One of the Twelve
Philip
Philip of Bethsaida was among the earliest called by Jesus, and his first move was to bring his friend Nathanael. A practical, questioning man, he appears at the feeding of the crowd calculating costs, and at the last supper asking to see the Father. His questions drew out some of Jesus' clearest words.
“The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.”John 1:43
Who he was
Philip came from Bethsaida, the same Galilee town as Peter and Andrew (John 1:44). Jesus found him directly and called him to follow, and Philip at once sought out Nathanael and urged him to come and see the one Moses and the prophets had written about (John 1:43). The Gospel of John gives him more personality than the other lists provide. He is practical and literal, the kind of man who, asked how to feed a multitude, does the math and concludes it is impossible (John 6:7). At the last supper he asks Jesus to show them the Father, prompting the great answer that whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:8). Philip is the honest, earthbound disciple still learning to see.
His life, in Scripture and in tradition
Scripture records Philip's call in Galilee and his eager fetching of Nathanael to meet Jesus (John 1:43). He is named among the twelve in every apostle list (Matthew 10:3). John's Gospel shows him tested before the feeding of the five thousand, when Jesus asked where bread could be bought and Philip answered that a fortune would not suffice (John 6:5). Later, some Greeks approached Philip wishing to see Jesus, and he brought them with Andrew (John 12:21). At the last supper he asked to be shown the Father (John 14:8). The New Testament says nothing of his later life or death. Church tradition, not Scripture, holds that Philip preached in Phrygia and was martyred at Hierapolis; these later accounts vary and are sometimes confused with Philip the evangelist of Acts.
What his life points to in Christ
Philip kept looking for something more when the answer stood in front of him. Show us the Father, he said, and Jesus gently replied that seeing him is seeing the Father (John 14:9). Philip's whole story is about learning to recognize God in the face of Jesus. He calculated that the crowd could not be fed, and then watched Christ feed them; he wanted a vision of God, and was told he already had it. In Philip we meet the believer who trusts what can be measured and must be taught to trust the person of Christ. His honest limitations become the occasion for some of Jesus' most precious self revelation, reminding us that our questions, brought to Jesus, are often answered with himself.
Questions people ask
How did the apostle Philip die?
The New Testament does not record Philip's death. Church tradition from later centuries holds that he preached in Phrygia and was martyred at Hierapolis, by crucifixion or stoning depending on the account. These reports come from later, varying sources and are sometimes confused with Philip the evangelist. Scripture itself tells us nothing about how the apostle Philip died.
Is the apostle Philip the same as Philip the evangelist?
No. The apostle Philip was one of the twelve, called in Galilee (John 1:43). Philip the evangelist was one of the seven chosen to serve tables in Acts 6, who later preached in Samaria and to the Ethiopian official (Acts 8). They are two different men, and later traditions sometimes blur their stories, so care is needed when reading historical accounts about either one.
What did Philip ask Jesus?
At the last supper Philip said, Lord, show us the Father, and it will be enough for us (John 14:8). Jesus answered that anyone who has seen him has seen the Father, because he and the Father are one. Philip's request drew out one of Jesus' clearest statements that God is fully revealed in him. Earlier Jesus had also tested Philip about feeding the crowd (John 6:5).