Great Unknown People of the Bible
The Tale of Two Philips
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Philip the Apostle
John 1:43-46 John 6:5-7 John 12:20-22 John 14:6-10 Acts 1:13 |
Philip the Evangelist
Acts 6:1-7 Acts 8 Acts 21:8-9 |
Our lesson today introduces us to a man named Philip. Since we give very little coverage on this man, he qualifies for our series on the great unknown heroes of the Bible.
In truth, the Bible talks about two men named Philip, and both of them are relatively unknown. And besides the coincidence of their name, there is also a similarity in their character: The both loved Jesus. And they were both passionate about introducing people to Jesus.
In truth, the Bible talks about two men named Philip, and both of them are relatively unknown. And besides the coincidence of their name, there is also a similarity in their character: The both loved Jesus. And they were both passionate about introducing people to Jesus.
Philip the Apostle
The first Philip we meet in the Bible is not the Philip about whom we read this morning. It's the other one, Philip the Apostle, one of the Twelve Disciples of Jesus. And we first meet him in John 1:43-46.
The scene is the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, in the city of Capernaum, on the NW shore of the Sea of Galilee. He as already called Andrew, Peter, James, and John to be His disciples.
JOHN 1
The first Philip we meet in the Bible is not the Philip about whom we read this morning. It's the other one, Philip the Apostle, one of the Twelve Disciples of Jesus. And we first meet him in John 1:43-46.
The scene is the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, in the city of Capernaum, on the NW shore of the Sea of Galilee. He as already called Andrew, Peter, James, and John to be His disciples.
JOHN 1
43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote; Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46 And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
After meeting Jesus, Philip is convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Savior of the world. So he immediately goes to share this wonderful information with his best friend, Nathanael. Nathanael is a natural born skeptic. He needs more evidence than the enthusiasm of his friend Philip. Rather than arguing the case with Nathanael, Philip merely invites him to meet Jesus and see for himself.
Once again, near the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, that we find Philip introducing someone to Jesus. The context is the time following Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead, and a couple weeks prior to the Passover, when Jesus was crucified. The miracle of the raising of Lazarus had made the headline news, and Jesus' name had become a household word. There were many a curious folk who wanted to see Him, much to the consternation of the religious authorities.
JOHN 12
Once again, near the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, that we find Philip introducing someone to Jesus. The context is the time following Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead, and a couple weeks prior to the Passover, when Jesus was crucified. The miracle of the raising of Lazarus had made the headline news, and Jesus' name had become a household word. There were many a curious folk who wanted to see Him, much to the consternation of the religious authorities.
JOHN 12
20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.
These were Jewish people who were living in other parts of the world. If only culture and language were the test of identity, they might be considered Gentiles. But they were still Jews by heritage and descent. And they had made a religious pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to the homeland, to worship at the Temple for the great feast of the Passover.
21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
The one other notable characteristic of Philip the Apostle, besides his gift for bringing people to Jesus, is his ability to "state the obvious."
JOHN 6
JOHN 6
1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.
2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.
3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.
5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"
6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." [200 denarii = pay for 200 days of work]
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him,
9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"
You know this story. It is the feeding of the five thousand. And one thing we tend to overlook in this story is that Jesus singled out Philip, to tutor him in a lesson in faith.
During His ministry with the Twelve, a lot of Jesus tried to teach them went right over their heads, and they did not grasp what He was telling them until after His death, resurrection, and ascension. Philip, on the other hand, did have a sense that what Jesus was trying to tell them was very important, and Philip tried very hard to understand it. We find him doing this during the Last Supper.
JOHN 14
During His ministry with the Twelve, a lot of Jesus tried to teach them went right over their heads, and they did not grasp what He was telling them until after His death, resurrection, and ascension. Philip, on the other hand, did have a sense that what Jesus was trying to tell them was very important, and Philip tried very hard to understand it. We find him doing this during the Last Supper.
JOHN 14
6 Jesus said... "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
Whatever became of Philip later on, after Jesus ascended into heaven, we don’t know. Doctor Luke names him again as one of the Twelve in the first chapter of Acts. But where he went after that, what he did, and what happened to him, we are only left with the conjecture of tradition, which says that Philip the Apostle continued his ministry in Turkey, as also the Apostle John did.
Philip the Evangelist
Doctor Luke introduces us to the other Philip in Acts 6, describing him not as an evangelist, but a church deacon:
ACTS 6
Doctor Luke introduces us to the other Philip in Acts 6, describing him not as an evangelist, but a church deacon:
ACTS 6
1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
Again these "Hellenists" were Greek-speaking Jews. And the "widows" were the women of congregation who had no other means of financial support. These Greek speaking Jewish widows are without other means of support, so the Christians, sensitive to their need, fill the gap, and the church becomes the family these widows lack. But there was the appearance that the Apostles were playing favorites - they seemed to be more responsive to the needs of the Aramaic speaking widows, than they were to the "foreign" Jews. When this inequity was brought to their attention, the Apostles took immediate action to correct the problem.
