We have a saying around our house that we use whenever one of the kids are acting like their parents; “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Of course one of our children likes to point out that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree unless the tree is at the top of a hill.” Our kids are seeking their own individual identity–just like their parents did . . . the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree now does it!
Unlike our children striving to establish their own independent identity, Jesus does the exact opposite. Rather than showing how He is different from the Father, Jesus shows us that He is one with the Father. Jesus goes beyond just showing family characteristics and similarities that He shares with His Father. Jesus states that He and the Father are completely one; they are fully united without any split or division in person.
Look with me at John 14 where Jesus tells His disciples that although the apple is distinct from the tree, the apple still remains one with the tree.
+ John 14:7-11 7"If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9Jesus answered: "Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ’Show us the Father’? 10Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. (NIV)
Man struggles to try to understand God. The infinite God is much greater than the finite mind of man can fully comprehend. For instance, it is difficult for us to understand how God can be born a man (never mind that He was also born of a virgin). How can God, an eternal Spirit without beginning or end, become a man? The miracle of the incarnation is the mysterious reality that God became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ.
Man’s difficulty trying to comprehend God does not end with the incarnation. We also have difficulty understanding that the Bible reveals God as having three distinct personalities, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, yet these three remain one. The scriptures do not show us three different gods, but rather One God in three persons which remain in unbroken unity.
Philip personifies our inability to fully comprehend God in verse 8; “Jesus, just show us the Father and that will satisfy all of us.” Jesus had just told the disciples that because they knew Him they also knew the Father and because they have seen Him they have seen the Father, but that wasn’t good enough for Philip. It’s often not enough for us either.
Philip’s request is similar to that of Moses in Exodus 33 when he ask God to show him His glory. Moses had heard God’s voice and spent time in the presence of God, but that wasn’t enough. Philip and the disciples had been with Jesus for over three years. They had heard all that Jesus had said and witness the many miracles He had performed, but like Moses it wasn’t enough. Show us more; show us the Father!
Philip and Moses both wanted to see the sensational; they wanted God to show Himself through a supernatural display of His glory. We will also often look for the extraordinary phenomena and overlook the very presence of Jesus with us by His Spirit in our lives.
Just as Jesus did not want His disciple to doubt the He was One with the Father, He likewise does not want us to doubt His real identity. Jesus was not just a good man; He was more than a moral teacher and miracle worker. Jesus is God of very God in complete and unbroken unity with the Father.
JESUS CLEARLY STATES HIS IDENTITY: He and the Father are one. We see a piece of Christ’s humanity in His response to Philip in verse 9; “Have I been with you for such a long time and you still don’t know who I am?” But Jesus doesn’t let His disappointment keep Him from again making Himself known. “Anyone who has seen me,” Jesus said, “has seen the Father.” In other words Jesus is one with the Father.
Throughout the Gospel of John we see Jesus being revealed as one with God the Father. It’s no wonder Jesus would be disappointed Philip was uncertain as to Christ’s identity as one with the Father. It had been made plain to them. Listen to how John has revealed Jesus:
+ John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
+ John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
+ John 5:43 I have come in my Father’s name.
+ John 6:27 On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.
+ John 8:12 I am the light of the world.
+ John 8:19 If you knew me, you would know my Father also.
+ John 8:58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
+ John 10:30 I and the Father are one.
JESUS’ IDENTITY IS MADE CLEAR. He is God of very God, and One with the Father. Jesus then validates His identity with two convincing proofs. Remember His desire is that none of His disciples nor any of us would doubt who He really is.
1. Jesus’ first proof of His identity is His WORD: Jesus does not speak for Himself; He speaks the words of the Father. Look at verse 10; The Message puts it this way:
+ “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.”
Jesus declares the very words of God. The disciples recognized that Jesus’ words were different from those of ordinary men. Peter said, “[Jesus], you have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68, NIV). The people who listened to Jesus were amazed by His words “because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (Matthew 7:29, NIV).
2. The second proof of Christ’s identity is His WORKS: Jesus does nothing apart from the Father; that which the Father does, Jesus does. As the saying goes, “actions speak louder than words,” Jesus actions did not betray what He said.
Notice again what Jesus said in verse 11, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” Jesus tells His disciples, “examine my credentials; I do the work of God.”
+ John 10:32-33 32Jesus said to [those who opposed Him], "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" 33"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." (NIV)
No one who examines the evidence can deny the miracles Jesus preformed as works of God. Unfortunately even today many people never look at what Jesus did, they just disagree with what He said and therefore reject Him. The crowd wanted to kill Jesus because they believed He was only a mere man claiming to be God. If only they had looked at all the evidence then they would have known that no mere man could do the miraculous works Jesus had preformed. Jesus did not do the works of a mere man. He did the works of God.
