“Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.” John 14:8-11
The concept of the Trinity was foreign to the Jews. This is perhaps why they couldn’t wrap their brain around Jesus as God. They had always worshipped the Lord and had feared him. Even the first commandment speaks about having no other god’s before God.
But Jesus was also God. He was one with God, had been with him in the beginning. God had spoken in favor of Jesus as his Beloved Son at his baptism and other times throughout the New Testament. Old Testament prophets spoke about the Messiah and now Jesus was trying to help them understand his oneness with God.
Jesus also used the term Father more than God it seems. He has introduced more strongly this concept that God isn’t just a distant all powerful, all knowing, all being God but a personal, loving, involved Father. A Father who cares for his creation and wants to be with them.
The poor disciples were only asking questions we would have asked had we been in their shoes. Philip said, “Lord just show us the Father and we will be satisfied.” LOL. “Jesus is like — dude, look at me. Now look again. See me? You see God.” (My interpretation.) I can only imagine part of Jesus’ humor mixed with frustration at trying to fulfill this concept — “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” It’s verses like this that confound me when people argue against the Trinity.
What does it mean for Jesus to be God? It means he has all power, authority and righteousness to save us. It means God loved us so much he came as a man to live and die for us. It means the resurrection over death leads to our eternal existence and that we were created for a divine purpose. And lastly, it means we can be in an intimate, loving and one-one-one relationship with a God who became human for us. Pretty excellent if you ask me.
Jesus said, “Just believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me.” Do you believe?
“O Lord God, you are awesome. I praise you for loving the world so much that you came to give us life. You came to appear in the flesh so we might know the love of a Father. For those who have poor examples of a father, you are the perfect example. You also gave us a godly human example of a loving mother in Mary. What a blessing. And, then you left us your Holy Spirit which is the Spirit of the Father and the Son! A Trinitarian blessing — Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Come now, Holy Spirit, live within me. Help me see the beauty in a faithful, daily relationship with you. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen