Twelve Disciples - James, John’s Brother (Part One)

by Jilene Scherenske

There are two disciples named James.  This lesson will be about the one who was John’s brother.  Together they were nicknamed the Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17)!  James was the older brother, thus his name usually appears before John’s name.  When we think of these two, do we not always say “James and John” and not “John and James”?  Even though he was the elder, he usually seems to be in the shadow of his brother, John.  As we study the life of James we will discover that, in the beginning, he was a hot head, prone to explosive temper outbursts (thus the name “Sons of Thunder”), full of zeal that very much needed to be directed into right channels, passionate, intense, fervent, but with selfish ambitions, even bloodthirsty!  Surprisingly, he was one of the three who were part of Jesus’ inner circle.  Regarding the inner circle: as I am studying these twelve men, it occurs to me that these three men, Peter, James and John, were perhaps the men with the strongest personalities of all the disciples.  James and John were the sons of thunder and they, along with Peter were probably the most strong-willed.  I wonder, were they in Jesus’ inner circle because they needed more teaching than the rest?  More proof?  More guidance?  When a parent has a strong-willed child, does not that child require extra attentiveness?  Extra training?  Just a thought!

His name appears at least 18 times in scripture, but, except for one time, his name always appears with John’s name.  They must have been very close-knit brothers, these sons of thunder!  He was the son of Zebedee and Salome.  From scripture we know that this family was well-to-do.  In Mark 1:19-20 we read that Zebedee owned several boats and employed workers.  Mr 1:19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.  20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.  Some think that the family had business connections in Jerusalem which would explain why John knew officials in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ arrest (John 18:15).  Plus, at least six times scripture refers to James and John simply as the sons of Zebedee, indicating that Zebedee was a known man of prominence.  There is also some evidence from church records that Zebedee may have been a Levite and closely related to the high priest’s family.  That would also account for the family’s ties with the high priest’s household in Jerusalem. (John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men (Thomas Nelson, 2002) 

Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part Six)

by Jilene Scherenske

What God wants to do with you:

God wants to use you!  No matter what you think of yourself, no matter what background you may have come from, no matter what secret sins are in your past or in your life even now, God wants to use you for His glory….and He can if you will but accept His forgiveness like Matthew did.  Matthew was deemed the worst of sinners in his day and yet Jesus forgave him and transformed him.  He can do the same with you!  Jesus’ undeserved yet wondrous grace is available to everyone!  God’s love knows no bounds.  He will absolutely transform your soul with perfect peace!

Sometimes we look at people and judge them and are biased toward them.  What would we think if a known mafia man walked into our church?  But Jesus looks upon all with love.  That is the wonderful thing about our Lord.  He looks upon us with so much love that He died for us!  Let us be careful to look upon others with the eyes of Jesus, always viewing in them the potential they have for God’s glory, always being willing to allow Jesus’ love to flow through us to them.  Let us be careful to not put people in some box and leave them there.  Let us be encouraging and uplifting to everyone no matter who they are.  Remember God’s transformation of Matthew! 

We must learn the sin of greed from Matthew.  We must be careful that we do not get trapped in the sin of wanting more than we have.  It will destroy our life, take us away from our friends and family, take away our reputation, make us miserable at heart.  Rather, we must ask Jesus to make us content with whatever He has given us.  Beg Him to give us a heart of gratefulness.  These two are the cure and the safe guards against the sin of the love of money – contentment and gratefulness.  

We have a modern-day story of a tax collector who gave up everything to follow Jesus.  Ira Sankey is his name.  He was engaged honestly in the tax collecting business, working for the federal government with all of its perks.  He became a Christian at age 16.  Years later he met DL Moody at a convention in Indianapolis.  Moody had been praying for 18 years for someone to travel with him as his music man and he immediately recognized Sankey as the man God had for him.  But Sankey had a wife and three sons, parents and a great job that brought them a comfortable lifestyle.  It took a while, but finally, Moody convinced him to leave the lucrative job behind and join forces with him to win souls.  Their association lasted almost 30 years, from 1870-1899 and saw thousands of souls saved.  He wrote the melodies for several hymns including Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne, Tell Me the Story of Jesus, The Ninety and Nine, The Lily of the Valley, The Cleansing Fountain, How Can I Keep from Singing? Hiding in Thee, Whosoever Will, A Shelter in the Time of Storm, Under His Wings, Faith is the Victory, and many others.  Like Matthew, he simply forsook his job and followed Jesus.  

What about you?  Is God calling you to do something for Him?  To leave your current lifestyle and follow His will for you?  My friend, be not afraid.  Jump into His will and you will experience peace and joy like you have never known before.  

John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men (Thomas Nelson, 2002) 

Leslie B. Flynn, The Twelve (Victor Books, 1988) 

Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part Five)

by Jilene Scherenske

Matthew’s End

We know he spent the remainder of his life proclaiming Jesus.  Tradition says he evangelized in Ethiopia and Persia.  There is no reliable evidence of how he died.  Earliest traditions say he was burned at the stake.  Like Paul, he lived a life that had no regrets that he left everything behind and followed Jesus.  Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

The Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part Four)

by Jilene Scherenske

Matthew’s later life

The Bible does not record much else about Matthew.  We know he remained faithful to the Lord from that day on, humbly falling into the background.  Having been a tax collector we know that Matthew was most likely wise, disciplined, good with figures, and acquainted with Aramaic, Greek, and Latin.  It was with these skills that he wrote the gospel of Matthew.  His gospel was aimed at the Jews.  He was determined to prove that Jesus was the Messiah promised by the Old Testament prophets.  As we have said he often referred to what the prophets said about the Messiah, evidence of how well he knew the Old Testament.  As a bookkeeper, he was detailed and thus a perfect man to trace the genealogy of Christ from the royal line of David and Abraham to Joseph.  In his gospel we find several of Jesus’ sermons:  chapters 5-7 contain the Sermon on the Mount.  Chapter 10 gives the sermon on the proclamation of the kingdom in conjunction with the sending out of the twelve.  Chapter 13 deals with the seven parables on the growth and worth of the kingdom.  Chapter 18 handles lifestyle in the kingdom including humility, children’s spiritual welfare, and forgiveness.  Chapter 23 contains Christ’s repeated woes on the hypocritical religious leaders.  Chapters 24-25 give us the Olivet discourse dealing with the second coming.  This man whose pen once recorded all the moneys he was deceitfully collecting now recorded the details of many of Jesus’ sermons.  His gospel also reveals his amazement that Jesus would save his group of people – publicans and sinners for he mentions this six times.  In Matthew 5:46-47 he recalls Jesus’ words: For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?  As we have seen in Matthew 9, it was the publicans and sinners that sat down to eat with Jesus.  They were the only category of people at Matthew’s great feast.  In Matthew 11:19 Matthew names Jesus as the “friend of publicans and sinners”.  Lastly, as we saw earlier, scripture records in Matthew 21:31-32: “…Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.  For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”  Matthew declares that it was the publicans and harlots who believed in Jesus!  In the gospels three tax collectors are recorded as getting saved – Matthew, Zaccheus, and the publican mentioned in the parable of Luke 18:10-14.  Scripture makes it very clear that this group of people were the most receptive to Jesus.  They were a needy people spiritually, considered the scum of the earth, compared in scripture to the religious leaders of the day who thought themselves to have arrived spiritually and in no need of a Savior.  As Jesus said at Matthew’s feast in response to the self-righteous religious leaders bemoaning the fact that Jesus would eat with such scum, “…They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick:  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  And so He did!  And they are the ones who responded!  I am sure that having Matthew as a disciple was a great aid in bringing this sinful group of people to Jesus.

