Philip’s Calling and Opposition
Philip was a man in need of purpose. The first detailed testimony in Scripture of Philip describes to us a man who was sought and called by Jesus Christ. It is hard to know to what extent Philip wandered through life up to that point, but after that momentous day, his life would never be the same. The simple but direct invitation of Jesus of Nazareth was extended to Philip of Bethsaida. The man who came from the town known as the “House of Fishing” was called to lay aside his nets of cords and take up a spiritual net – to become a fisher of men. No doubt each believer can recall the moment in their life when they had a very personal encounter with Jesus Christ. He sought us out and called us to Himself for rest and salvation. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mat 11:28).1 And just like in the case of Philip, Jesus Christ did not just call us to salvation alone but to a real purpose in life, a true lifelong call.
The call to service looks different for each Christian. Some have been called to be mothers, others Sunday School teachers, and others shepherds of the flock. Whatever your calling is, the Lord makes the call clear, and He desires for us to respond in the same way that Philip did.
Philip got right to work and began to tell others of Jesus Christ. He found Nathanael and told him that the promised One had come – the One of whom Moses and the prophets spoke and prophesied, the One who would bruise the devil’s head (Gen 3:15), the One who Isaiah had promised would be Immanuel, God with us (Isa 7:14). The Wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace, was here (9:6). Yet despite all that Christ has fulfilled from Scripture, the child of God lives in a world that rejects Him. To respond to Christ’s call means to serve amidst opposition and conflict. Although Nathanael doubted anything worthy could come out of Nazareth, Philip simply continued with his calling of telling others of Christ. He responded with a simple “Come and see” for yourself (Joh 1:46). Just like Philip, whatever the Lord Jesus has called us to, we should respond with the same readiness and willingness of heart to be ambassadors for Christ amidst opposition and doubters.
Philip’s Testing and Failure
As is the case in every Christian’s walk, a life of service leads to testing. It is in no way a smooth path. As Philip continued following Jesus and fulfilling the call to which he had responded in John 1, he found himself with Jesus and the other disciples close to his hometown of Bethsaida. Philip saw the sick healed and sinners offered eternal water, yet, just like us, having seen the Lord’s power and faithfulness in the past, he had a moment of doubting and forgetfulness. With a crowd of over 5,000 before them, Jesus tested Philip’s faith in the power of God. He specifically asked Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” (Joh 6:5). The Scriptures tell us that the purpose of the question was to test him. Philip’s answer showed how quickly he forgot what Jesus was capable of. “We don’t have enough money for even a little bit of bread for each.” He was thinking in secular terms instead of spiritual, in terms of the minuscule rather than the miraculous. Philip needed a reminder that there is no limit to the power of God. We may doubt, but He proves capable.
We often need the same test and reminder as Philip. And while it is easy to criticize his lack of faith, how often we also doubt what God is able to do. How often we think in the simplest and most meager of terms, all the while serving the God who owns “the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psa 50:10). How often we have the same attitude that the missionary Jim Elliot would bemoan when he said, “Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God.” When God sees fit to test how highly we esteem His power and faithfulness to work and provide in our lives, may we understand the power of the One whom we serve and live in the reality that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Php 4:13).
Philip’s Obedience and Communion
Despite the many miracles that Philip witnessed during his time with Jesus, he still struggled to fully grasp the truth that Jesus Christ is God. In the upper room, Philip expressed what his ongoing desire was: “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us” (Joh 14:8). Jesus clearly stated to Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father …. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves” (Joh 14:9,11). Jesus told Philip that all the works He had done clearly proved His deity, proved that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him.
One cannot denounce Philip for struggling with the truth of the Triune God, as it still remains something for the Christian to accept by faith rather than to rationalize in human terms. But Jesus, in His grace, told Philip and the other disciples of something that isn’t just faith of the heart and the mind, but rather something to put into practice. He stated, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (15:12). He was telling Philip, just as He is telling us, that the true path of those who take the name of Christ is to love one another. Christianity isn’t about isolation and solitude, but rather about communion and association – association with Christ first, but also association with the body of Christ. He had a little earlier emphasized the same point when He taught, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (13:35). The teaching had an impact on Philip, and it is fitting that the last mention we have of Philip after seeing the resurrected and ascended Christ is that he was in a room with other Christians, enjoying communion and continuing “with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Act 1:14). May each dear saint of God carry with them the words that had a lasting impact on Philip: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the NKJV.
