In Seeking Jesus, We See God.
By Rev. Kyle Norman
“Philip said to Jesus, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’” John 14:8-9
When I was in high school, my 12th-grade English class held a debate about God’s existence. During this debate, one of my classmates said triumphantly, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” Of course, he thought he won the argument. He believed he had figured out the trick for faith and life. All he needed to do was employ the scientific method. If he could see how everything fit together, life would make sense, and he could go forward confidently. In response to his comment, I remember stating, “Oh, but if you believe it, then you will see it!” I thought I was being wonderfully clever. I believed I had come up with a response that would undercut his skepticism and move him to a place of deeper pondering.
If someone said to me, “I’ll believe it when I see it,” I don’t know if I would respond like my high school self. It’s not how Jesus responded to Philip. In the reading above, Philip voiced the ancient equivalent of “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Jesus had just finished talking about his upcoming crucifixion. He called the disciples to “believe in God and in me,” and he talked about returning to receive them and taking them to where he is. In response, Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Philip assumed all lingering doubt, fear, or trouble of heart would disappear if Jesus peeled back the spiritual curtain and let them see the fullness of God. Jesus didn’t respond to Philip with high-school cleverness. He didn’t say, “Oh, Philip, if you believe, then you will see.” No. Jesus looked at Philip and said, “Philip, you have seen. Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus pointed to himself as the full manifestation of who God is in this world.
To look at Jesus is to look at God. Every once and a while, people suggest Jesus never claimed divine status, but that is fundamentally not true; he does this here. Jesus clearly identified uniquely with the presence of the Father. The rest of the scripture backs this up. Jesus is the full disclosure of God’s presence. Paul wrote, "he is the image of invisible God (Colossians 1:15)," and that in Jesus, all the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:19). The book of Hebrews talks about how Jesus is the full reflection of God’s glory, the very imprint of God’s being (1:3). And the opening chapter of John says that God became flesh and camped among us (John 1:14). These are bold and audacious statements.
Just think about it: Even if I am the spitting image of my grandfather, I would never say to see me is to see my grandfather. Nor could I claim my words are his words or that my grandfather acts through me. But these are all things Jesus said. Who Jesus is and what he said and testified revealed he was not just a random sage or teacher. He isn’t someone who has lovely things to say about God. No, Jesus is God. We can’t divorce what he said from what he did. Nor separate his statements on love, peace, and forgiveness from his self-identifying statements of being one with the Father.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
When Jesus responded to Philip, he did not intend to lead him in a Bible study nor move him through some intense theological lesson. Jesus commented on the deep yearning of Philip’s heart. Jesus wanted to give him the assurance and comfort he needed to navigate his life of faith, which wouldn’t always be lived in certainty, and certainly wouldn’t always be easy. Jesus wanted the disciples to know that despite any question or doubt, they could have confidence in who he is because he never once misrepresented the reality of God in their lives.
And if we are honest, this is a truth we need to remember from time to time. We all need comfort and encouragement. We all need to be reminded Jesus is not just a character in a story or a teacher of long ago; He is the Lord of life and salvation. He is the way to God, the truth of God, and the life of God. For anyone who asks questions like, “How do I know God? How do I get close to God? How do I get to heaven?” Jesus points to himself as the answer. To anyone longing for an experience of God, the answer is fully revealed: get close to Jesus. He is the way all our deep spiritual longings are fully and finally fulfilled.
Further reading
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