M E KING'S BUSINESS 127 Studies in the Gospel According to John* By R. A. TORREY [These Studies are for careful study, not rapid and heedless reading] II. The Public Ministry of Jesus Leading Those Who Were of the Truth to Believe in Him as the Christ, the Son of God. Ch. 1:19—12:50. (Continued.)
2. The Testimony of the First Disciples to the Lord Jesus, 1:35- 51. (Continued.) (3). The testimony of Philip and Nathanael to Jesus, 43-51. Vs. 43, 44. “The day following (rather, “on the morrow ”) Jesus would go forth (rather, “He willed to go forth”) into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and (Jesus) saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of (rather, “from”) Bethsaida, (out of) the city of Andrew and Peter.” Up to this point we have had men seeking Jesus. Here we have Jesus seeking men. Andrew and John found the Messiah but Jesus found Philip. But before Andrew and John found Christ, His Spirit had found them, and He was really the first seeker, not they. Just how and where Jesus found Philip we are not told, but the word implies that Jesus was seeking for Philip and that the meeting was not accidental. Indeed, there are no accidents in our Lord’s work. This Philip is not Philip the evangelist (Acts 6:5; 8:5; 21:8) but Philip who afterwards became one of the twelve Apostles. In the various lists of the Apostles the first six given are the six persons here definitely mentioned or alluded to, Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew (Nathanael) (Matt. 10:1-3; Mark 3:13-18; Luke 6:12- 14). This is another indication that the unnamed disciple in vs. 37-40 was •Copyright, 1813, by R. A. Torrey.
John. Our Lord’s invitation to Philip was very brief and simple, yet there was an inexhaustible meaning in it. There is a world of sacrifice involved in accepting the invitation (Matt. 16:24; John 15:20), but there is a more vast world of blessing both here and hereafter (John 12:26). How to follow Jesus Paul makes plain in Philippians 2:5-8. Only a Divine Person has a right say to any man “Follow MB” (Jer. 17:5-7). But our Lord Jesus constantly demanded that men should put the same trust in Him that they did in God (cf. John 14:1). This is one of the many incidental proofs of His Deity. This simple word of Christ had power— Philip followed Him. The fact here stated that Philip was from the same city as Andrew and Peter suggests that probably Philip had come with the two brothers to John the Baptist and he may have been thus prepared to accept the invitation of Jesus to become one of His disciples. The Bethsaida here mentioned wa» on the west side of the Sea of Galilee (cf. ch. 6:16-22; Mark 6:45) and was known as “Bethsaida of Galilee,” and is to be distinguished from the city on the east side of the Jordan which was known as “Bethsaida Julias,” which was rebuilt by Philip the tet- rarch and called “Julias” in honor of the profligate daughter of Augustus. It is a significant fact that Jesus chose four of His Apostles from this insignificant city of Galilee. The Em-
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