The Bible does not say much about Matthew. His gospel, and the gospels of Mark and Luke record both his decision to follow Jesus (Matt 9:9, Mk 2:14, Lk 5:27) and the party he immediately threw so Jesus could speak to his friends (Mat 9:10, Mk 2:15, Lk 5:29).The only other sightings of Matthew in scripture are when he is included in the list of disciples (Matt 10:3, Mk 3:18, Lk 5:27) and the last is when he is listed with the other disciples in the upper room the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:13).

The Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part Three)

by Jilene Scherenske

Matthew’s First Action After Salvation – the Feast

Matthew’s salvation is recorded in Luke 5:27-28.  And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.  And he left all, rose up, and followed him.  What a marvelous salvation it was!  “And he left all, rose up, and followed him.”  Wow!  Matthew left it all.  He walked away from his table of gain and immediately followed Jesus!  Imagine the people in line waiting to be taxed.  How stumped they must have been.  The tax collector just walked away!  Matthew left all that profit behind.  He also left behind all his greed, all his longing for more stuff, all his love for riches.  All his cravings.  He simply walked away from all of it!  Immediately!  Amazing!  It is obvious that God had indeed been working on his soul for this transformation to occur so quickly.   

In the very next verse we see evidence of his salvation.  He throws a huge party!  Look who is on his guest list – other despised tax collectors!  Lu 5:29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.  Most likely the only friends Matthew had were coworkers or others of the same trade.  Since tax collectors were so despised, they had no other friends!  Matthew is so joyous over his newfound faith that he must tell his buddies.  We see the proof of his wealth in that he threw a huge feast, the Bible calls it a “great feast” and “a great company”.  The Greek word for ‘great’ is megas.  In other words, a mega feast.  He spared no amount of lavishness in this feast.  The second ‘great’ (“great company”) means that there was an abundance of people there indicating that Matthew’s home was big enough to entertain a large crowd.  The tax collectors must have come from far and wide since it was such a great crowd.  The verse calls the guests “publicans and sinners”, so I wonder what other professions were also there?  Harlots?  Yes!  One commentator says it was a multitude of social outcasts, the scum of society, greedy, money-hungry men, deceivers, liars.  It might be compared to some gangster today, some hoodlum, inviting all of the robbers, thieves, prostitutes, and the like to his home for a huge party!  But look Who the Guest of honor is sitting at the head of the table.  It is Jesus!  Matthew was now experiencing such joy, such peace, such forgiveness that he wanted to tell all his buddies, everyone he knew about Jesus!  He spares no expense.  He does not limit the guest list.  Matthew wanted to see every one of them saved!  I wonder how many of that crowd followed after Jesus because of that feast?  Mark 2:15 records that “…there were many, and they followed him.”  Matthew’s transformation alone would have convinced them.  Perhaps his testimony is one reason why this group of scoundrels continued to draw near to Jesus for ten chapters later in Luke they are still seeking Jesus.  Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. Lu 15:1  Indeed, many of these social outcasts indeed found salvation in Jesus.  Look what Jesus says in Matthew 21:28-32: But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.  29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.  30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not  31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.  32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.  

Remember the parable of the publican and the sinner?  One prayed pridefully that he was glad he was not like the publican.  But the publican bowed himself humbly and begged God for mercy.  I have never thought of the publican as a tax collector, but he was!  Yes, it was a parable, but easily could have been an actual event of a tax collector seeking Jesus’ forgiveness!  Remember, he had to stand “afar off” because, as a tax collector he was not permitted into the temple, he could only go as far as the Gentiles could enter.  So there is great evidence that many tax collectors and other sinners were saved.  I have to wonder if the publicans and harlots that believed in Jesus, as we just read in Luke 15:32, came to Jesus because of Matthew’s testimony?  

Let us not forget that the disciples were also present at this party.This feast happened quickly after Matthew’s salvation.The disciples must have been reeling.Now Matthew was a part of their group!This was their hated tax collector!!What must they have thought as they found themselves a part of this party that was nothing but sinners and hated tax collectors?Were they uncomfortable?Yet there was Jesus accepting these sinners just like He had accepted each one of the disciples.What a testimony Jesus’ love and forgiveness must have been to these disciples!

The Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part Two)

by Jilene Scherenske

Jesus finds Matthew

Why did Matthew choose such a hated occupation?  We must assume that at one time he had an eye for greed and for gain, a love for money.  Somehow material things became so important to him that he was willing to become the scourge of the earth to get stuff!  That is how the devil operates.  He implants an idea, a simple thought.  “I wish I had more.”  Perhaps Matthew grew up very poor.  Perhaps he began to envy those who were wealthier.  One thought, one little thought and the devil took advantage and grew it so big that Matthew was willing to nearly sacrifice his soul to get more.  Day after day, hour after hour the coins tinkled into Matthew’s purse.   

Despite the fact that he could no longer worship and hear the Word of God in the synagogue, he knew the Old Testament well.  In his gospel, the Gospel of Matthew, he quotes the Old Testament 99 times – more than that of Mark, Luke and John combined!  And he quotes from all sections of the Old Testament, for he quotes from the Law, and the Psalms and the Prophets!  The time came when he began hearing about John the Baptist and how that some of his cronies had gotten baptized (For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.  And all the people that heard him, and the publicans [tax collectors], justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. Lk 7:28-29).  Then stories of Jesus began surfacing more and more.  This was a man who could work miracles!  Some were saying He might be the Messiah!  God began working his wooing power in the soul of Matthew.  