Jesus is identified as One with the Father–God of very God. The words and works of Jesus validate His identity. We can put our trust in Christ as God.
TRANSITION TO APPLICATION: This would be a good place to stop, but Jesus didn’t stop there. Before we continue though let me ask you, “Do you believe that Jesus is One with the Father?”
Jesus continues telling His disciples, “Everyone who believes I am One with the apple tree will be like me because apples don’t fall far from the tree.”
+ John 14:12-14 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (NIV)
Now this is amazing, but it’s true. Jesus said that everyone who believes in Him like this will do the things He has done. What does that mean?
FIRST, WE SHARE HIS IDENTITY. You and I can bear the mark of Christ in our lives. Now in order to share Christ’s identity we must believe exactly what He said about Himself. What did Jesus say; what must we believe about Him? We can summarize what He said in John 14:6-11 like this, “I am the way, truth and life; only through Me can you come to God. The Father and I are one; I say what He says and do what He does.” The apostle Paul put it like this:
+ Ephesians 2:18-19 18For through him [Jesus] we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household. (NIV)
Through Christ we are accepted into God’s presence. We are no longer outsiders, but instead we are accepted as members of the family. We share Christ’s identity.
+ Ephesians. 1:5 In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.
· Susie and I love our five kids. Although we have a house full, we sometimes tease our family saying we could always adopt and have more! Although that may never happen I know that if we ever did adopt a child we would love that child just like the ones born to us.
In the U.S. today it’s difficult for families to adopt children. 1,500,000 couples would like to adopt, but there are only 25,000 infants placed for adoption each year. Each of these would be adoptive parents want a child of their own. Adopted children are not treated as an outsider, but are welcomed as a part of the family. The adopted child is shares the identity of their new family.
When we believe in Jesus, we are welcomed as part of God’s family. We share Christ’s identity. Now because we share an identity with Jesus, Jesus said we should also share His words and His works; we’ll do what He does.
OUR IDENTITY GOES ALONG WITH WHAT WE SAY AND DO. Many times we have told our kids, “that’s not the way we talk (or act) in our family.” You’ve probably said the same kind of thing to your kids. Individuals with another family identity may do and say certain things but that doesn’t make it acceptable behavior for your family or mine.
WE SHARE CHRIST’S IDENTITY, THEREFORE WE SHOULD TALK LIKE JESUS AND ACT LIKE JESUS. His words and works should be seen in us!
Listen again to what Jesus says in verses 12-14:
+ John 14:12-14 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (NIV)
Many times we only think about what Jesus says here in relationship to prayer. How often have you said a prayer concluding it with the words, “in Jesus Name?” I’m sure that countless sermons have been preached on prayer using Jesus words to His disciples in John 14. We cannot forget that prayer in “Jesus’ Name” is only possible because we share His identity.
Many of us have been taught that prayer is like a blank check, all we have to do is fill in the amount in Jesus Name and we will receive whatever we ask for.
· The movie “Blank Check” tells the story of a young boy who finds a blank check complete with the signature! His imagination begins to run wild. He thinks about cashing the check for $1,000 then $10,000. He finally decides to make the check out for $1 million dollars. The boy takes the check to the bank to have it cashed. Now we all know that in order to cash a check the money has to be in the account. (It’s a good thing this kid didn’t find one of my checks!) Amazingly the check is good and he leaves the bank with $1 million cash!
We like to think that prayer is like that blank check drawn upon the limitless supply of God’s account in heaven. Jesus has in a way given us a blank check when we pray, however, we have to add the signature! Jesus’ signature is not on the check we have to place His Name on the check that’s what validates our prayer. That is often were we may run into difficulty because the bank of heaven will not cash a check that has a forged signature.
+ (The Message, John 14: 13-14) From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.
Yes, prayer is a blank check, but it is completely blank--JESUS HAS NOT SIGNED THE CHECK FOR US; WE MUST ADD THE SIGNATURE. Now how many of you know that the "bank of heaven" will not cash a fordged check?
Only as our WORDS and our WORKS prove our IDENTITY with Christ is the signature, "in Jesus’ Name" proved valid within our prayers.
Jesus said we will do the thing he has done; His identity will be upon our lives. That means the prayers we pray would be the same as the prayers Jesus would pray. Heaven will “cash” that prayer every time. Why? So the Father will be glorified, just as Jesus brought glory to the Father in all He did.
Jesus made His identity clear. He is One with the Father. Jesus’ identity was validated by His Words and His Works.
We who believe in Christ will now share Christ’s identity. His identity in us is proven legitimate through our words and works. The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.
