Wednesday in the Word...John 14:7-11...1432 miles (one way), 8 states, and a couple cuties

1432 miles (one way), 8 states (Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois), and the opportunity to connect back up with Libby and Taylor.  Worth it?  Definitely!  Thank you for your prayers as we met almost every type of weather possible.  After a few wonderful days and probably some tears to be shed then we will "rinse and repeat" the trek back to Maine!  We so cherish the time to be with our family.  These sisters are growing up so fast.

Here is the first Wednesday in the Word for the year 2020!  We continue into this new year with our study of the Gospel of John, chapter 14 and verses 7 through 11, which read,

v.7 - "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

Jesus has been speaking to Thomas and the rest of His disciples and gave them the definitive answer that He is "the" way and "the" truth and "the" life and no one, no exceptions allowed, could come to His Father except through the way He would provide through His very self.  Jesus would soon be leaving them but going to prepare a place for them who would believe in Him as the Son of God and return to retrieve them as His sheep onto Himself.

Jesus goes on to say to Thomas and the rest of the disciples, minus Judas Iscariot, that if they would have grasped fully Jesus as God then they would have also grasp that God was in their midst.  They would soon.  They would be proclaimers to their deaths that Jesus was and is all that He claimed to be.  They will truly grasp God because they equate Jesus, the One they have touched, seen, and heard, as God.  

v.8 - Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 

Philip is another of Jesus' disciples that speaks up at times.  He gave his insight at the feeding of the 5,000.  He had figured out how much it would take to give everyone just a little morsel to eat.  He seems to be one who thinks about things on a level to see some further action take place.  He has just heard Jesus say that knowing the Father is important and that He is the way to the Father so..."Jesus, take us there" is his response.  This seems to be the next thing to do on the agenda.

v.9 - Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?" 

Philip's response has missed the mark.  Philip is still seeing Jesus as a phenomenal prophet who can do God-like things but he hasn't made the connection that Jesus is God come to them as His name implies.  His name is called "Emmanuel" which means "God with us."  I can't help but hear the disappointment and maybe some frustration in Jesus' response to Philip.  

3 years of teaching and miracles with much personal time with these 12 and Philip, an eye witness who was up close and personal with Jesus and His many miracles which were performed for people to believe, is still is looking for something or someone else.  I can almost hear Jesus saying, "Philip, have you not heard a word I have said!?!"

v.10 - "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works." 

A good teacher will get frustrated and disappointed in his or her students' progress at times but a good teacher will not linger there long.  The good teacher will continue to teach and so Jesus goes over the material again with Philip and the other 10.

Jesus and the Father are interconnected.  Jesus is "in" the Father and the Father is "in" Jesus.  Even the words that Jesus says are connected to the Father as coming directly from the Father.  It is not just Jesus speaking to Philip but God Himself.  It is not just Jesus standing before Philip but God Himself.  God's work and His will was for Philip and the rest of the disciples to know who He is so He sent Jesus, His Son, His exact representation, as one of them to know Him.

v.11 - "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves."

It is necessary that we believe something specific and that specific belief is that Jesus and God are one.  We have Jesus' words that say so, the Scriptures that say so, the faithful prophets that say so, God Himself speaking as saying so, and the miracles of Jesus saying so.  How much more do we need?  "Who is Jesus?"  This is the question that needs to be answered.  The right answer is, "Jesus is God."  All the other world religions have some other answer to this question.

It really points that we have sufficient evidence but we need our hearts changed to really see who is before us.  It is a work of God to take our hearts of stone and give us a new heart to love Him with.  One who truly believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One sent by God as God to us, will respond with repentance, confession, submission (surrender), and obedience.  

If Jesus is the Savior then I am the sinner.  If I am a sinner then I need to confess my sin to my Savior for forgiveness.  I surrender my will steeped in my sinful nature and willingly submit to a better will for my life, God's will.  I rise in obedience to His will for the rest of my life as a disciple of Him for the glory of Him and no longer myself.  This is one who is truly justified, being sanctified, and looking forward to being glorified someday face to face with Christ.

Happy 2020!  May we have more Wednesdays in the Word in the gospel of John together to hear more from our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ.  

Adam