I believe that God’s work in his soul was profound.  As God worked on his heart Matthew realized how despicable he had been behaving.  He knew he had forsaken God for stuff, stuff that was no longer satisfying.  Matthew became miserable, restless, unsatisfied, tortured by what he had become.  He hated the fact that others hated him for his actions, but now he began hating himself.  And then something wonderful happened, he began wishing he could see Jesus.  So when the day arrived that Jesus said simply “Follow me”, Matthew was ready!  He literally dropped everything, walked away from his table of sin, and followed Jesus!  Jesus found Matthew working the ungodly job of collecting unfair taxes.  He caught him in his own sin!  Yet Matthew somehow put the shame away and followed Jesus immediately!  Amazing!  I would think the shame of sin that must have been upon his soul by now would have kept him from following Jesus.  But God had beforehand done a tremendous work in Matthew’s soul of convicting him of sin and then giving him a longing for the only One Who could forgive him, set him free, and give him a new life.  He knew that One was Jesus.  He was ready!  Hidden in Jesus’ words was forgiveness.  Matthew knew that also for he had heard the story of the man with palsy who was not only healed but when Jesus was healing him Jesus said, “…the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins…” Matt 9:6.  Three verses later Matthew records Jesus’ words to him: “Follow me”  Matt 9:9.  Two simple words from Jesus but they were music to Matthew’s tortured conscience!  Matthew was ready for Jesus’ precious forgiveness!  Imagine his joy!  At once he knew he was forgiven.  Peace and joy flooded his soul!  He felt pure, something that his hardened heart had not felt in a very long time.  He was experiencing the matchless, marvelous, wonderful grace of Jesus!  Though the chief of sinners, he was now 100 percent forgiven, but not only that, he was now lifted to the status of a disciple of Jesus!

One would think that Jesus perhaps had erred in His choice of Matthew.After all, Matthew had a horrible reputation, one that was as low as one could get.Surely his presence in the group of disciples would not help Jesus’ cause.Furthermore, one would think that, since all the disciples were from Galilee, most, if not all, had probably been forced to pay unbelievable taxes to Matthew.Just think of it: Peter, Andrew, James and John perhaps all the disciples, at one time or another, had to pay unfair taxes to Matthew!Now he was one of them!Surely this would not make for unity in the group.His association with the group would further infuriate the religious leaders and perhaps be a stumbling block to other Jews, all of whom had such a bias against tax collectors.But Jesus is the God of all grace.His grace is free to all who will accept it.He chose fishermen, who were considered the lowest of all men, Galileans at that!Now He choses one who all the people, not just the pious Pharisees, see as an absolute scoundrel, a horrible sinner!But God’s grace is without bias.His love reaches down to everyone.

The Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part One)

by Jilene Scherenske

Matthew

Matthew is a disciple we know little about because he is seldom named in scripture, yet, as we shall see, there is much to learn from his devoted life to our Savior. 

Tax Collecting

Let us begin our account of Matthew by getting an education on his profession.  He was a tax collector.  These men would buy tax franchises from the Roman emperor.  They would then exact tax money from the people to feed the Roman government. However, it was an unspoken agreement that they could extort above and beyond the set fee to pad their own pockets.  They could even make up their own tax categories and charge for them!  And that is exactly what they did!  They even used thugs to strong arm money from people.  Reminds me of the mafia!  There were two kinds of tax collectors.  The Gabbai (pronounced Yahbi) were general tax collectors.  They collected property tax, income tax, and the poll tax which were set by official assessments, so there was less extortion involved with this group.  The Mokhes (pronounced Mocks) were the other group and they collected a duty on imports and exports, goods for domestic trade, and virtually anything that was moved by road.  They set tolls on roads and bridges, they taxed beasts of burden and axles on transport wagons, and they charged a tariff on parcels, letters, and whatever else they could find to tax.  Their assessments were usually arbitrary and differed from day to day on how they felt that day!  There were two kinds of these Mokhes – the Great Mokhes and the Little Mokhes.  A Great Mokhes stayed behind the scenes and hired others to collect for him.  Zaccheus was apparently a Great Mokhes since he was called “a chief tax collector” in Luke 19:2. 

The Little Mokhes were the most despised tax collectors.They would often stop people, search them, or pierce their baggage with long, sharp iron rods, looking for contraband.Matthew was apparently a Little Mokhes because he manned the tax office, dealing with people face to face.Here is how we could describe his life as a tax collector.These men were considered the worst of the worst.They were banned from the synagogue and forbidden to sacrifice and worship in the temple thus being essentially worse off religiously than a Gentile.Their alms were even refused.He had to keep his distance from any group of people because, as a tax collector, he was so terribly hated.The Jewish Talmud even taught that it was righteous to lie and deceive a tax collector, because that was what a professional extortioner deserved.What made things even worse for Matthew was that he was a Jew!No self-respecting Jew in his right mind would ever choose to become a tax collector for the Roman government!By doing so he had effectively cut himself off from his own people, most likely his own family, and from his God!He was considered a traitor to his nation because he worked with the hated Romans, a social pariah, and a religious outcast.He was viewed as among a most despicable and vile scoundrel.In Jewish eyes, he was more hated that the Roman soldiers.His occupation was lumped together with the heathen and harlots (Matt 18:17, 21:31).With his office just outside Capernaum, Matthew had an ideal location.The heavily loaded caravans traveling the only road from Damascus to Jerusalem had to stop at his customshouse and pay import taxes.He also received taxes from fishermen and the nearby Sea of Galilee.

The Twelve Disciples - Andrew (Part Eight)

by Jilene Scherenske

Lessons from Andrew’s Life

Missionary work begins first at home.  With our relatives.  It is where Andrew began, and he did not pick the easiest family member to win!  But his passion was so great that Peter could not resist.  What have you done to win your relatives?  Is your passion for Christ so great that they will see it and not be able to resist your invitation to come to Him?  Do you possess Andrew’s kind of enthusiasm for the gospel?  If not, take a moment now to ask God to give you a joy and a boldness for winning souls. 

Can you see the potential in even a small child?  Andrew did!  That soul was as important to him as any other soul there that day when 5000 were gathered to hear Jesus speak.  Have you ever found yourself placing greater worth or greater possibilities on one over another?  Ask God to remove the bias in your heart and love everyone equally, no matter how they appear, how they act, or who they are.

