John 14:8-14

GOING TO MAKE THE DISCIPLES CO-LABORERS

Text 14:8-14

8

Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

9

Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father?

10

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I say unto you I speak riot from myself: but the Father abiding in me doeth his works.

11

Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works-' sake.

12

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.

13

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14

If ye shall ask anything in my name, that will I do.

Queries

a.

How fully did Jesus expect Philip to know Him as God Incarnate?

b.

What are the greater works which believers shall do?

c.

To whom were the promises of John 14:13-14 made?

Paraphrase

Philip said to Him, Lord, give us a manifestation of the Father which we may see with our eyes and we shall be satisfied. Jesus turned to Philip and said, HaveIbeen such a long time with you and you do not really know Me and see the Divine Personality of the Father in Me, Philip? Any man who has come to recognize My deity has seen the revelation of the Person of the Father which is far better than a physical manifestation; why, therefore, do you still say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am abiding in the Father and the Father is abiding in Me and We are One? The words that I speak to you are not of human origin, but the Father dwelling in Me is performing His redemptive works by speaking in Me, the Son. Take Me at My word and believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. But if my Person, my life, my words do not command trust, then at least follow the way of reasonableness, and from the supernatural character of My works realize My supernatural Personality. I say to you truly, he who believes in Me, the works which I am doing he will do also. And even greater works than these miracles of nature will my disciple do, because I am going to the Father and My going supplies an even greater power. And whatever you shall ask, if it be in accordance with the will of God and in my name, I will do it in order that the Father may be glorified in what the Son does. If you shall ask Me anything, in My name and according to My will, I will answer your request.

Summary

Jesus speaks plainly and lovingly to a despairing and misunderstanding band of disciples of His intimate oneness with the Father. He tells them plainly that He is the Incarnate God. He points them to His teaching and His works and promises to do for them anything that the Father can and will do. These are designed to be words of strength.

Comment

The preceding words of Jesus about the house of the Father and the dwelling places being prepared there have stroked a familiar heartstring within the bosom of Philip. All men who believe in God (and those who believe in many gods, for that matter) have longed to see Him with the physical eye. Especially would a Jew desire to be so honored with a manifestation of God to his sensory perceptions as had some of his ancestors (Moses and Isaiah) (cf. Isaiah 24:9-11; Isaiah 33:18; Isaiah 6:1-13).

The heart of Jesus was grieved at Philip's little faith just as the heart of God was grieved at the unbelief of the Israelites in the desert (cf. Psalms 78:40; Psalms 95:10; Isaiah 63:10). Yet one can almost feel the pathos and tenderness of Jesus as he answers Philip. God has been in their midst in the person of His Son and yet they ask to see God; they have eyes to see but they see not. They have seen Jesus and His Messianic kingdom only through earthly eyes. They have not opened their spiritual perception and looked at Him with eyes of faith. They were walking by sight and not by faith (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:7). Have all the long days and nights spent teaching this select group of disciples been in vain? Do they still not see that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him? We have no right to question the loyalty and understanding of the disciples so far as it has come. They have confessed His Messiahship (cf. John 6:68-69; Matthew 16:15-16, etc.). But, due to their Jewish background, they still separated the Messiah from any equality with Jehovah-God. As wonderful as Peter's confession is (Matthew 16:16),we do not believe Peter understood the oneness of Jesus and the Father at that time as he did after the resurrection of Jesus. None of the disciples comprehended the Incarnate God in Jesus until after. His glorification.

Jesus plainly declares that to see Him is to see the Father. Here, we believe, the word see is used in a sense to mean spiritual comprehension and not sensory perception. To learn and come to know the character and nature of the Personality of Jesus is to learn and come to know the real character and nature of the Personality of God. To know Jesus is to know Godto know God as completely as it is possible to know Him this side of eternity. Furthermore, to know the Personality of God as He has revealed it is to know Him more fully than any physical manifestation could afford. We may look physically at the outward appearance of our fellow mortals day after day and never really know them until they take us into their confidence and reveal their innermost personalities (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16). But Jesus knew that He had made sufficient revelation through His teaching and His works that these men should have recognized the Incarnate God in Him! Why, then, should they still say, Show us the Father?

John 14:10 arid 11 are basic to a true understanding of the nature of Christianity as a revealed religion. As Mr. Hendriksen says, This passage shows that all knowledge with respect to the facts of redemption is based on genuine, Christian faith. The redemptive-' purposes of God for man are revealed. The oneness of Jesus Christ and God the Father is revealed. Reason unaided by revelation could not possibly have discovered this. The existence of God, and perhaps certain attributes of His nature, may be revealed in nature (cf. Romans 1:1-32), but redemption is known only as it is revealed in His Son and the Holy Spirit guided apostles.

