“He Ordained Twelve”
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with Him, witnessing His miracles, and hearing His words. John
pressed into still closer intimacy with Jesus, so that he is distinguished
as the one whom Jesus loved. The Saviour loved them all, but John’s
was the most receptive spirit. He was younger than the others, and
with more of the child’s confiding trust he opened his heart to Jesus.
Thus he came more into sympathy with Christ, and through him the
Saviour’s deepest spiritual teaching was communicated to His people.
At the head of one of the groups into which the apostles are divided
stands the name of Philip. He was the first disciple to whom Jesus
addressed the distinct command, “FollowMe.” Philip was of Bethsaida,
the city of Andrew and Peter. He had listened to the teaching of
John the Baptist, and had heard his announcement of Christ as the
Lamb of God. Philip was a sincere seeker for truth, but he was slow
of heart to believe. Although he had joined himself to Christ, yet
his announcement of Him to Nathanael shows that he was not fully
convinced of the divinity of Jesus. Though Christ had been proclaimed
by the voice from heaven as the Son of God, to Philip He was “Jesus
of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
John 1:45
. Again, when the five
thousand were fed, Philip’s lack of faith was shown. It was to test
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him that Jesus questioned, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these
may eat?” Philip’s answer was on the side of unbelief: “Two hundred
pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them
may take a little.”
John 6:5, 7
. Jesus was grieved. Although Philip
had seen His works and felt His power, yet he had not faith. When
the Greeks inquired of Philip concerning Jesus, he did not seize upon
the opportunity of introducing them to the Saviour, but he went to tell
Andrew. Again, in those last hours before the crucifixion, the words of
Philip were such as to discourage faith. When Thomas said to Jesus,
“Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the
way?” the Saviour answered, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life....
If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also.” From
Philip came the response of unbelief: “Lord, show us the Father, and
it sufficeth us.”
John 14:5-8
. So slow of heart, so weak in faith, was
that disciple who for three years had been with Jesus.
In happy contrast to Philip’s unbelief was the childlike trust of
Nathanael. He was a man of intensely earnest nature, one whose faith
took hold upon unseen realities. Yet Philip was a student in the school
of Christ, and the divine Teacher bore patiently with his unbelief and