Andrew saw the potential in a little boy.  I wonder what that boy went on to be?  I am convinced he got saved.  I wonder, did he follow Jesus as often as he could after that?  Did he go home and convince his family of Jesus?  Did he and Andrew keep on being friends?  Did he witness the cross?  I like to think he spent the remainder of his life telling others about Jesus.  Too often I think we look upon someone through our own fleshly eyes.  We do not see them as God sees them.  We limit their worth.  Years ago there was a weeklong evangelistic crusade in Scotland.  Only one little boy came forward for salvation.  The evangelist was disappointed.  But he did not realize that this little boy would be so set on fire for Jesus that years later he would open a whole continent for the gospel.  His name was David Livingstone.  Let us ask God to give us a love for every soul that crosses our path, the clerks in the stores, the people in the cars next to you at a stop light, everyone around you, and then ask God to give you a willingness to share the gospel with whomever He brings to you no matter who they are, no matter what your flesh thinks of them.

Andrew took the ‘barbarians’ to Jesus.  These were definitely considered by the Jews to be unworthy people.  The Jews considered them to be “dogs”, a definition meaning they were worthless people, scoundrels.  But Andrew obviously did not see them as such.  By this time, he knew that Jesus would want to see anyone who wanted to see Him.  He did not consider who they were, he did not esteem them as unfit, he simply took them to Jesus, even if they were ‘Greeks’.  

Andrew brought the 5 loaves and two fishes to Jesus, such a meager meal.  Did he have any expectations that Jesus would use it to fill the bellies of over 5000?  Perhaps not.  He did not try to figure things out, he just simply followed God’s leading and obeyed.  Is there something in your life today in which you feel God’s leading, but your flesh is saying that it is silly?  If God is in it, nothing is silly in His eyes.  Perhaps you have a desire to witness to someone, but you do not have any idea how it could happen.  Consider the story of Edward Kimball.  His name is but a footnote in the records of history.  He was a simple Sunday School teacher who was timid and soft-spoken.  A 19-year-old man had begun attending his class and Kimball could see that he was ignorant of the gospel.  The Lord led him to speak to this young man about his soul and to confront him at his workplace.  On the way there he began to doubt.  Was this the right time and the right place?  How could the young man pull him away from his duties?  Would he embarrass the boy?  Would his co-workers tease him for listening to the gospel?  He entered the store with great timidity.  He found the boy in the stockroom and with fumbling words he made his weak appeal.  But amazingly the young man accepted Christ right then and there!  That young man was D.L. Moody who went on to be used mightily of the Lord in America and England for almost the entire half of the nineteenth century!  

Andrew took second place.  He was never worried about being first, he just simply went about doing what God led him to do and was content in that.  Is this where you are?  Are you content just being in the center of God’s will wherever that leads you, even if it is a behind the scenes place?

Andrew’s ministry is the example of one-on-one evangelistic work.  The true story is told of a women who was 82 years old.  She was participating in a training session preparing for a Billy Graham crusade.  The trainees were encouraged to make a list of 3-10 unsaved people they knew, then pray for them every day, and invite one of them to each of the services.  This elderly lady bemoaned the fact that she did not know any unsaved folks.  Later during the crusade, she approached the trainer saying, “I’ve been going to the supermarket twice a day on purpose.  I used to go only once a week.  Every time I’ve gone this week, I made sure I got the same checkout girl.  I’ve become friends with her.”  Then she pointed to a girl at the altar being dealt with and said, “That’s her!”  On another evening she pointed out yet another women at the altar and stated that she had gone to the beauty parlor twice that week, having not been in years.  But she made another friend there and now she was also getting saved!  She was an Andrew!  One by one she brought them to Jesus!  Will we go to such effort to do the same?  May all of us ask God for open hearts to minister to whomever He puts on our path.  Let us ask God for warm and eager hearts to take the effort and make of them friends and love them to Jesus.  

What does God want to do with you?

Do you identify with Andrew in any way?  God wants you to be a soul winner like Andrew.  He wants you to not figure out a situation, but just simply bring your life to Him.

John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men (Thomas Nelson, 2002) 

Leslie B. Flynn, The Twelve (Victor Books, 1988) 

The Twelve Disciples - Andrew (Part Seven)

by Jilene Scherenske

Andrew’s Later Life

Three countries (Russia, Scotland and Greece) claim Andrew as their patron saint, whatever that means.  Does it mean that he traveled to all three with the gospel?  Tradition states that he died in Greece.  The local governor had him put to death on a cross because he was so enraged that his wife and brother had become Christians.  Andrew felt unworthy to die as Christ did, so he requested that the cross be X shaped.  It is recorded that when he knew he was to be crucified he stated: “Oh, cross most welcome and longed for!  With a willing mind, joyfully and desirously, I come to you, being a scholar of Him which did hang on you, because I have always been your lover and yearn to embrace you.”  It took 3 days for him to die on that cross and all the while he was conscious it is said that he kept on urging people to accept Christ as their Savior. 

The Twelve Disciples - Andrew (Part Six)

by Jilene Scherenske

Andrew took Second Place

In most of the scriptures’ references to Andrew, he is known as Peter’s brother, implying that that is the only way people knew who he was.  It was as though he was not his own man, but, rather, was known as the brother of Peter.  He never made it to that inner circle of disciples who Jesus invited to witness the raising of Jairus’ daughter, or the Transfiguration.  Since James and John were brothers and Andrew and Peter were brothers, and there seems to have been a closeness among the four, it seems sort of out of place that Andrew is left out of the inner circle.  There is no record that this bothered Andrew.  He just simply went about doing what God prompted him to do.  He was more concerned for his service, for his pleasing God, than for his reputation.  Even scripture leaves him in the background.  For instance, when He and Peter were called into full time service Matthew tells us that Andrew was there, but the parallel account of this event in Luke 5 does not mention Andrew’s name.  He seldom comes to the forefront even in scripture, yet he was certainly a part of the group, playing a quiet, unsung role.  Scripture never records him as being a participant in the big debates, nor craving honor.  We just see him quietly bringing people, mostly the insignificant people, to Jesus.  He served God as Ephesians 6:6-7 states: “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:”  

We never hear of him preaching a great sermon and winning thousands as his brother did.His name is not mentioned in Acts (except for the list of those in the upper room prior to Pentecost) or any of the epistles.He just went about winning one soul at a time.Although we need those who will stand in the pulpit and win many souls from it, yet we need many more Andrews who will serve one on one, or teach a small Sunday school class, or faithfully serve behind the scenes in whatever way God asks.

