Philip said, “Master, show us the Father; then we’ll be content.”
“You’ve been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don’t understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, ‘Where is the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act. Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me.” John 14:8-14 MSG
Philip was understandably confused and concerned. Jesus, the One he had left everything to follow, had just told the disciples that He was leaving them and returning to His Father. What’s more, they could not go with Him then; however, He was preparing a place for them. Thomas said they didn’t know where He was going or how to get there. Philip wanted everyone to be assured, so He asked Jesus, “Just show us the Father and we’ll be okay.” That’s when Jesus told him that if he saw the Son, he had seen the Father.
Philip felt like he needed to physically see the Father to feel safe. Jesus gently corrected him and told him God had been walking, talking, eating, and living with them every day through the person of His Son, Jesus. He told Philip, “There’s no need to wonder what the Father is like! Just look at me.”
Jesus is the full expression of God’s mercy. When Jesus touches the sick or weeps with the broken, we are witness to the Father's deep compassion and mercy. When Jesus speaks, He is speaking with the full authority, love, and truth of heaven. When Jesus welcomes every sinner and outcast, it is the Father’s open arms that embrace them.
Philip is not the only one who has been confused. Sometimes people will say, “I love Jesus, but God the Father scares me.” When you realize they are the same, it changes everything. Study the Gospels. Watch Jesus to understand the Father. There is no reason to fear a Father who looks like Jesus. He is a loving, accessible God. Approach Him boldly. Jesus never rejected a person who came to Him in need, and neither will the Father.
Filter your thoughts through Jesus. If you hear thoughts of harsh condemnation or shame, that is not God. God's voice sounds like Jesus – absolutely truthful but overflowing with kindness and patience. His face looks like Jesus – filled with love and welcome. Like Father, like Son.
- What’s the biggest worry on your mind right now? Picture yourself sitting with God right now and share it with Him. Expect the mighty power of God and the loving wisdom you expect from Jesus to hear, care, and work on your behalf. Father and Son are One.