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, [all Greek names]
6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Stephen, Philip and five others had gained a reputation for their virtue, maturity, wisdom, and leadership skills. So they were picked as the first "deacons" of the church. The word deacon means to serve, to literally "wait on tables." And these seven were put in charge of the social ministry of the church, while the 12 Apostles (including Philip Number One) gave attention to the matter of preaching and teaching the Word of God.
However, the story that immediately follows this is the story of the murderous execution of first of the seven deacons, Stephen , followed by open persecution of Christians, which forces many to flee for their lives.
ACTS 8
However, the story that immediately follows this is the story of the murderous execution of first of the seven deacons, Stephen , followed by open persecution of Christians, which forces many to flee for their lives.
ACTS 8
1 Now Saul was consenting to [Stephen's] death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
What we must remember here is that Samaria was no longer a Jewish territory. It is situated right in the middle of the land we call Israel, a bit like the Polish city of Hamtramik is completely surrounded by the city of Detroit, Michigan, or the upscale city of Highland Park is completely surrounded by the city of Dallas, Texas. There was a great deal of ethnic hostility between the Hebrew speaking Palestinian Jews and the Samaritans. In a very real sense, Philip became our first Christian missionary to a foreign land.
6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city...
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Up until this time, all the Christians you could find were Jews, and the only place you could find them was in Jerusalem. The notion that a non-Jew, a Gentile, could even become a Christian had not entered into their thinking. It was still quite inconceivable to them that anyone who did not meet the test of Abrahamic descendency and who did not fully adhere to all the ceremonial sacrificial laws of Moses could have a hope of being saved. In our generation we think it odd the a practicing orthodox Jew would become a Christian. But in those days, it was just the opposite. The Christians were all Jews and only Jews, and it was not thought possible that anyone else could become a Christian.
But God uses the persecution of the Christians in Jerusalem to chase them out of their comfort zone, send them out to other areas of the world, and spread the word of life and salvation in Jesus Christ to people of other lands and languages. And Philip the Deacon is one of those who goes to tell other people about Jesus, other people who would never have set foot in Jerusalem, who would not have even been allowed in Jerusalem’s temple.
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus.
17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
In this way, the authenticity of Philip’s ministry to people who were not Jews was validated. Through the Apostles Peter and John, God affirmed that the new Samaritan Christians were members of the same body, of the same faith as the Jerusalem believers.
But Philip is not allowed to settle down yet. God sends him on to continue his evangelistic mission, this time to someone from a different continent, and quite a different skin color.
ACTS 8
But Philip is not allowed to settle down yet. God sends him on to continue his evangelistic mission, this time to someone from a different continent, and quite a different skin color.
ACTS 8
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert.
27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury…
This man was from the same African nation as our Old Testament friend Ebed-Melech, whom we had met in an earlier study in this series.
27 …and [he] had come to Jerusalem to worship,
28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot."
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
31 And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth."
This is a quotation from Isaiah 53, one of the explicit Old Testament prophecies of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus.
34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?"
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"
37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
As far as we know, this was the last time the two of them ever saw each other again on this side of heaven.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
And the story that follows is the conversion of Saul, who later becomes known as the Apostle Paul.
It appears that Philip Number Two settled there in Caesarea, a Roman naval port and army base. We don't meet Philip again until much later in book of Acts, but he is still there, an now he has a family with him.
The historical context is the conclusion of Paul's 3rd missionary journey. Paul, Luke, and a host of others are on their way back to Jerusalem, where Paul is about to be arrested.
ACTS 21
It appears that Philip Number Two settled there in Caesarea, a Roman naval port and army base. We don't meet Philip again until much later in book of Acts, but he is still there, an now he has a family with him.
The historical context is the conclusion of Paul's 3rd missionary journey. Paul, Luke, and a host of others are on their way back to Jerusalem, where Paul is about to be arrested.
ACTS 21
8 On the next day we who were Paul's companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven [deacons - see Acts 6], and stayed with him.
9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. Apparently Philip's passion to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ was caught by his four daughters, who had remain unmarried, for the purpose of devoting their lives in service to Christ as an extension of their father's ministry, under his spiritual covering.
A Modern Day Philip
The work that these two Philips have done continues to this day.
I recall an evening about ten years ago when I received a telephone call from a man who had once come to my home as a door-to-door salesman. [Be careful how you treat those salesmen, because it may later reflect on your Christian character.] This man was out of the business of selling windows and siding, and was now working a chaplain for the Salvation Army in Dallas.
The alcohol detox unit at the men's dorm had taken in a deaf man that evening, and they needed help communicating with him. The chaplain recalled having met me many months earlier, and he was able to find my phone number. He asked that I come an help interpret for the staff so they could complete their intake process, and get the man settled in.
