Jesus’ time with his disciples is interrupted when he
notices an immense crowd climbing the hill where he and his disciples are
seated. He calls Phillip over and asks
him, “Where do you think we are going to find enough food to feed this
crowd? And how are we going to pay for
it?” John 6:5 EFP
This verse is
pretty straight forward, except the part where he asks Phillip the question
that must have startled him. How are we
going to find the food to feed all these people, and how are we going to pay
for it? Before we address why Jesus asks
Phillip, am I the only one wondering why Jesus feels it is his duty to feed the
hoard at all? Jesus and his crew are the
foreigners. Is anyone expecting them to
feed the locals? But back to Phillip…why
does Jesus ask him? Why not Peter—he
seems a bit more resourceful. Judas is
the money man of the group (although Judas has not been mentioned yet, he will
be…soon).
Certainly his
hometown is nothing extraordinary.
Nathanael, Peter, and Andrew are all from Bethsaida, a fishing town on
the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee.
The only hints I find in the text are a couple of verses in chapter one
of John—both having to do with his role in the calling of Nathanael, and the
preceding text about his own calling to follow Jesus. Phillip, it appears, is a go-getter, one that
is not afraid to make spot decisions and follow those choices with fervor and
passion. When Jesus comes calling, he
follows. Period. When confronted with Nathanael’s less-than-enthusiastic
response to his invitation to join him in following Jesus, he simple says,
“Come and see!” Jesus sees in Phillip a
committed and confident disciple—one willing to put his faith on the line and
not shrink away from a challenge.
What does God
see when he sees me? Does he see
commitment? Devotion? Faith?
Passion? Or am I a reed flailing
in the wind of uncertainty and self-doubt?
I want to see more Philip-like confidence in my life, one that flows
from a conviction in the power of the One who calls me even today.
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