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? 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. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. 12 “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. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it (John 14:8-14, ESV).
You know those times when we think we know someone, only to find out later, many times much later, they were not who we thought they were. There are times when we have a negative view of someone only to find out that our perception was completely wrong and you discover that person has some great qualities and characteristics. Unfortunately, more times we find the opposite to be true. You have perceived someone to be of good character and integrity only to find out their not. Often this happens with people in the public arena (celebrities, actors, professional athletes, etc). Other times it may happen in our more immediate circles. Sad to say, but this even happens in our churches, fellow believers, pastors, and/or other church leaders. Either way, it still hits hard when we thought we knew someone only to find out we really didn’t know that person at all.
More importantly, could you imagine being Philip in that moment? Hearing Jesus say, “Have I been with you so long, and you still don’t know me?” His heart must of sank when he realized he had misunderstood who Jesus was! Really, can we blame Philip? Let’s back track with him. Jesus calls the disciples to follow Him. As they began walking with Jesus, Jesus’ popularity was growing rapidly through amazing teaching and astonishing works. Honestly, there must of been a lot of hype and excitement as Jesus was gaining followers and the disciples were all a part of this new movement. Now Jesus is saying, He is going ahead of them to the Father and prepare a place for them. They want in, they want to know the way, they want to meet the Father! So Philip says, Lord show us the Father and that will be enough for us (John 14:8).
Once again, the disciples were missing the point and Jesus had to clarify. Jesus says, Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? 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 (John 14:10-11). Jesus was clear on His mission. He was the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE! He was God! The Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and fully claiming His deity. Jesus came to do the Father’s will, to build God’s eternal kingdom, not a worldly kingdom. Jesus wasn’t some great public guru gaining followers. He wasn’t the latest medicine man with an appearance of power to heal people. Nor was He some sort of magician who performed great illusions. Jesus’ miraculous works were clear evidence of God in Him, and Jesus was making sure there was no mistake in understanding.
Jesus continues to say, whoever believes in Him will also do the works, and greater works because He is going to the Father. He says, If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. This does not mean we can pray for whatever we want and say in Jesus name and it will be granted. The common example is praying for a million dollars. Even if we try to sweeten it up by praying to God for a million dollars and telling Him it would be used for His glory, for His will. Chances are God’s not going to answer that prayer. When we pray in Jesus’ Name, it should be a prayer we anticipate to be in accordance with the will of God, then He will do His will! So with that, let’s pray:
Father we are praying for Your will to be done. May we first pause before we pray... Would You clear our thoughts, fears, and anxieties, so that we could listen and hear from You. May You direct our prayers to be in alignment with Your will, that You would be glorified. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
