August 16
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IF YOU KNOW JESUS, YOU ALSO KNOW THE FATHER
7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “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’? 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 initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
– John 14:7-14
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In this scene, Jesus is spending the last few days He has with his disciples, revealing to them many loving truths. We hear a discouraged Jesus when Philip began asking Him to show the Father to them. Despite the three years they did ministry with Jesus, they still didn’t get it. Jesus have been telling them that He and the Father are one and that He didn’t come on His own, but He was with the Father. Because of man’s limitations and inability to see the spiritual realm, Jesus’ disciples dared to ask Him to show them the Father. In verse 10, Jesus tested their belief and once again, they failed to comprehend what Jesus had been telling them all along.
By nature, we automatically respond in unbelief because our human reasoning kicks in. But if the Spirit of God dwells in us, we can believe that all things are possible with God. Unbelief is a sin that we must need to recognize, ask for forgiveness and repent. If we waver back and forth to believe or not to believe, we are only fooling ourselves because in James 1:6 says that we shouldn’t waver for a person who wavers is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. The hardest place to be is when one is confused, indecisive and haven’t made a choice whether they are going to serve God or not. Verses 13-14 promises us that asking in the name of Jesus has so much blessings, power and benefits. Why wouldn’t we want to access such grace and generosity showered to us?
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think the disciples still wavered despite all the signs and wonders they witnessed Jesus did?