John 14:8-17 (NRSV)
Read John 14:8-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 8Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Verse 9Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Verse 10Do 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; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Verse 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.
Verse 12Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. Verse 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Verse 14If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
Verse 15"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Verse 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. Verse 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
Devotion
There are a lot of God questions swirling around us. There is lots of confusion about God. There are rigid beliefs about God for many. Many pretend to know more about God than God knows about God. It has always been difficult for me to discuss God with someone who is so certain about God. That is why for Philip and for us the same plea might be fitting: "Show us the Father." Have you not known Jesus since a child or met him in your journey? Jesus shows us who God is. God is love and "Jesus loves me" is our simple but profound mantra. God accepts the whole world and Jesus accepts you and me. God is a compassionate God and in Jesus we see that compassion for the poor and the outcast, the unloved and the unaccepted. The challenge for us is to ask a lot of questions of ourselves and have deep discussions in community about Jesus and the work he was about. We don't always get the answers we want.
Prayer
Show us, God, in the midst of our questions, doubts and desires the one who truly lived life for us, Jesus Christ. Amen.