门徒腓力
约翰福音一章43至50节
43又次日,耶稣想要往加利利去,遇见腓力,就对他说:“来,跟从我吧!”
44这腓力是伯赛大人,和安得烈、彼得同城。
45腓力找着拿但业,对他说:“摩西在律法上所写的和众先知所记的那一位,我们遇见了,就是约瑟的儿子拿撒勒人耶稣。”
46拿但业对他说:“拿撒勒还能出甚么好的吗?”腓力说:“你来看!”
47耶稣看见拿但业来,就指着他说:“看哪,这是个真以色列人,他心里是没有诡诈的。”
48拿但业对耶稣说:“你从哪里知道我呢?”耶稣回答说:“腓力还没有招呼你,你在无花果树底下,我就看见你了。”
49拿但业说:“拉比,你是神的儿子,你是以色列的王!”
50耶稣对他说:“因为我说在无花果树底下看见你,你就信吗?你将要看见比这更大的事。”
信息分享
从某些角度来看,腓力正是这种默默事奉的人。马太、马可和路加都只是在十二门徒的名单中提到他。约翰则在四次事件中,约略讲到他。透过今天所读的经文,我们得以看见基督呼召腓力跟从祂的情景。
我们很容易将这位腓力,与使徒行传记载的那位执事和传道人腓利混淆。那位腓利曾到撒马利亚传福音,还带领一位埃塞俄比亚的官员归向基督;并在很多重要事件中举足轻重。然而,使徒腓力除了在使徒行传一章13节的门徒名单中被提及外,便再没有在书中出现。
腓力遇见基督后,首先想到的,是要告诉他的朋友拿但业关于祂的事情。当他明白基督对于他自己的重要后,他就想要与人分享那对他意味着甚么。他极力推荐耶稣:「祂就是我们一直寻求的那位基督!」
他的见证并没有立即见效,但他却知道下一步该怎样做:「来吧,你自己看!」这真是教我们传福音的好课程。当我们向人传福音,不能让对方明白的时候,我们总可以简单地说:「若你自己认识祂,你就会知道祂有多么好!」你自己真认识主耶稣吗?你有向人介绍祂吗?
ANOTHER EARLY DISCIPLE – PHILIP
John 1: 43-50
43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 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.”
46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
Message
Philip in some ways must have been a man like that. Matthew, Mark and Luke mention him once in the list of all the apostles. John gives us four incidents in which Philip is briefly seen. The first glimpse of this early disciple is in our reading today when Christ called Philip to follow Him.
It is very easy to confuse this Philip with Philip the deacon and evangelist in the book of Acts. That Philip preached in Samaria and also led the Ethiopian to Christ. He was prominent in other stories as well. But beyond being listed among the other apostles in Acts 1:13, Philip the early disciple is not mentioned again.
Philip's first thought on meeting Christ was “I must tell my friend Nathaniel about this Man.” Having discovered Christ for himself, Philip wanted to communicate what it had meant to him. Philip gave a fine commendation of Christ, “Here is the very one whom we've been looking for!”
His first attempt at witnessing however was not altogether successful but he knew what to do next. “Come and meet this man for yourself.” That's a good lesson for us. If we can't get very far in talking with someone else about Christ, we can always say very simply, “If you just get to know Christ for yourself, you will find out how wonderful He is.” Have you met Jesus yourself? Have you told anyone about Him?

