Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
What it means to be initiated into the secret of the mystery. Part 24. The mystery behind divine sarcasm to Philip.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
According to the Gospel of John, Philip met Jesus beyond the Jordan River during John the Baptist’s ministry.
Philip responded and brought to Jesus another disciple, named Nathanael, JOH 1:43-51, or Bartholomew, MAR 3:18.
Instead of responding in faith, Philip began to calculate the food it would take to feed them and the cost, JOH 6:5-7.
1. Those who are afraid of failing and therefore they never try anything.
2. Those who try anything because they are not afraid to fail.
It is much better to fail and learn the valuable lessons that the Lord will teach you than to sit back and not do a thing.
It is a challenge for him to say, “We do not have to go anywhere to buy bread, You are the Son of the living God.”
“He kept on saying” = imperfect-act-ind - lego.
At this time a denarii was worth 16 cents, and that was a day’s wages in the Roman Empire.
In effect, Philip is thinking the exact same thoughts most of us would be thinking which is human viewpoint.
200 is always found in scripture in an evil connection and therefore it suitably expresses Philip’s heart of unbelief.
Achan’s 200 shekels were “not sufficient” to save him from the consequences of his sin, JOS 7:21.
Absalom’s 200 shekels weight of hair were “not sufficient” to save him, but rather caused his destruction, 2SA 14:26; 18:9.
Micah’s graven image was purchased for 200 shekels, JUD 17:4,18, and led to the introduction of idolatry into Israel, showing us the insufficiency of mere religion.
Ezra’s 200 singing men and women, Ezra 2:65, were “not sufficient” to produce “peace with God,” true spiritual worship, or joy in the Lord.
2CO 4:18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2CO 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight -
He even recruited others to follow TLJC as the Messiah, JOH 1:43-45.
Philip also seemed to lack some confidence with his relationship with TLJC, JOH 12:20-22.
Philip is one of those believers loaded down with human viewpoint and he was a believer who rejected the teaching of our Lord, though he was impressed with the person of our Lord.
“Show us” - imper-act-imp - deixon - dei’xon = to demonstrate, to prove, to teach, to make known.
Enough - pres-act-ind - arkei - a*rkei’ = to be content, satisfied or pleased.
The objective of the communication of Bible doctrine is not to please the listener but to teach the listener, to inculcate, to indoctrinate.
Peter’s problem was failure to apply.
Peter is too strong-willed a person.
Thomas was just a straight case of reversionism and he had a caustic and pessimistic mind.
Philip’s problem was failure to concentrate on the teaching of Bible doctrine.
JOH 5:19 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless {it is} something He sees the Father doing; for whatever {the Father} does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”
JOH 5:23 “in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
JOH 6:46 “Not that any man has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.”
JOH 8:19 “if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”
JOH 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
Philip’s problem is that he can sit in Bible class where the Lord is the teacher for approximately 3 years, and never get a thing.
Bible doctrine in the soul provides self-discipline which provides greater concentration, which provides what Philip did say here, arkeo - happiness plus contentment or satisfaction.
“Ouk” - the strongest negative for rejection of doctrine.
Ginosko = nothing has come through yet, you know nothing.
The Lord is saying that through the word of God the Father, and the power given to Him, He was able to do the works that God the Father called Him to do.
Every believer is to take the word of God and mix it with the power of God and perform the works that God the Father calls him to perform.
GAL 1:12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
TLJC, who is the one who gave the gift of apostleship to men, EPH 4:8-11, is the one who chose Paul to be the ultimate communicator of the mystery doctrine.
1CO 1:25-26, Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness.” Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families.
1CO 1:27-28, Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”?
1CO 1:29-30, That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have - right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start - comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.