The Twelve Disciples - Andrew (Part Five)

by Jilene Scherenske

Andrew brings barbarians to Jesus (John 12:20-23)

Joh 12:20 ¶ And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:  21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.  22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 

In John chapter 12 we find Jesus once again preaching to a crowd shortly after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  There were many people at Jerusalem since it was the time for the Passover.  Among them were certain Greeks, whom the Jews regarded as ‘barbarians’.  It is possible that they were proselytes because they were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  They must have had thirsty souls, for they desired to have a private audience with Jesus.  They went first to Philip, but, since they were Greeks, he did not know what to do with them, so he consulted Andrew.  It was thought amongst the disciples that Jesus’ ministry was chiefly to the Jews.  Had they gone to Peter or one of the other disciples they most likely would have been rejected, but Andrew didn’t reject them!  Andrew did not care who it was that sought the Savior, he would lead them to Him, no matter who they were, even if they were ‘dogs’, the term the Jews used for the Gentiles.  Perhaps he remembered Jesus’ teaching that God loved the whole world.  Perhaps Andrew was a step ahead of the others and realized that the gospel was not just for the Jews.  The Bible does not record what happened, only that Andrew faithfully took them to Jesus.  We do know that they heard Jesus speak of His impending death on the cross, of His drawing every man unto Himself, and of His call to all men to be saved and to discipleship.  Tradition states that Dr. Luke was one of these men.  Since it was but a few days later that Jesus was crucified I am guessing that these men witnessed the cross and then heard the rumors of His resurrection.  I am also guessing that they also received salvation, otherwise why would God include them in the scriptures?  Perhaps they went home and began the work of evangelizing their hometown.  Perhaps that is why Paul found Greeks who already believed but did not have full information about Jesus.  But for our study here, the point is that it was Andrew who led them to Christ.  No bias, no partiality, no fear of ‘bothering’ the Savior, just a simple heart to introduce anyone and everyone to Jesus.  

The Twelve Disciples - Andrew (Part Four)

by Jilene Scherenske

Andrew Brings a Little Boy  (John 6:1-11)

Joh 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.  2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.  3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.  4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.  5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?  6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.  7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.  8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,  9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?  10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

Now let us move to a different scene.  Jesus has preached all day to the crowd gathered in the wilderness.  Evening is fastly approaching and the people are now hungry and without food and there are no near places from which to obtain food.   Some disciples come to Jesus and urge Him to send the people away (Lk 9:12).  Philip reasons that if they had 300 day’s wages they would still not be able to feed these people but a few bites.  Then comes Andrew.  He simply brings a little boy to Jesus who has 5 loaves and 2 fishes.  I am sure Andrew had made friends during the day with this little boy.  Perhaps he noticed that he was by himself, for there is no mention of his parents.  He could have put down the presence of a little boy who most likely could not understand the teachings of Jesus.  Remember some of the disciples on another occasion looked down upon the children and forbade them come to Jesus.  Not Andrew.  He saw the wealth of this little soul.  He must have befriended him that day, loving on him, winning his friendship and confidence.  I suppose at one time he might have even asked the boy, “What do you have in your sack?  Did your mother send you with a little lunch?”  And then….he brought him to Jesus.  How the boy must have trusted Andrew in that he allowed Andrew to take him to the Master and he even offered Jesus his lunch, though his own tummy must have been aching to eat it.  I wonder if Andrew’s influence upon this lad won him to Jesus, or, for sure, the miracle of his meager lunch multiplying over and over again convinced him of Jesus?  Imagine that little boy watching his small lunch being blessed by the Master and then multiplied to feed over 5000!  I believe that boy was saved that day, but I wonder if he would have been saved had not the quiet, compassionate Andrew made friends with him that day and then led him to Jesus?  

Andrew’s faith was convincing.  He did not know what Jesus was going to do with the lunch, he just knew His Savior would do something good.  He knew Jesus was able and he did not try to figure out with his own reasonings what that meant.  He just obeyed God’s prompting (John 6:38) and brought what he found to Jesus.  He knew that no gift was insignificant in the hands of Jesus.  He knew he was not wasting Jesus’ time by bringing such a small thing before Him.

The Twelve Disciples - Andrew (Part Three)

by Jilene Scherenske

Andrew’s Pattern of Soul Winning Begins  (John 1:41-42)

Joh 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.  42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

What was his response to the gospel?  To this new Master in his life?  He believed Who Jesus was, the Messiah, the Son of God, and so immediately he began his life-long habit of bringing souls to Jesus.  He first went and got his brother Simon, whom we know mainly as Peter.  This is the brother that is so different than he.  So over-the-top compared to quiet, conservative Andrew.  Yet obviously Andrew held in his heart great love for his brother so much so that Simon was the first one he thought of to introduce to Jesus.  One might think that Simon would need a lot of persuading, being the person that he was.  He was hot-tempered and rash.  One might think that this would not be the first person Andrew would consider.  Peter might be the ‘hard case’.  But Andrew was obviously so passionate, so sure of what he now believed to be true that, at the very least, Simon’s curiosity was peaked, and he went quickly with Andrew to find his Savior.  I wonder where was Peter?  Was he fishing?  Was he on the shore repairing nets?  Did Andrew grab him by the arm and pull him forward so excited he was for his brother to meet the Savior?  One author said that Peter was the big fisherman and Andrew was the little fisherman, yet it was the little fisherman that landed the big one by bringing him to Jesus!  Andrew did not approach Peter hesitantly saying that he thought he might have discovered the Messiah.  No!  He boldly proclaimed, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. (John1:41).  This soft spoken, quiet and personable man had such joy in his heart and such assuredness in his words that Peter was convinced immediately that this Man Jesus was worth meeting.  I love the words in scripture, Joh 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus.  So Andrew began his soul winning pattern at home – with his own brother.  I wonder if then he went on to tell his parents?  And then to other family members?  I believe his enthusiasm for Christ could not be contained.   

