Pastor Tricia's Ramblings

“Show us the Father,” Philip said, “and that will be enough for us.” (John 14:8)

Philip’s words echo something we’ve all probably felt at some point: God, if you would just show yourself, if you’d make it a little clearer, we’d believe. His request wasn’t rebellious. It was honest. It was human. Philip wanted to know God more deeply—but he didn’t realize he already had.

This conversation takes place in the Upper Room, the night before Jesus is crucified. The mood is intimate and tense. Jesus has just washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:3–5), predicted His betrayal, and is now preparing His closest friends for His departure. And in this sacred moment, He reveals something profound: To see Jesus is to see the Father.

“Jesus, Let Us Meet Your Father”

Let’s put Philip’s request into modern words:

“Jesus, we know you, but we’ve never met your Father. Can you introduce us? Just show us what He’s like.”

It’s an earnest question. But Jesus responds with both tenderness and astonishment:

“Philip, don’t you know me, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

Let’s pause here.

Jesus had spent the past three years walking with Philip and the other disciples—teaching, healing, loving, and serving. And yet, they still didn’t fully grasp that the person standing before them wasn’t just a man pointing to God, but God in the flesh.

Jesus adds, “The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (v.10). In other words: Everything I’ve said and done—every miracle, every teaching, every act of compassion—is God’s work. Because I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.

This is the mystery at the heart of the Christian faith. As Jesus said in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.”

Jesus Doesn’t Fit Our Expectations of the Divine

If we’re honest, we struggle with the same misunderstanding the disciples had. We say we know God, but often our ideas of Him don’t line up with Jesus.

We expect God to be like a king in a royal palace—distant, dazzling, and untouchable. We expect power to come with ego, glory with self-importance. But Jesus—the one in whom all authority and power had been given (John 13:3)—did something unexpected.

He washed feet.

Let that sink in. The King of the universe knelt before His disciples and performed the most menial task a servant could do. The God of all creation took the position of the lowliest person in the room.

“Because Jesus was and is God, He washed feet.”

This statement flips our theology upside down. But it’s exactly what Jesus wanted us to understand. In John 13:12–15, after finishing this humbling act, Jesus said:

“Do you understand what I have done for you? … I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

What does this reveal about God? It shows us that the essence of God is not self-exaltation, but self-giving love. He does not distance Himself from our mess—He steps into it. He does not demand to be served—He serves.

Because Jesus Is God…

We often speak as if Jesus does these things despite being God. But the Gospels say He did these things because He is God.

Let’s reflect on this truth:

• Because Jesus was and is God, He became flesh. (John 1:14)
  
• Because He was and is God, He touched lepers and loved the outcast.
  
• Because He was and is God, He went to the cross. (Philippians 2:6–8)
  
• Because He was and is God, He forgives, He restores, and He invites us to follow Him.
  
• Because He was and is God, He loves you—personally, deeply, eternally.
  

This is not a lesser image of God. This is God.

A Glimpse into the Heart of the Trinity

When Jesus said, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:10), He was offering us a glimpse into what theologians call perichoresis—the mutual indwelling of the Trinity.

This is a word that tries to capture the eternal relationship of love and unity between Father, Son, and Spirit. They are three distinct persons, yet fully one. Where one moves, the others move. Where one speaks, the others speak.

As theologian Michael Gorman puts it, “Jesus in motion is God in motion.”

Jesus didn’t come to replace God’s image, but to reveal it more fully. And that’s what makes this moment in John 14 so staggering. Jesus isn’t just giving information about God—He is the revelation of God.

“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God … has made him known.” (John 1:18)

Jesus Is the Bridge

John 14:6–7 sets the foundation:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.”

Jesus is the bridge to the Father—the path, the door, the revelation. He’s not just pointing us toward God. He brings us to God. And He does so not with power and prestige, but through love, humility, and sacrifice.

The more we understand Jesus, the more we begin to understand the heart of the Father. The more we walk with Jesus, the more we are drawn into the life of the Triune God.

When You Look at Jesus…

Let this truth sink in today:

• When you look at Jesus welcoming children, you see the Father’s tenderness.
  
• When you look at Jesus weeping at Lazarus’ tomb, you see the Father’s empathy.
  
• When you look at Jesus feeding the hungry, you see the Father’s provision.
  
• When you look at Jesus dying for your sins, you see the Father’s grace.
  

Jesus came not just to save us, but to reveal to us who God is—and He did so in a way that shattered expectations.

He Knows You and Still Loves You

At the heart of the Gospel is this simple truth:

You are fully known and fully loved.

Jesus knew everything about His disciples—He knew Peter would deny Him, Judas would betray Him, and the rest would run. And still, He washed their feet. Still, He taught them. Still, He invited them to abide in His love (John 15:9).

He does the same for you and me today.

Jesus doesn’t say, “Get it all together, and then you’ll understand God.”

He says, “Look at me. Abide in me. When you see me, you see the Father.”

A Prayer: Draw Me Closer, Lord

Lord, you told Philip that anyone who has seen you has seen the Father. Help me believe that today.

When I doubt your love, help me remember the cross.

When I question your presence, remind me of your promises.

When I’m tempted to imagine a distant, angry God—show me Jesus.

Because in Him I see your heart.

Draw me closer to you, Lord. I want to know you more.

Amen.

Final Thoughts

The disciples had trouble understanding Jesus’ oneness with God—and if we’re honest, so do we. But God didn’t leave us in the dark. He sent Jesus to make Himself known. And not as a ruler demanding loyalty, but as a servant washing feet. As a Savior bearing our sins. As a Shepherd laying down His life.

When we look at Jesus, we are seeing the clearest picture of God the world has ever known.

So the next time you wonder what God is like, look at Jesus.

---

Key Scriptures to Reflect On

• John 13:3–5 – Jesus washes the disciples’ feet
  
• John 14:6–11 – Jesus reveals His oneness with the Father
  
• John 10:30 – “I and the Father are one.”
  
• John 1:18 – Jesus makes the Father known
  
• Philippians 2:5–11 – Jesus’ humility and exaltation
  
• Hebrews 1:3 – Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory
  
• Colossians 1:15 – Jesus is the image of the invisible God