Thomas had asked to be shown the way, now Philip asks to be shown the Father. To both questions Jesus pointed them to Himself. As it says in Colossians 1:19, all the fullness of God dwells in Christ, and the answer to most of our questions is to look to Jesus.
Jesus expresses dismay that Philip does not seem to have realised just who He is. If we see Jesus we see the Father. The character of the Father is the same as the character of Jesus. What Jesus did the Father was doing. The Father and the Son are distinct, but are also in complete unity.
Jesus implores them to believe this truth. Sometimes people view the cross as a matter of Jesus placating an angry God. This is not the case. The Father and the Son were completely united in what had to be done. Even if they won't believe this, Jesus urges them to at least believe in the works He did.
Jesus then makes the amazing statement that those who believe in Him will do the works that He is doing, and even greater things. Note that v11 and v12 both refer to the works that Jesus did, some versions translate v11 as miracles, but it the original Greek uses the same word in both cases, and it is works. We find verse 12 very hard to accept, as it seems utterly impossible. The word for "greater" that is used hear does not mean "greater in quantity", but "greater in quality", which makes it even harder for us to believe.
A crucial part of the promise is "because I am going back to the Father". After He has done this the Holy Spirit would come to dwell in believers. Whatever the precise meaning of the promise, and I cannot claim to know, it does mean that there is no limit to what God can achieve through us. Believing in Jesus is definitely not a matter of getting a "ticket to heaven", it is about a whole new life, and a life lived in increasing fellowship and unity with God.
This section closes with a promise on prayer. It is important to note that this is linked to doing the Father's works. The disciples were understandably troubled at all that was happening, but they had no need to be. It was all part of God's plan. They probably feared that the whole thing was falling apart, but in fact the cross was crucial to the implementation of the plan, and after it even more of God's work would be done.
Jesus expresses dismay that Philip does not seem to have realised just who He is. If we see Jesus we see the Father. The character of the Father is the same as the character of Jesus. What Jesus did the Father was doing. The Father and the Son are distinct, but are also in complete unity.
Jesus implores them to believe this truth. Sometimes people view the cross as a matter of Jesus placating an angry God. This is not the case. The Father and the Son were completely united in what had to be done. Even if they won't believe this, Jesus urges them to at least believe in the works He did.
Jesus then makes the amazing statement that those who believe in Him will do the works that He is doing, and even greater things. Note that v11 and v12 both refer to the works that Jesus did, some versions translate v11 as miracles, but it the original Greek uses the same word in both cases, and it is works. We find verse 12 very hard to accept, as it seems utterly impossible. The word for "greater" that is used hear does not mean "greater in quantity", but "greater in quality", which makes it even harder for us to believe.
A crucial part of the promise is "because I am going back to the Father". After He has done this the Holy Spirit would come to dwell in believers. Whatever the precise meaning of the promise, and I cannot claim to know, it does mean that there is no limit to what God can achieve through us. Believing in Jesus is definitely not a matter of getting a "ticket to heaven", it is about a whole new life, and a life lived in increasing fellowship and unity with God.
This section closes with a promise on prayer. It is important to note that this is linked to doing the Father's works. The disciples were understandably troubled at all that was happening, but they had no need to be. It was all part of God's plan. They probably feared that the whole thing was falling apart, but in fact the cross was crucial to the implementation of the plan, and after it even more of God's work would be done.
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