The Twelve Disciples - Andrew (Part Two)

by Jilene Scherenske

Andrew’s Conversion  (John 1:35-40)

Joh 1:35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;  36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!  37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?  39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.  40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

Though fisherman work hard, I would think that there was also an amount of time in which they were just waiting for the fish – time to think.  I wonder if Andrew would ponder the teachings of his Jewish leaders and long for more.  Perhaps he knew some of the Old Testament prophecies, though the Bible calls these fishermen unlearned men.  In those quiet times, did he long for the Messiah?  Did he think spiritual thoughts?  I think he must have.  I believe he was a hungry man, spiritually, and in love with God, otherwise, why would he become a disciple of John the Baptist’s (John 1:37)?  All the time that he was with John the Baptist, John would speak of the Messiah yet to come and that he was just simply preparing the way for Him.  Though not stated, it is most likely that Andrew was baptized by John the Baptist.  This action took boldness for I doubt that it was a popular thing to be so connected to John the Baptist in that day.  Then the day came when John the Baptist pointed at Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”  Immediately Andrew and, it is thought, John followed Jesus.  Because of John the Baptist’s preaching, they were all excited and anticipating the Messiah’s arrival.  Then it happened!  John pointed to a certain Man and declared Him to be the Messiah!  It took no lengthy decision to know what to do.  They, Andrew and John, were going to follow after Jesus!  Jesus did not invite them to follow Him, these two, out of a heart to learn from the Messiah, just took it upon themselves to follow Jesus.  When Jesus questioned them as to why they were following Him, they simply indicated that they wanted to get to know Him better.  For the remainder of the day Jesus taught them about Himself (John 1:38-39).  If only we could know what Jesus taught them that day.  If only we could have been a fly in the wall!  This was Andrew’s salvation.  We know Andrew got saved that day.  Why?  Because of what he did next.  He had become convinced of Who Jesus was that he brings his brother, Peter to Jesus.  The early Church would later refer to him as Protoclete, or First Called because he was the first disciple to be called by Jesus.  This speaks to his character.  He was not afraid of doing something out of the ordinary.  He was not afraid of being the first to step into a new way of thinking.  He took no thought of what others may think.  He was convinced that Jesus was the Christ and he jumped at the chance to believe in Him never to turn aside again.  Though at first he returned to his occupation of fishing, later, in Matthew 4:19 we find him readily, without hesitation, giving his life to full time service to Jesus when Jesus invited he and Peter, James and John, to join Him.  Mt 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

The Twelve Disciples - Andrew (Part One)

by Jilene Scherenske

Andrew was born in Bethsaida, a native of Galilee.  He was living in Capernaum at the time he met Jesus.  He and Peter, his brother, were not only partners in a fishing business on the Sea of Galilee, they also co-owned a house (John 1:44, Mark 1:29, Matt 4:18).  It is likely that Peter and Andrew were lifelong companions with James and John, the sons of Zebedee.  They apparently shared a common interest in spiritual things and must have taken time off from fishing to hear John the Baptist preach and became his disciples.  Then they returned to fishing until Jesus called them to be full-time disciples.  

It is hard to talk about Andrew and not compare him with his brother.  Andrew was far different than his brother Peter.  Peter roared like a firecracker, exploded into colors, then fizzled out.  Andrew sizzled low with the constancy of a sparkler.  Peter was impetuous, Andrew cautious.  Peter led while Andrew followed.  Andrew did not fall emotionally at Jesus’ feet after the miraculous catch of fish, nor did he jump daringly into the stormy sea to walk on water, nor rashly cut off a man’s ear.  Rather, he was solid, prudent, conservative, bold, decisive, and deliberate.  Though he seemed to take the back seat, there is nothing about him that smacks of weakness or passiveness or feebleness.    

Though overshadowed by his brother, Andrew accepted his lowly spot, toiling on in relative obscurity.  His name means man, though some translate it manly or brave.  Andrew’s name occurs 13 times in the Gospels and Acts.  In three separate episodes, he brought people to Jesus – all of which were only recorded in the gospel of John.

The Twelve Disciples - Philip (Part Six)

by Jilene Scherenske

Life after the Resurrection

Tradition tells us that Philip was greatly used in the spread of the early church in the region of Asia Minor.  Multitudes of people came to know Jesus through his preaching.  He was among the first of the apostles to be martyred, being stoned to death at Heliopolis in Phrygia.

Conclusion

I believe Philip well learned the lesson of faith – else how could his preaching after the resurrection be so effective so that multitudes were saved?  Jesus knew when he picked Philip what he would one day accomplish for the gospel.  Jesus knows the potential in each of us if we would but believe and surrender to His will for our lives, allowing Him to control us, and not the weaknesses of our personalities.  Let us beg God for faith that will believe the impossible – whatever that may be for each of us.  Let us beg God for the courage to step out in faith and give the gospel to even the most undesirable.  Let us believe that He truly is God Almighty and beg Him to transform us into a tool that He can use for His glory.  

John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men (Thomas Nelson, 2002) 

Leslie B. Flynn, The Twelve (Victor Books, 1988) 

The Twelve Disciples - Philip (Part Five)

by Jilene Scherenske

The Upper Room (John 14:1-11)

But a few days later we find Philip and the other disciples in the upper room celebrating the Last Supper.  It is just a few hours before Jesus is taken.  The end has come.  Jesus has taught these 12 for over three years, yet their faith is very weak.  Jesus Himself declared this to be so for even after His resurrection to the two men on the road to Emmaus He said, “…O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:” 

 Philip was no exception, and most likely with his logical mind, his faith was little, as we shall see.  It amazes me (of course being on this side of foresight its harder to understand) that Philip, as well as the others, who had searched scripture so diligently for the Messiah, had not yet put two plus two together!  What were they thinking when they read the prophecies?  How could they miss the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah?  They who knew prophecies so well, how could they miss the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, equal with God? 

So here we have it.  Jesus is full of heaviness as He teaches them one last time.  He knew what was ahead of Him and what was ahead for the disciples.  In this challenging hour Jesus sought to comfort them, though they did not realize they needed comfort!  In John 14 Jesus begins by telling them that they do not have to worry because He was preparing a place for each of them.  When Jesus said “…whither I go ye know, and the way ye know” the disciples should have realized that Jesus was telling them that He was going to heaven and that he had taught them how to get there.  But Thomas replied that he did not know the way.  What was Jesus talking about?  Jesus replied, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.  Jesus had taught them clearly that the only way to God the Father was through Him.  He continued on with “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”  Jesus was saying in the clearest way possible that He was God.  Since they knew Him, they, in effect, knew God the Father.  Now it was Philip’s turn to reveal his lack of faith and knowledge.  “Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.”  What?!!!!  Had Jesus not told them time and time again that He was God?  Had He not just stated that very truth?  Had He not proven over and over again that He was God by His multitudinous miracles?  “Show us the Father?!!!”  Where were Philip’s brains?  I guess, in his logical, common sense mind, he wanted to see a physical form just as they were viewing Jesus in physical form.  I suppose since he was well versed in the Old Testament and knew it taught that no man could see God, perhaps this clouded his thinking.  How could Jesus be God since they were seeing Him?   

Jesus was already heavy spirited; how disappointing this question must have been to Him.  (Albeit He knew that Philip would ask it.)  Patiently Jesus responds.  Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?  He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?  the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.  Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very works’ sake.”  Jesus pleads with Philip to believe.  Philip was already in the presence of God Himself!  For over three years he had been face to face with Almighty God, yet he still did not get it.  His logic, his fact sheet prevented him from coming to a full realization of Who he had been living with.  Slow to understand, to put it all together in faith, he still needed more proof.  Lest I am too hard on Philip, he and Thomas perhaps were speaking for the entire crew, those two just had the courage to verbalize their lack of faith.  

Think back to when Jesus called him.  Jesus Himself went looking for Philip.  He knew then all of Philip’s limitations and weaknesses.  Even after three years it would seem that Philip had not grown in the faith much, if at all.  Yet remember?  As soon as Jesus called him into service, he immediately went and enlisted Nathanael into the faith declaring Jesus to be the Messiah of Whom they had been searching for in the scriptures.  Philip had followed Jesus all this time.  Where was his thinking?  Did he think Jesus was the Messiah and yet not God?  How did he think Jesus could have worked all those miracles?

Where is our faith?  Do we realize every single nano moment of our day we have God Almighty residing in us and completely enveloping us?  Do we really believe we can move mountains with our faith?  Or do we keep God in a box of our limited vision?  Who are you praying for today?  Do you really believe that they will be saved?  Do you really believe that God can and will change their lives?  What impossible circumstance is before you this hour?  Have you given it completely to God and now expect unimaginable results?  Let us not be like Philip whose faith failed when it did not work out on paper.  

The Twelve Disciples - Philip (Part Four)

by Jilene Scherenske

The Visit by the Greeks (John 12:19-22)

Lazarus has recently been raised from the dead; Jesus has just entered Jerusalem on the back of an unbroken donkey and the people have lauded Him as He came.  The Pharisees are beside themselves with envy and jealousy and madness.  John 12:19 records, The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.  Suddenly there are some Greek fellows that had come to Jerusalem for the Passover.  Obviously, they had heard about Jesus, perhaps before they arrived in Jerusalem, or perhaps from the crowd of people who were all astir about Jesus and His miracle working powers.  So, being curious and having a heart that was seeking, they sought to have an audience with Jesus.  For whatever reason, they approach Philip.  Perhaps it was because he had Greek connections, remember his name is Greek, and they did come from his hometown of Bethsaida.  Perhaps he was just the first disciple they ran into.  Here is what the Bible says about the incident: Joh 12:20 ¶ And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:  21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.  22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 

So what is Philip’s response?  Did he take them quickly and joyfully to Jesus with the attitude of “I can’t wait to introduce you to Jesus”?  No!  He turned to Andrew perhaps to ask what they should do with this request.  What was his indecision based upon? Why the hesitation?  Why involve Andrew?  Perhaps the fact that these men were not Jews was Philip’s reluctance.  After all, Jesus had told them “…I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt 15:24)  And in Matthew 10:5-6 Jesus had told his disciples when He sent them forth, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:  [Now these statements only revealed that Jesus was not ignoring the non-Jew, but simply stating that His first priority was to the Jew (Rom 2:10)].  To the Jew these men were foreigners, Gentiles, dogs, even one step below the Samaritans, yet we must remember that they had come to Jerusalem for the Passover.  Therefore, they were God-fearing Gentiles, perhaps even proselytes to Judaism and they came to Jerusalem to worship God at the Passover time.  One can understand that logical Philip was checking the manual, the protocol, and is wondering if Jesus would want to see them.  Again, he forgot what Jesus had done and said in the past.  Did Jesus not minister to the Samaritan woman at the well and then to her entire village?  Did He not heal the daughter of a Syro-Phoenician woman who had so much faith that she stated she would be happy if she just got the crumbs which fell from the master’s table (Matt 15:21-28)?  Had he forgotten that Jesus had taught how God loved the whole world?  So short was Philip’s memory!  

Yet we must credit him – firstly, he did get advice from Andrew.  He did not just cut these men off.  His good heart most likely wanted to introduce them to Jesus, he was just indecisive as to what the protocol was.  And he did go with Andrew to take these Greek men to Jesus.  Andrew had a reputation of taking people to Jesus, but Philip didn’t leave it entirely up to Andrew, he went with Andrew to tell Jesus about these men seeking an audience with Him.  He also did not delay too long until it was too late.  It is assumed that these men were taken to Jesus, though scripture never tells us about that meeting.

Sometimes we can allow our prejudices to keep us from introducing people to Jesus.  If we know someone who is crabby, grouchy, angry spirited, we become fearful and hesitate to take Jesus to them.  Sometimes we see people in the marketplace who look very different than us, perhaps bright green hair-dos, tattoos everywhere, nose piercings.  We easily judge them.  Yet these are the very people who need Jesus.  Let us cast aside our fears and our prejudices and be willing to take Jesus to whomever God puts in our path.  

The Twelve Disciples - Philip (Part Three)

by Jilene Scherenske

Feeding the 5000 (John 6:4-9)

The next time we hear of Philip is in John 6:4-14 where Jesus feeds the 5000.  

Joh 6:4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

Here we see Philip’s personality clearly.  Luke 9:12 tells us that they were in the midst of a desert and that the day was drawing to a close.  Soon it would be dark.  The Bible only records the number of men, but if one were to add up the women and children as well, the total multitude would have easily been over 15, 000.  (Kansas City’s Sprint Center holds around 18,000.  Imagine feeding that crowd!)  I am sure, that while the crowd was listening to Jesus teach them that Philip was realizing that the day was nearing a close and that everyone, including himself, was hungry.  Perhaps the heat of the day in that desert was having its effects on him as well as the crowd.  So Philip began thinking about food and started figuring up in his head what it would take to feed this crowd.  That is why, when Jesus tested him with the words, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? Philip’s reply was, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.  This facts and figures man, this man who needed to have everything work out on paper, already knew that even if they had 200 pennyworth of bread, even that would not be enough for each person to have but one bite!  A denarius was a typical day’s pay, therefore Philip concluded that even if they had 200 denarii, almost a year’s salary, it would not be sufficient for this crowd!

