Show us the Father

I. Introduction

Never spoke a man like Jesus. Not least His claims of deity—stunning. Jesus’ discourse with Thomas and particularly with Philip as recorded in the Gospel of John, the fourteenth chapter, is noteworthy. This study is interested in one segment of that discourse, namely, Jesus’ response to this request by Philip: “…Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us…”. And Jesus’ response: “…Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?…” (John 14:8-9, red font added). This segment is so Christologically[1] rich we wanted to isolate it and do a study on it. Sections II and III set things up for us; analysis and conclusions are in the concluding comments section IV.

II. He Who Has Seen Me Has Seen the Father

Seeing is not entirely visual. Jesus is not literally the Father. The message from Jesus is clear—the revelation of Father God was sufficiently accomplished by Jesus.

These words of Jesus transcend time; they are as relevant in our day as in Philip’s day. The important takeaway lies in the answer to this question: how does one see Jesus? One sees Jesus in His Word, which is identically Jesus (here “circular” is quite good, elegant in fact). Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1-2, 14, “John Chapter One Commentary”), and therein is the connection to Father God, who sent Jesus (2Corinthians 4:6 , “He Who Sent Me”; this study considers co-equality in the triune God Jehovah, and the Holy Trinity per se). Now as concerns seeing Jesus, God makes provisions: seeing Jesus is a divine work, as one would expect it to be; it is not relative, it is guided, a guided Standard (John 14:26). Seeing is not entirely visual. But either way, visual or not, Light is needed to see, to see Jesus, to see Father God. Thus, the Word of God fuels the lamps (“Matthew Chapter Twenty-Five Commentary: Parable of the Ten Virgins”).

III. Have I Been So Long with You, and Yet You Have Not Come to Know Me ______?

A person, even a disciple, can do myriad good-looking “Jesus-things” for a long time and not really come to know Jesus, and hence God. Not much Light in religiosity, in surface-Christianity. The test is this: does one recognize and embrace the deity of Jesus Christ? If so, it is a sure sign of intimacy with the Word of God, and hence God through His Word-quickening Spirit (“The Sacred Zone”). Intimacy. Intimacy with Jesus. Philip must have lacked it somewhat in his walk with Jesus. Imagine, being that close to Jesus day after day, and missing Him. How could that happen? Intimacy.

IV. Concluding Comments

This study was interested in a Christologically rich segment of Jesus’ discourse with Philip and Thomas as recorded in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John (John 14:8-9). In this segment Jesus claims co-equality with Father God—He claims to be God, and thus He claims His eternality (a tenet of Christology). And yet He makes this claim in the flesh, and thus necessarily as God incarnate, and so He makes this claim as the God-man (another tenet of Christology). Jesus claims co-equality with Father God, but, He does not claim to be the Father (this distinction is another tenet of Christology). And it is understood that He claims His Sonship to the Father, here and elsewhere in Scripture (another tenet of Christology). The segment thus makes clear that there exists a Godhead, and we are informed of two members here. The Holy Spirit is very much a part of the wider discourse in this chapter (John 14:1ff), and so the wider discourse makes clear that Three comprise the Godhead, whom we know from redundant cross-correlations in Scripture per se to be Jehovah (for example, Genesis 1:26, 3:22, Exodus 3:14, among others).

As concerns the main text, we mentioned that the message from Jesus regarding the segment under study is clear—the revelation of Father God was sufficiently accomplished by Jesus. As the study unfolded, we wondered how one might see Jesus, since that—seeing Him, and thus Father God—was central to the segment under study, and offered that one sees Jesus in His Word, which we said was identically Jesus. We pointed out that Jesus is the Word of God, and that therein lay the connection to Father God, who sent Jesus. We said that God, through His Spirit, takes an active role in being seen, thus shunting relativism. And finally, we thought about the angle Philip’s foreknown request offered Jesus: ”…show us the Father and it is enough for us…”. That request is probably the defining moment in the segment under study, for it sets up Jesus’ revelatory response. In His response, Jesus takes the opportunity to inform us that intimacy with Him, with the Word of God, is central to seeing Father God. We said that recognizing and embracing the deity of Jesus Christ is a sure sign of intimacy with the Word of God, and ultimately with God, through God’s Word-quickening Spirit. We thought that Philip must have somewhat lacked intimacy with Jesus in his walk with Jesus, at least up to that point in the Gospel record.

Let us now by God’s grace draw some conclusions. The lead-in to this segment involved in the prior chapter those mean gusts of betrayal and departure. Hints along those lines had been accumulating for a while; winds of change were blowing. And the disciples were, maybe not altogether dismayed, but no doubt uneasy, and wondering. It is into such an ambiance that the blessed, tender heart of our Savior shines encouragement, and hope, right at the top of this chapter fourteen in the Gospel of John. Please take a hard look at the lovely, concerned words Jesus extends to His disciples, as though hugging them right here—John 14:1-3. It is hard not to choke-up a little bit when reading those verses given the backdrop. Jesus is a great Savior; it is such a privilege to get to come to know Him. Okay, so that brings us to Thomas—John 14:4-5. All indications from Scripture show this man Thomas to be what in modern times would be called an empiricist: Thomas needed hands-on proof (that mindset changed later, but he needed proof to get there, and Jesus considerately provided it). Thomas’ question sets up one of the most Christologically insightful verses in all of Scripture—John 14:6. And now we are right at the doorstep of the segment under study above. Please note John 14:7. Thomas probably somewhat lacked intimacy with Jesus much like Philip. Our segment—John 14:8-9. And it is right here that we shall draw our conclusions. Father God insists—the word is accurate—that Salvation, that life eternal in His presence, come only to those who embrace His Son Jesus (John 14:6). Why? Holiness? Imparted righteousness? Justification? Sin debt paid? Yes, on all counts, but the list lacks one thing. It is in the incarnate Jesus that the Father revealed Himself, so that humankind could appreciate God[2]. The ministry of Salvation is an invitation to fellowship with that very Father revealed (“A Letter of Invitation”). There are those, like Philip and Thomas at that point in their lives, who do not know the Father because they have not come to know Jesus yet; they embrace Jesus, but have not yet come to know Him. And then there are those that want nothing to do with Jesus. The former, will get there, because it is a divine work—God takes care of the details here; if there is a tether to Jesus the Spirit of God can do His work. The latter have heard of Jesus, and either do not like Him (sobering introspection is too painful, etc.), or do not accept His Word (fanciful, foolish, frivolous, that sort of thing); they in nowise wish to be subject to Him. They are rejecting Father God. It is an offense, as you can understand, this witting rejection. And that is the point—all the blessed Christology here gained aside, Jesus is leaving no room to plead ignorance as to the extent of the rejection, by way of this redundant pointing to the Oneness between Himself and the Father (cf. John 10:30—EGW KAI hO PATHR hEN ESMEN; note Psalms 2:12, NKJV—we suspect that Jesus’ wrath is kindled precisely because of the offense to His Father inherent in His own rejection—it is not so much for His own sake perhaps—Matthew 12:31-32). Let us not slight Jehovah God; let us do Him homage, and with a grateful heart embrace Him; let us do Him homage and embrace that which He has revealed of Himself.