Show Me The Father

5Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9Jesus said to him, “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’?
John 14: 5 - 9 NKJV

I found the words of Jesus spoken in John 14 interesting for some time.  Here was Philip asking his teacher to "Show us the Father."  Obviously, Philip knew just who the Father was, for Jesus had talked often of Him.  Not only that, but He had proclaimed Himself to be the Fathers Son.  Night and day, Jesus' dicsiples had traveled and lived with Him as He taught His ministry through the region.  Yes, they knew who the Father who Jesus spoke of was.  Indeed, Jesus had shared some pretty interesting things with His disciples as they traveled.  So it was that I found Philips question to show them the Father interesting.  Didn't he know that he had been in the very presence of the image of the invisible God {Colossions 1:15}?  Had Philip simply forgotten what Jesus ha dtold him at some earlier point?  Perhaps, but here he was asking the Son of God to show him the Father.  Now, who would know more about the Father than His Son?  In that respect, Philip was on the right track.  If he was looking for the Father he had come to the right place.  Some time ago there was a book put out by Henry Blackaby titled Experiencing God.  I don't recall going through this study, but I remember feeling that I needed to be closer to God.  Not only did I hear sermon upon sermon of the need to be closer to the Father, I myself felt that need as well.  Just like Philip, I found myself praying "Lord, show me the Father and I'll be ok."  Anyone see the issue with this?  Here I was, praying to God Himself, asking Him to show me...Him.  It may sound silly, but this is what I believed at the time.  Only God could show me God.  As it turns out, He did something better than that, He showed me the His Son.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2: 20 NKJV

My own search for experiencing God came as I began to realize the importance of the truth of Christ Jesus.  That is, that there is NO seperation today between ourselves and Jesus.  The truth which I realized was we ourselves live today as Christ Jesus who is in us.  We are His spiritual image.  When it comes to experiencing God, we do this each and every day through Jesus.  It is interesting the reaction I get when I relate this truth to others.  How can a MAN be Jesus?  What sort of quack philosophy is that?  Far from a new age philisophy, Christ in us is His very truth.  Recall the reaction the Pharisees of Jesus' day had whenever He proclaimed Himself to be the Son of God.  Now, most everyone is secure in the trust that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, but these Jewish leaders had a cow whenever Jesus would proclaim it!  How could a MAN be the Son of God?  This flew straight in the face of the religious teachings of the day.  Man was sinful, unholy and unclean.  Such a man could never come close to being related to God, for God hates sin.  This is the same reaction I see today.  The truth is that through Jesus we are children of God {1 John 3: 1}.  Our question shouldn't be show us the Father, but for Him to reveal His Son in us.

~Scott~