Philip failed the test.  He relied on arithmetic instead of on the miracle working Jesus.  How many times had he seen people healed, even the dead being raised?  What about the storms Jesus had calmed?  Had he already forgotten those life altering events?  If he knew Jesus was the Messiah, and he did, did he not also realize that Jesus was God and God can do anything?  He had watched Him turn water into wine, could He not feed 15,000?  Was this too big of a miracle for Jesus?  Can you imagine what he must have thought when Andrew brought the little boy to Jesus who had a paltry 5 crackers and two small pickled fish?  I wonder if he inwardly scoffed or at least smiled a bit?  

What was he thinking as he began to distribute the food?  Was he baffled when he kept on giving out food and his basket always had more to give to the next person?  I wonder if he ever felt some shame for his failure to envision that Jesus could surely feed these folks?  Lest we think too negatively of Philip let us realize that a logical mind does not mean that he was heartless.  Since his answer to Jesus indicates that he was already thinking about how to feed this large group, he most likely wanted very much to feed them.  He just could not erase the logic behind the desire and insert faith.  In his human reasoning there was just no way to accomplish such a feat.  He forgot that with God all things are possible.

Modern day Philip’s, with their logical thinking, can often impede the work of the Lord.God deals in the impossible. That is how He makes Himself known. I well remember when we were raising our family how one night we invited a financial planner to come and give us advice. We presented him with all of our financial data and at the end of the evening, he just scratched his head and stated that our finances could not possibly add up to any hope of ever saving money, let alone even just getting by. On paper our situation was impossible, but it was not impossible for God! How amazed that planner would be if he could know all that God has done for us financially! Three girls through college completely free of debt! Our house paid off. A beautiful home with everything we need. Today’s Philips will not do much for the Lord because they will say it cannot be done. Humanly speaking, it can’t be done, but if God is in it ANYTHING can be done! If one follows Bible principles, God loves to use us to accomplish the impossible so that He can get the glory. It’s so much fun to say about something impossible that has been accomplished, “I had nothing to do with it. God did it all!” My church did the impossible and built a church debt free! We inserted faith and began building with the small amount we had. When it ran out, we planned to stop the work and wait for God to provide more. And provide He did! We never stopped working until the entire building project was complete!! How many thought it could not be done? But God did it! The Philips of today tend to lack faith, lack vision, and instead depend upon what makes sense. Let us not make the same mistake. Let us ask God for the faith that believes the impossible! What is there in your life right now that needs to believe that God can do the impossible? Take it to the Lord immediately and ask Him to give you the faith you need for the impossible. He will give it to you! He loves to fulfill such a prayer.

The Twelve Disciples - Philip (Part Two)

by Jilene Scherenske

Philip’s Calling (John 1:35-49)

We have not said it yet, but the gospel of John is the only place where Philip is mentioned other than the lists of who the disciples were in the other three gospels.  Philip was the fourth person to join the group.  John and Andrew were with John the Baptist when he said, Behold the Lamb of God.  The Bible tells us that two of John’s disciples immediately followed Jesus.  They were John and Andrew.  Then in verse 40 of John chapter one Andrew finds his brother, Peter, and brings him to Christ.  The very next day Jesus is on His way to Galilee and He, Jesus, finds Philip.  Joh 1:43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.  Philip was the first to hear and obey the command of “Follow Me”.  Jesus found Philip; it wasn’t the other way around as it had been for the first three.  Jesus Himself invited Philip to join the group.  The Good Shepherd went after His sheep as He has done time and time again.  If it were not for His wooing, none of us would be His sheep! 

There is only one way in which Philip could have dropped everything and followed.  Remember his personality traits?  He was not one likely to be so quick to respond!  But his heart was already ready, it had been prepared by the Holy Spirit; he had been studying the Old Testament and thus he knew its promises.  We know this because Philip went immediately to find Nathanael.  He said to him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.  Now we know that together these four had been searching the scriptures, looking for the Messiah.  I am compelled to interject a thought here.  These four, Andrew, Nathanael, Peter, and Philip had been studying the Old Testament’s prophecies about Jesus.  They knew them well.  Then, for three years they were eyewitnesses to these prophecies being fulfilled, yet I doubt that they recognized even one.  If we were to go to Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem just before His crucifixion the Bible records in John 12:16 these words: These things [ referring to His riding upon a young ass and the people crying “Hosanna, Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord”] understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.  It was only after Jesus’ ascension that the disciples remembered all the prophecies that they had witnessed being fulfilled.  Then they understood!  Their knowledge of scripture was then made perfect!  

Early on we discovered that Philip had been searching the scriptures for the Messiah which meant he had an open and seeking heart.  That is why he followed without hesitation.  Let’s make sure our heart is likewise open and always seeking.  Every day in our fellowship time with Him and even throughout our day we need to be open to whatever He wants to teach us and seek for a deeper fellowship/relationship with Him.  We must never allow our daily fellowship with Jesus to become regimented and stale.  Pray about your prayer life!  Pray about your time in His Word!  Ask God how He wants to improve it and then follow His leading!  God never wants us to stop growing, but to seek to grow more Christ like every day.  

Well, let’s go back to Philip’s finding Nathanael:  Remember Nathanael’s response?  Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? (Vs 46).  Nathanael initially doubted because this man that Philip was calling the Messiah was a known entity in their region.  They knew His father was Joseph, and they knew Nazareth had a poor reputation, why would the Messiah come from Nazareth?  Bethsaida was very near Nazareth, so they were very familiar with that town.  But neither of these things seemed to worry Philip, in fact, the way he put it may have indicated that he, too, was amazed at Who the Messiah was.  But somehow, he knew immediately that Jesus was the Messiah!  He was ready.  He received Jesus gladly, unhesitatingly, no reluctance, no disbelief.  It did not matter to him who His father was or which town he came from; he knew for sure that this Jesus was the Messiah.  This was totally out of character for him, as we shall see.  His natural tendency would have been to hold back, ask questions, get the facts, wait and see.  But no!  He immediately followed!   Philip was so excited that he had found the Messiah that he immediately went after Nathanael!  Yet he either did not seem to know how to explain that fact, or he knew it would do no good to argue, so he simply invited Nathanael to come and see for himself! 

The immediate response of Philip was not only to follow Jesus, but to get his beloved friend and bring Him to Jesus as well.  O that we all had such an evangelistic spirit today that we would bring all our friends to Jesus right away and not wait!  Notice also that Philip did not argue with Nathanael, he simply said, “Come and see.”  Sometimes the best evangelism is inviting one to just come and see by relating how Jesus has changed your life, or perhaps by just challenging them to try out Jesus!  Jesus will never fail them.