“Knowing the Father”
John 14:7-14
Jesus was preparing His Disciples for that time when He would no longer be with them physically; after His death, resurrection and ascension. Jesus has just told the Disciples that He is going away and that could not go with Him. He told them He would come back for them someday and insisted that they knew the way to the Father. But they were not so sure. As Jesus spoke to them, they must have been thoroughly confused and filled with anxiety. How is one to maintain a relationship with someone who is no longer physically present. If Jesus is leaving and they cannot go with Him, how then are they to remain in communion with Him? I am sure that their hearts were full of questions such as:
• What will become of us?
• How are we supposed to use what we have learned?
• Why is He going away? Why won’t He stay with us?
• How are we going to survive without Him?
• Have we wasted the last three years…what is going on?
First, The Confusion of the Disciples. (14:3-7)
Jesus had just told His Disciples that, He is going to prepare a place for them and that He will come again for them. He then says, “…that where I am there may you be also (4) And where I go you know and the way you know.” That statement plainly confused Thomas, and he responds, prob-ably for all the Disciples when He said to Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way.” (v. 5) Even after Jesus responds to Thomas by saying, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (v. 6) he obviously is still puzzled. At the very time that the Disciples may feel that God is deserting them Jesus tells them to trust Him. Then Jesus says, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” (v. 7) Jesus explained why He was the only way to God; because He was and is the perfect representation of God. To know Jesus is to know God.
The fact that the Disciples misunderstood what Jesus said about the Cross and all of them failed to stand with Him show that they really did not know Jesus fully. But that is about to change. Jesus says, “from now on” (v. 7) pointing to a new understanding by the Disciples.
The Disciples certainly had learned and known much about God in their three years of apprenticeship under Jesus. Yet Jesus understood that since they had not yet seen the full revelation of God’s love at the cross and His power at the resurrection, there was a sense in which they would only now know and see God. They missed the sign!
Have you ever missed a sign? I have. On our first trip to Washington D.C Debbie and I proved what Country bumkins we are. When we arrived at the Subway station, we could not figure out the procedure for obtaining a ticket at the automated machine. So, we went through the turnstiles with the expectation of getting some help. Boy did we, as soon as we did an alarm sounded and people start-ed rushing toward us with guns drawn like we had robbed a bank. Somehow, we had missed the sign. Signs matter. That’s why John in his gospel account does not call the works of Jesus miracles; he calls them signs. A miracle can impress you. A sign directs you. A miracle can make you stare. A sign makes you move.
For the Confusion of the Disciples we see..
Second, The Reassurance of Jesus. (14:8-11)
• The Request (v.8)
Now it is Philip who verbalizes the confusion of the Disciples and who formulates the question on behalf of all the Disciples and is very important that we understand just what Philip is asking. “Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” (v. 8). What Philip is asking for is for a vision (deiknumi) a demonstration of God the Father. Perhaps Philip was thinking about the Old Testament saints who had been granted an immediate revelation of God’s being. Moses had asked God, “please show me your glory” (Ex. 33:18). God’s response was, “I will make my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name. “The Lord” (Ex. 33:19)
Philip is expressing the belief that if he and the other Disciples could just see God visibly with their eyes, “It would be enough.” Philip thought that such a vision would clear away any doubts that they might have. This is of course a request that most Christians can identify with. There are times when each of us wishes to experience what Philip asked for.
But the faith that Jesus looked for (and by the way is stilling looking for) from His followers is not a faith dependent on visions. John records that when Thomas asked to see the nail wounds in Jesus’ hands and feet in order to believe that He was risen that Jesus said, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
• The Reasons for Belief. (vv. 9-11)
“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’.” This means that Philip had been close to Jesus yet still did not understand Him. The same is possi-ble and true for many today. Jesus says, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Notice the word “seen” or “see” There are several different words in Greek that can be trans-lated “see.” We see three of them in the record of the Disciples arriving at the tomb in John chapter twenty. In racing to the tomb after receiving news that the tomb was empty; John who arrived first “stooped down and looking in saw the linen clothes lying there” (v. 5) John “saw” (blepo) what John physically saw was the tomb was empty. Then Peter arrived and “went into the tomb saw” (v. 6) (different word - theoreo -theh-oh-reh-OH) Peter saw how the grave clothes lay and was puzzled over why the grave clothes were there, but the body was gone. Why would the grave clothes be left behind? John takes another look and “saw” (v. 8) (different word – horao - ho-RAH-oh,) how the grave clothes lay this word means to see with understanding. The grave clothes were not scattered around the tomb but lay as if they were still wrapped around the body but the head clothes was folded and lay by itself – now it says that John “saw and believed.” (v. 8) John understood that the only thing that could account for this was the resurrection. This is the word that is used in John 14 when Jesus says “the one who has seen Him has seen the Father.” That is the one who truly understands who Jesus has seen the father.
This gentle rebuke reminded Philip of what Jesus often said; that to know Him was to know God the Father. To see the love of Jesus was to see the love of God the Father; seeing Jesus in action was seeing the Father in action.
This puts to rest the idea that the Old Test-ament present a cruel God and Jesus showed us a nicer God. Rather, Jesus shows us the same love, compassion, mercy, and goodness that was and is in God the Father. Exodus 34:5-9, among other passages, shows this nature of God the Father in the Old Testament.
Jesus now gives us two solid foundations for our belief in Him!
? Believe because of His Words. (v. 10)
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”
Jesus repeated something emphasized in the Gospel of John; that Jesus lived and spoke in constant dependence upon God the Father and did nothing outside His authority and guidance (John 5:19, 8:28). Based on His relationship with the Father Jesus gives two solid reasons for our trust in Him.First, is the authority of His words, believe Me because of “the words I speak.” Christ’s words alone is and should be enough for our faith. But if you need more Jesus says -
? Believe because of His Works. (v. 11)
“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”
When Jesus says, “Believe Me” it is a command (imperative) “believe” is plural and it applies not only to Philip but to the other Disciples as well as us today. This is the same answer that was sent to John the Baptist when doubt over-whelmed him and he sent messengers from his prison cell to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah or if they should look for another. Jesus answered then by saying, “Go back and tell John what you see me doing, healing the blind, making the lame to walk, and the deaf to hear and raising the dead to life…. (23) these things will convince him.” (Luke 7:22-23) Jesus validated that He was the Messiah, by fulfill-ing all that was foretold in the prophecies concerning the Messiah.
The Reassurance of Jesus ….
Third, The Promise of Power. (14:12)
“Most assuredly, 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.”
The promise of Jesus that His Disciples would do “greater works” immediately raises questions about the nature of these works. Specifically does Jesus mean that the Disciples will be able to do miracles? It is true that the Apostles were able to perform some miracles, but they were not greater than those done by the Lord Himself. And modern Christians, despite claims of a few, do not perform miracles today. That is not to say that God in answering prayers may not Himself perform miracles, but to acknowledge that we are now living in a time in which miracles are not as commonplace as they were in the days of the early church.
Some argue that the lack of miracle working power today is because this promise was given only to the original Disciples for use during the Apostolic Age. This would fit with the statement in Hebrews 2:4 that the Apostle’s preaching would be proven “by signs and wonders and various mir-acles.” But it falls short of explaining Jesus’ pro-mise that, “he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do” (v. 12) Another view is that the reason that Christians today are not performing miracles is that they lack sufficient faith. But then Jesus did not say, “Whoever has sufficient faith will be able to perform miracles!”
By the promise of “greater” works we usually associate “greater” as more spectacular. But the real question is, “What does greater mean to Jesus?” When Jesus sent the seventy-two disciples on a preaching mission recorded Luke 10 the disciples rejoiced that they had been able to cast out demons. Jesus responded by saying, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (20) Nevertheless do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20) According to the Lord then the greatest miracles are those that lead to the salvation of souls.
The book of Acts seems to support this in that although the book of Acts reveals that there were miracles performed by the Apostles, the emphasis was not on the miracles but on the preaching of the Gospel and the mighty works of bringing mult-itudes to faith in Christ. What had been a relatively small number of believers during Christ’s ministry, on the day of Pentecost became thousands. The Book of Acts records how the message kept spread-ing, first in and around Jerusalem, and eventually to the Gentiles all throughout the Roman Empire.
One should not stop short of recognizing that Jesus said that the doing of these works is “because I go to the Father” (v. 12). So it is that believers today are able to do more of what Jesus did because Christ continues to work through us and because He has sent the Holy Spirit to empower us.
• The Expectation.
He Promises His work with continue. Jesus expects those who believe in Him to carry on His work in the world. He did not expect the Disciples to disband after His departure and go back to their old lives. WhatHe had begun He expect His disci-ples to carry on and expand. He Promises to work through us. He Promises to do great works through us.
• The Explanation.
J esus is not saying we are superior to Him. It is only because Christ is working in us and through us that we are able to see the greater works He promises. Our works are greater in scope not in nature.
From the Promise of Power we are told…
Fourth, The Privilege of Prayer. (14:13-14)
“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
The promise of answered prayer does not mean that any and every prayer will be answered, but rather it says any prayer made in His name would be answered. Although this text is pulled out of context by the preachers of the false “Prosperity Gospel,” Jesus is not giving carte blanche – that all you must do is fill in the blank of what you want and Jesus will see that you get it!
R. A. Torrey wrote, “…We must, if we would have God answer our prayers, give up the thought that we have any claims upon God. There is not one of us who deserves anything from God. If we got what we deserved every one of us would spend eternity in Hell. But Jesus Christ has great claims on God, and we should go to God in our prayers not on the ground of any goodness in ourselves but on the ground of Jesus Christ’s claims.” [Quoted by James Montgomery Boice. The Gospel of John, 5 vol. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999) p. 964]
We are told “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do” that is that our prayers are to be “in the name of Jesus”, but what does that qualifier mean? It surely means more than just adding the words “in Jesus name” at the end of our prayers. Although there is nothing innately wrong with closing our prayers “in Jesus name” as long as we think about what that means.
We find in those words “in Jesus name” both an endorsement and a limitation. First, it is an endorsement in the sense that “in Jesus’ name” means a request based on the merits of Jesus. To approach God apart from Jesus Christ is to guarantee that you will be turned away. You could pray in the name of Krishna, Budda or Mohammed but it will do you no good. The only one who can bring us into the presence of God is His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim. 2:5)
Secondly, praying in Jesus name is a limit-ation in that those things requested must be in accordance with the character of that name. In essence, “…that means that we should never expect selfish, petty, worldly, foolish, self-glorifying, self- pitying or especially sinful prayers to be fulfilled by our Lord.” [Richard Philips. “John” Vol. 2. Chap. 11-21. (Philips-burg, NJ: P & R Pub., 2014) p. 237]
Therefore, you cannot ask Jesus to bless something that the Bible says is wrong. You cannot ask God to bless your anger. You cannot take up with someone’s wife or husband and ask God to bless it. You cannot steal what belongs to someone else and ask God to bless it.
So, to make myself clear you cannot just utter any words you want and then add “in Jesus’ name,” if our prayers are not consistent with God’s character, God’s will and God’s word, you really are not praying “in Jesus’ name” no matter what words you use. You cannot choose sin and ask God to bless it. Verse thirteen adds one further condition that must govern our prayer “in Jesus’ name” – that is that we desire to see God glorified through the Lord Jesus (v. 13). How might we pray a prayer that glorifies God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray-ers for the salvation of the lost whether they a loved one or of an enemy of Gospel (such as Paul was before his conversion) glorifies the Father. Praying for the expansion of the Gospel to the unreached of our world glorifies the Father. One is truly praying “in Jesus’ name” whenever God’s glory is the main objective of our prayers.
Prayer is not a matter of asking God to give us what will make us more comfortable in our lives. Rather prayer is the means by which we ask God to extend His kingdom and will on Earth as it is in Heaven (Matt. 6:10).
Conclusion
In our intolerance age against Christians, Christians can become reluctant to mention the name of Jesus in public prayers because they’re afraid of a public backlash. Of course, in our text Jesus wasn’t concerned with whether or not His followers should say “in Jesus’ name” when they pray in public. But Jesus did say, “Everyone there-fore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in Heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father.” (Matt. 10:32-33) And the sense of this passage does suggest that if one is motivated by embarrassment to omit the name of Jesus in prayer or in other communication, that person is skating on thin spiritual ice. God help us not to be afraid of identifying with Jesus.
Pastor Dr. Tony Evans, noted author and pastor, from Dallas was asked to give the opening prayer for the Texas State Legislature in Austin. Before, he prayed, he was asked not to mention the name of Jesus in his prayer because it might offend the non-Christians in attendance. Dr. Evans replied that when he prayed to God, he was praying to Jesus and in Jesus’ name because Jesus Christ is indeed God incarnate. He also pointed out that he was about to ask God to do some specific things in the legislature and in the state of Texas. “Who’s gonna answer that prayer if I don’t pray in Jesus name? He is the only one with the power to do what I ask.” Dr. Evans was exactly right. If we don’t pray in Jesus’ name, why bother praying at all.
