You Know and See Him

If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him (John 14:7).

In the last discourse of Jesus, there are a number of enigmatic, obscure, mysterious statement that I am sure caused the disciples to scratch their heads in wonderment. This is yet another one. Jesus said, If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also, which is to say, “If you know Me, you know the Father who has been speaking and working through Me.” He explained this in vv. 9-11, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 

He follows the statement with an equally mysterious statement, and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. No doubt the disciples were expecting to see the Father physically like they were seeing Jesus physically. But that’s not possible. Jesus said, God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Even so, when Moses requested to see God’s glory (His presence), the Lord responded (Exodus 33:20), You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me and live. He then set Moses in the cleft of a rock (a cave in the mountain side) and said, So it shall be, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen (Exodus 22-23).

In this life of sinful flesh, we are not permitted to see the Father face to face. However, Jesus said, from now on you know Him and have seen Him. How so? Through Jesus Christ. His words were given in the present tense. Not only was the Father known, heard, and seen through the ministry of Jesus, He would continue to be known, heard, and seen through Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. He would also be known and seen by us today through the work of the Holy Spirit, whom He sent to be to us what Jesus was to the 12 disciples. 

Until the promised Holy Spirit came upon the disciples (Acts 2:1-4) much of what the disciples knew, saw, and heard about the Father was dark, mysterious, and foreboding. Jesus was the shining light of hope to them, but He was about to be crucified, plunging them back into spiritual darkness and depression. But the coming Holy Spirit would change that. He would enlighten, empower, encourage, and instill within them a glorious faith and assurance that would transcend the concerns, cares, and crises of this life and ministry. He still does this today in us as we live for Jesus and seek to serve Him faithfully. He is our paraclete, the One who comes along side us to encourage and support us, and to lead us to do the Father’s will as we honor Jesus Christ through our faithful obedience. So, we can honestly say, “We know the Father and the Son, and have seen them through the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in and among us. Amen.

Pastor