Philip the Apostle

Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter. He was among Jesus' earliest followers, with Jesus directly saying to him, "Follow me." Philip immediately found Nathanael and told him, "We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth."

When Nathanael expressed skepticism about anything good coming from Nazareth, Philip simply replied, "Come and see." This invitation—letting people encounter Jesus for themselves—proved effective, as Nathanael became a believer after Jesus revealed supernatural knowledge about him.

Philip had a practical, calculating mind. When Jesus tested the disciples by asking where they could buy bread for 5,000 people, Philip calculated: "Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little." He saw the problem clearly but not the solution standing before him.

At the Last Supper, Philip made a request that revealed his heart's desire: "Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." Jesus' response was revealing: "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." Tradition says Philip ministered in Phrygia and was martyred in Hierapolis.