When I arrived at the Salvation Army men's dorm on Harry Hines, I asked for the chaplain, and I was told that he was in the chapel conducting the evening prayer service. I went into the chapel right at the conclusion of the service, just as everyone was about to leave, and one of the men was already engaged in a conversation with the chaplain. So I took a seat in the back pew of the chapel to wait for the two of them to finish talking.
The chapel was small and I could hear every word that each one said, and it was evident to me that I should participate in their discussion simply by staying where I was and praying fervently for both the man and the chaplain.
The man stated quite explicitly that he was not a Christian, that he had studied the Bible, as well as Christian history and doctrine, and had studied the work of great Christian teachers. It was clear that this man's claims were not merely idle boasting in order to make an impression, but he was genuinely knowledgeable about the basics of the Christian faith. But he also had some concerns, and some very serious doubts. And what seemed to trouble him most was, as he said to the chaplain, "I am Jewish, and I am not at all convinced that Jesus is the Messiah."
The chaplain replied very simply, "You seem to know the Bible quite well. Let me give you a little test. I am going to read a chapter out of the Bible, and you tell me if it is from the Old Testament or the New Testament."
That piqued the man's interest. He was game. So the chaplain started reading:
The work that these two Philips have done continues to this day.
I recall an evening about ten years ago when I received a telephone call from a man who had once come to my home as a door-to-door salesman. [Be careful how you treat those salesmen, because it may later reflect on your Christian character.] This man was out of the business of selling windows and siding, and was now working a chaplain for the Salvation Army in Dallas.
The alcohol detox unit at the men's dorm had taken in a deaf man that evening, and they needed help communicating with him. The chaplain recalled having met me many months earlier, and he was able to find my phone number. He asked that I come an help interpret for the staff so they could complete their intake process, and get the man settled in.
When I arrived at the Salvation Army men's dorm on Harry Hines, I asked for the chaplain, and I was told that he was in the chapel conducting the evening prayer service. I went into the chapel right at the conclusion of the service, just as everyone was about to leave, and one of the men was already engaged in a conversation with the chaplain. So I took a seat in the back pew of the chapel to wait for the two of them to finish talking.
The chapel was small and I could hear every word that each one said, and it was evident to me that I should participate in their discussion simply by staying where I was and praying fervently for both the man and the chaplain.
The man stated quite explicitly that he was not a Christian, that he had studied the Bible, as well as Christian history and doctrine, and had studied the work of great Christian teachers. It was clear that this man's claims were not merely idle boasting in order to make an impression, but he was genuinely knowledgeable about the basics of the Christian faith. But he also had some concerns, and some very serious doubts. And what seemed to trouble him most was, as he said to the chaplain, "I am Jewish, and I am not at all convinced that Jesus is the Messiah."
The chaplain replied very simply, "You seem to know the Bible quite well. Let me give you a little test. I am going to read a chapter out of the Bible, and you tell me if it is from the Old Testament or the New Testament."
That piqued the man's interest. He was game. So the chaplain started reading:
1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
The man interrupted, "Oh, that's describing Jesus. That's from the New Testament."
"Hold on," the chaplain said. "Let me read the whole thing."
"Hold on," the chaplain said. "Let me read the whole thing."
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
"That's talking about Jesus! Of course it's from the New Testament!" the man shouted. The chaplain ignored him and kept on reading.
9 And they made His grave with the wicked; But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
The chaplain looked up at the man, indicating he was done reading. The man was even more confident than ever, "It's the New Testament."
"Why?"
"Because it is describing the crucifixion of Jesus."
"Take a look," said the chaplain, as he handed the man the Bible. "Tell me again, is it the Old Testament, or New Testament?"
The man gazed at the text quite stunned. He was looking at the Old Testament book of Isaiah. This was the very same text that had hooked the Ethiopian official and had, with the help of Philip #2, introduced him to Jesus.
The chaplain said to the man, "I, too, am Jewish. And it was this text from our own Scriptures which convinced me that Jesus is indeed our Messiah. How about you?"
After a long silence, the man said, "Yes, I believe."
The two of them prayed, and heaven rejoiced.
Dear Reader,
What about you?
Have you held Jesus at arm's length, like this man had done?
Are you ever in search of excuses to justify your hesitancy to surrender your life to Jesus, your Messiah?
He gave His life for you, and He offers you God's complete acceptance.
He offers you the peace of mind and soul which you seek.
Can you refuse so great a gift?
What about you?
Have you held Jesus at arm's length, like this man had done?
Are you ever in search of excuses to justify your hesitancy to surrender your life to Jesus, your Messiah?
He gave His life for you, and He offers you God's complete acceptance.
He offers you the peace of mind and soul which you seek.
Can you refuse so great a gift?