Daily Devotions
John
Another interesting query
Text: John 14 : 1 - 11
ANOTHER INTERESTING QUERY
As Jesus spoke to His Disciples about His “departure” He knew that He would evoke many deep and hidden feelings. Thomas expressed concern about who would lead them if He were to go away.
Soon, Philip joined in the conversation. He had listened to Jesus speaking about how He was the Way, the Truth and the Life. What wondrous words those were! Then he heard something that caused him to prick up his ears. What did Jesus say?
“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also;
and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
John 14:7
What did Jesus mean by those profound words? The Disciples had always been hearing Jesus speak of His Father. Hardly a day went by without His mentioning His beloved Father. What a wonderful relationship Jesus sustained with His Father. Jesus had spoken of His Disciples knowing His Father too! Could that be true? Could that be possible? But how does one know or relate to the Father?
Philip was unsure. He turned to his Teacher and said,
“Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
John 14:8
A DEEP SIGH
What must Jesus have felt in His heart as He listened to Philip’s question? One good guess is that He must have sighed as Philip voice his question. Once again, He gently sought to teach Philip and the rest of His Disciples.
“Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me,
Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father;
So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?'”
John 14:9
Jesus had hoped that His Disciples would have had a deeper perception by now. He had been with them for three whole years. What had they learned about Jesus? It was Philip who persuaded Nathanael to see Jesus. Let us take time to recall this incident.
“Philip found Nathanael and said to him,
‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the law,
and also the prophets, wrote –
Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'”
John 1:45
Philip was convinced that Jesus was more than just the son of Joseph. He was certain that Jesus was the Messiah prophesied in the Scriptures! Both Moses and the Prophets had written about a Messiah whom God would send. Jesus was that Messiah! This disciple of Jesus showed great spiritual discernment and insight, right at the beginning!
What had happened along the way? Why had not Philip made further progress in his comprehension of who Jesus really was? Yes, He was the Messiah! But was He only the Messiah, the promised Redeemer of Israel?
The “popular view” of the masses was that of a Messiah who would rule Israel. He would be David’s Son! This view though correct lacked other dimensions if taken on its own! Philip held this view, but he had not added other important aspects concerning the Person of the Messiah!
MORE THAN A POLITICAL MESSIAH
Had not Philip understood just who Jesus was? He was their Teacher, their Friend, their Master, and their Lord. But was that all they knew about Jesus? There was much more to knowing Jesus than the above.
Jesus went on to speak to Philip some of the most profound words ever.
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father,
and the Father in Me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak
on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me
does the works.
Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me,
or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”
John 14:10-11
A crucial lesson had not been learned deeply enough. Philip had not been able to go beyond seeing Jesus as the “political Messiah”. He had not gone very far beyond the popular opinion concerning Jesus.
Jesus made special reference to His teaching ministry. How had the multitudes regarded His teaching? They had the highest regard for the way in which He taught them. They recognized that He taught with the greatest sense of authority. He certainly did not teach as the scribes and the Pharisees did. But was He only a better teacher? This would have been a totally inadequate and unacceptable viewpoint!
When Jesus taught, who really spoke? Had the Disciples not understood that they were hearing the Father’s voice speaking through Jesus? Had they not understood that the Father was truly in Jesus?
How about the works of Jesus? Did the Disciples not understand that the works that He did, were in fact the very works of His Father? Had they not understood what He had taught the Jews? (John 5, where Jesus appealed to both His teachings and His works as proof that He was sent by His Father).
Jesus identified the problem as that of “unbelief”. Somehow, that had crept in and Philip (we need to include all the disciples) had failed to see and appreciate Jesus for who he really was! His faith had not enabled him to see the Father in Jesus. They needed a faith that would enable them to see the Father in and through Jesus! What about you?