The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree Series

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: