Philip

Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

John 1:46

He is always number five. In the lists of the apostles in the Gospels, Philip’s name invariably occurs in fifth place. Matthew, Mark, and Luke give no stories about him. In John’s Gospel, however, we see a glimpse of this shy man with tentative faith, who was determined to walk with Jesus.

In John 6, Philip seemed anxious about where they would get enough money to feed the crowds, and later, before the Passover Feast in the upper room, he wanted more information, asking Jesus, “Show us the Father” (John 14:8). But Philip had a true missionary spirit and was always directing people to the Savior. He brought Nathanael to Christ in John 1, and some Greek pilgrims in John 12.

According to the ancient historian Eusebius, Philip eventually became a great evangelist in Asia and was buried in Hierapolis after a lifetime of inviting people to come and see Jesus.

We may be shy, may struggle with our faith, and may feel we need more information before we can be truly effective. But we can always say, as Philip did, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth. . . . Come and see” (John 1:45-46).

The first impulse of a born-again Christian is to win somebody to Jesus.

W. A. CRISWELL