Whenever Jesus speaks, the Father works by means of this speaking. And for men to believe the words of Jesus is to do the work of God (cf. John 6:28-29). Jesus implies here that He expected the disciples to believe in His oneness with the Father through the words which He spoke for never a man spake like this man. He spoke as one having authority and not as the scribes. His words, charged with authority, tender with compassion, astounding in their truth and wisdom, should have, on their own, commanded the belief of the disciples that He was one with the Father. But if His person and His words do not engender faith in His oneness with the Father, then let these disciples at least follow the reasonable consequences of the supernatural signs and wonders which He performed before their very eyes. Let them believe in His oneness with the Father by the miracles which He did (cf. John 5:36-37; John 10:37-38). The Christian religion is founded squarely upon the deity of Jesus Christ which has been proven by supernatural, miraculous deeds, performed in history witnessed by the eyes and ears of men. Having thus established empirical proof of His deity Jesus demands that all other truths and doctrines which He taught be believed, trusted and obeyed by FAITH!

In John 14:12 Jesus gives another of the purposes in His soon going away. Using the discussion of His works as a springboard, He proceeds to promise the disciples that they will carry on His work in a much greater way. He promises that the disciples will do miraculous works of a supernatural character just as He did during His earthly ministry, But greater works than these miracles of nature would they do because of His going to the Father. By His going He means, of course, His death, resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Spirit of Truth. The greater works which they would do were the works of preaching the gospel to thousands of people, both Jews and Gentiles, and winning the surrender of their hearts to Jesus by the power of the gospel. There is power in the gospel far more commanding and revolutionary than any miracle over nature, for it is a power that is capable of bringing the free will of man into harmony with the will of God. This power in the gospel came in its fullness only after the going away by Jesus (His complete glorification).

He promises further that anything they shall ask in His name will be granted. He not only promises that they shall do great and wonderful things by the power of God, He sets up the power lines through which this power shall flow. The power is not in prayer, per se, but is in the Holy Spirit who shall come and grant every request made in the name of Jesus. Prayers are the communication lines to the source of power. To pray in the name of Jesus means far more than the utterance of a ritualistic formula. It means the prayer must be first and foremost in the interest of the kingdom of God. Their requests must be in harmony with the will of God (cf. Luke 11:2; 1 John 5:14-15). Lenski says, In all the connections in which this important phrase occurs (to onoma) (the name), denotes the revelation by which we know Jesus. This revelation covers his person as well as his work. To pray in His name does not mean on the basis of My name, but it means in UNION with My (name) person and My revelation.

A major question of interpretation of this passage is to whom is Jesus speaking here? There is no doubt that He speaks primarily to the 11 disciples in the upper room. We believe that according to other New Testament Scriptures portions of these promises are for all believers.
Hendriksen says, It is certainly worthy of notice that, according to this great saying of our Lord, the greater works are the spiritual works. The miracles in the physical realm are subservient to those in the spiritual sphere; the former serve to prove the genuine character of the latter. Does Jesus, perhaps, by means of this very comparison, which places the spiritual so far above the physical, hint that miracles in the physical sphere would gradually disappear when they would no longer be necessary?

We believe that 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, taken in the context of Chapter s 12 through 14 (all three Chapter s speaking of the same thingmiraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit) teaches that very thing. When that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. Thus we believe that the promise of Jesus that anyone who believes in Him will do greater works than physical miracles applies to all believers who by preaching and teaching the gospel convert sinners. Love and preaching the gospel are greater works than speaking in tongues and healings.

In 1 John 5:14-15 the promise is made to all believers that if they ask anything according to His will they shall have it. There are enough parallel passages in the New Testament to show the discerning reader that Jesus made certain promises of powers and miracle to His chosen apostles which He did not intend that all believers should exercise.

Jesus-' going away meant that believing disciples would forever after become His co-laborers in God's purpose of redemption. Some (the chosen apostles) would need for awhile to do works (miracles of nature) similar to the ones which Jesus did. But these were secondary and only foundational for the greater works which would be done, not only by the chosen apostles, but by all believers. All believers are stewards of the power resident in the gospel and are admonished to administer it wisely (cf. 1 Peter 4:10-11; 2 Timothy 2:1-2).

Again, the words of Jesus are pointed toward strengthening the disciples there who shall soon be without His bodily presence and for the strengthening of all disciples down through the ages who must walk by faith and not by sight. These things are spoken by Jesus and recorded by the apostles that men might truly believe (trust) in Jesus and believing have eternal life (John 20:31).

Quiz

1.

Why might we expect Philip to long for a physical manifestation of God?

2.

How was the heart of Jesus probably touched by Philip's request?

3.

How may we see God if we see Jesus?

4.

In what way does man know the redemptive purposes of God?

5.

Primarily, how did Jesus expect the disciples to recognize His oneness with the Father?

6.

How important are the historically witnessed miracles of Jesus and the apostles?

7.

What are the greater works promised by Jesus? Who would do them?

8.

What does in My name mean?