The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me…” 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.” — John 1:43,45 (ESV)
How exciting this must have been! This is at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, before Jesus became a target of persecution of the Jewish religious leaders and before he was well-known throughout the land. Philip was probably one of the two disciples of John the Baptist who, when they heard their leader remark that Jesus was the Lamb of God (a few verses earlier), immediately turned to follow Jesus (Andrew was the other disciple).
Assuming that I am right about Philip being one of John’s disciples, this implies that Philip was spiritually alert and looking for how God was moving in his day, trying to be on the cutting edge, as many of my readers are today. Philip was a “river rat” (insider term for those who are looking for what God is up to today)! We can guess that between his leader’s testimony about Jesus, and the words he heard Jesus speak during the day that he spent with him, Philip believed in his heart that Jesus was the Messiah promised by the prophets. But to be called by the Messiah to be his disciple — this was too good to believe! Who knew what awesome things lay ahead for someone on the inner circle of the Messiah?!
Continue reading “The Excitement of Our Discovery (John 1:43,45)”