Show Us

 . . . show us the Father . . . . 

 - From John 14

Thomas made the famous statement "If I see the holes in his hands, and put my hand into the wound on His side, I will believe," and throughout history he has been isolated for his "doubting" nature. As if any one of us were more purely faithful than he. 

But Philip had had an equivalent conversation with the Lord, that merits equal treatment as Thomas's dialogue with Christ.

Jesus was having a deep interaction with the Twelve, in which He was laying out the deeper things to come: the Cross, the Way to eternal life, etc. Jesus had just told Thomas "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

And then Philip, either from pure naivete, or more likely a desire to impress the Lord with his depth of inquisitiveness, says "Show us the Father."

Now, the first thing I notice is where Philip presumes to speak on behalf of the entire group. What he really means is "Show me the Father." But to give his statement credibility, he includes the entire group into his statement. (This is a minor pet peeve of mine - - - the person that speaks for everybody, without knowing what everybody really thinks. "We missed you so much." or "We really love that German chocolate cake you made.")

Jesus goes on to explain that, if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father. That we should just trust Him at His word. But if that's not good enough, consider the works that He has done, that only someone in touch with the Creator could do. 

We all desperately want to see the Father. We want to see Jesus. George Harrison had a number one hit making that same sentiment: I really want to see you, but it takes so long!

There's a linkage between the Person of Christ, and His works. If we really want to see Jesus, we can bring Him into our midst, by simply following Him. Do what He would do. 

It has been hard to see Jesus, to see the Father, in the world that began in March, 2020 and continues to this day (April, 2021). We have been told there is a lot of pain and grief in the world, (that a lot of people have not actually seen for themselves). We have been told that if we follow certain dictums (like religious rites), that we will be "safe." But the dictums are the same old religious routines from antiquity: Cover your face. Go off in isolation. Be quiet.

But unlike these practices when they're combined with real faith, we're supposed to do all of these things today, because it is what a man-made government wants us to do. The requirements in 2021 don't even make any mention of caring for each other. We're supposed to shut up and shut down. 

The world needs to see the Father, and fast. We know how to answer that question, how to satisfy that prayer. Do the works of the Lord. And He never asked us to stay inside. He says "let your light shine."

Indeed.