John the apostle wrote how, “the people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record. For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive you how you prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him. And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast”, and in chapter twelve and verse twenty-one of his book John shared how, “the same came therefore to Philip” where we read:
The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee,
and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
The verse reads, “The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, ...” John began with the words, “the same” which means “the selfsame people who were Greek” “came therefore to Philip” or “arose and appeared then, wherefore and on this account to Philip whose name means lover of horses and was an apostle of Jesus”, “which was of Bethsaida” which means “who was from the village of Bethsaida which means house of fish and was a small fishing village on the west shore of Lake Gennesaret, home of Andrew, Peter, Philip and John” “of Galilee” or “belonging to the name of a region of northern Palestine, bounded on the north by Syria, on the west by Sidon, Tyre, Ptolemais and their territories and the promontory of Carmel, on the south by Samaria and on the east by the Jordan whose name means circuit”. John shared how the “Greek” people approached Jesus' disciple “Philip” who was from the village of “Bethsaida” which was located in the region called “Galilee”.
The verse goes on to say, “... and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.” John added the words, “and desired him” which means “and questioned, requested, begged, entreated and beseeched Philip”, “saying” or “uttering, declaring and proclaiming”, “Sir” which means “Lord and refers to the One to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah”, “we would see Jesus” or “we, Greek people, desire to observe and behold the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate whose name means Jehovah is Salvation”. John shared how the “Greek people” told Philip they wanted to “behold and observe” “Jesus”.
When we consider John's words in this verse, we learn how the “Greek people” who came to worship at the “passover” wanted to “see” Jesus. They heard about Jesus and the miracle He performed by raising Lazarus from the dead, and they desired to see Him for themselves. When a person investigates the life of Jesus, the way He lived, the words He spoke and the sacrifice He gave so people could have a personal relationship with God, they have an opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as their personal “Savior and Lord”. Those who are wise will search the scriptures and seek Jesus in the same manner as these Greek people.
Next time John shares how, “Philip came and told Andrew”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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