Day 1126: Show us the Father - John 14 vs 8 -14

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? 11 The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

12-14 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it”. John 14:8-14 English Standard Version

The second question Jesus was asked as He spoke of His going away was from Philip. Having told them of the 'many rooms in the Father's house', Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” It was more of a request than a question. What was the response that Jesus gave? (vs 8)

In verse 7 Jesus had just told the disciples that if they'd known Him, then they would've known His Father also. And that 'from now on, you do know Him, and have seen Him.' I said in the earlier post that it was an unmistakeable claim by Jesus to being one with God. Now, in His answer to Philip, He again expresses that truth with the words “Whoever has seen me - has seen the Father!”

Jesus appears to express surprise at Philip's request, and said: “How can you say, ‘show us the Father’”? Then He explains His oneness with God by saying “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” By using the word 'believe', we see that the doctrine of a triune God is one that requires faith on the part of Christians. It's not something that's obvious to mankind. What is the evidence Jesus gave for us to believe that He was in the Father and the Father was in Him? (vs 11)

The 'words and works' which Jesus spoke and did ought to convince us of this truth. The 'signs' that He performed showed that the Father was working through Him. Towards the end of his gospel John tells how Thomas was persuaded of this truth when he saw that Christ was truly alive. He writes: “Thomas answered Him, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, 'Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.'” Then John adds: “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:28-31

But believing this truth about Jesus went further. In vs 12-14 He spoke of 'greater works' that the disciples would do because He was going back to the Father. Some Christians have taken this as a 'blank cheque' from Jesus to them. They believe that if we name something we want, we may then claim it by faith. But Jesus said that He would only do those things by which “the Father would be glorified in the Son.” As Paul put it in Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

The book of Acts describes how the disciples to whom Jesus was speaking continued to do His works. As Luke began to write Acts, he said: “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach . . .” (Acts 1:1) Jesus had only been one person, and He had ministered in Israel. The disciples, being many, took the gospel further afield, even among the gentiles. And by those things, the Father was glorified in the Son.