After this, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. And a huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miracles as he healed the sick. Then Jesus went up into the hills and sat down with his disciples around him. (It was nearly time for the annual Passover celebration.) Jesus soon saw a great crowd of people climbing the hill, looking for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, "Philip, where can we buy bread to feed all these people?" He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, "It would take a small fortune to feed them!" (John 6:1-7 NLT).

 

Jesus had asked a question only to test the disciples. He had said, "Where can we buy enough bread for these people to eat?" He knew the answer. They wouldn't need to buy any bread. They had among them, the Bread of Life. Philip failed the test! It actually happened another time. Jesus had just stated that He was "the way and the truth and the life." Philip's reply was, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."

Don't you get it, Jesus basically said, "I have been with you such a long time. When you have seen me, you have seen the Father."

We shouldn't come down to harshly on this faithful disciple of God, should we? It is easy to underestimate the power of Jesus. Sometimes we fall into the trap of not fully recognizing the awesomeness of the REAL Jesus Christ. Philip came from the town of Bethsaida in Gaililee, the home town of Andrew and Peter, had put his life on hold to follow Christ, but there were obviously still questions that remained unanswered in his faith in God. As he walks with Jesus, his faith grows. He reminds us that we, too, have to be conscious of our Savior. He helps us to know that if we want to know the Father, we need to know the Son.

In a seminary mission’s class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.

Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson's astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work. How’s your connection?