellers there is both wisdom and safety, Prov. 11. 14; 15. 22; 24. 6. Perhaps we should consult more often with our brothers and sisters.
In answer to the unrecorded question regarding the Greeks the Lord Jesus spoke of His death and resurrection: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me”. There is a time for all things. Though the Lord Jesus may have shown grace in special cases to the Gentiles, He had really come to His own. The Gospel could only go out to the nations after the Lord Jesus was risen and Israel was laid aside, Rom. 9-11. Thus Philip and Andrew had to learn of the source of all our blessings. This is something of which we all need to be constantly reminded, and one of the purposes of breaking bread each first day of the week in remembrance of Him is to proclaim “the Lord’s death till he come”, 1 Cor. 11.26.
For three years Philip and the other disciples had seen the miracles that the Lord Jesus did, and they had sat at His feet to hear His teaching. Like Martha in chapter 11 he had an inadequate idea of the person of the Lord Jesus. We may be close to the Lord Jesus, we may search the Scriptures, but such is the state of our nature that we cannot comprehend the Person of the Lord Jesus unless we have miraculous enlightenment direct from the Father as Peter had, Matt. 16. 17; John 3. 11-13, 27. The enemies of the Lord Jesus, even religious men, could not understand Him, John 8. 43, 44. They could not understand Him because they were not of God, v.47. God has revealed such things unto us by His Spirit, 1 Cor. 2. 10-16, who now lives in us, John 14. 16, 17.
The Lord Jesus pointed Philip, when he questioned Him about the Father’s identity, to the words He had spoken and the works He had done, vv. 10-12. These witnesses were to emphasize and confirm His words in chapter 10, “I and my Father are one”.
It is not possible for human minds to comprehend the Godhead. In the very first verse of the Bible we find the Godhead acting in unity in creation. That is the only way to explain a plural noun as the subject of a singular verb: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”. Philip now had to learn afresh the meaning of that truth spelled out in creation, namely the unity of the Godhead and that the Lord Jesus was God manifest in flesh. We cannot fully understand, but we may believe because God tells us and then we may go on to practise what we learn. Philip was encouraged to carry out his knowledge to its logical conclusion in victorious prayer and service, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it”, v. 14.
This is always the case with God; it goes on getting better; “of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end”, Isa. 9. 7. The teaching about victorious praying is followed by teaching about the power for victory. Increasing again, the Holy Spirit shall indwell those who serve the Lord Jesus, those who belong to Him, John 14. 17.
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