John chapter 14

vs 1

Context is a wonderful thing. You can read some verses, or some you will hear over and over again, because they are good verses, but nothing beats going through the whole thing and seeing what the situation behind those verses is. I think chapters 14-17 are going to be like that for John. Says alot about how good a book it is, but also about how much we need to recognise the context of those chapters.

Jesus' classic words here are not floating in a deep nothingness. He's just told his disciples that one of them will betray him, one will deny him three times, and that he's going somewhere they can't follow, for now. Is it any wonder he says that they shouldn't let their hearts be troubled? He wants them to trust him, to have faith that this isn't going to end badly. They should trust him as they trust God - completely. But not just to trust him generally - they need to trust him specifically in an understanding that God is above all the doubts, betrayals and denials of his people. His purpose will always be on top.

vs 2

And Jesus, even though he is going away, is going to be with God. They all should know what that means - it's not like it's the first time Jesus has said he's going to die, but now they're probably a little more worried. They know his opponents want to kill him, and they know that one of them will betray him to them. Jesus knows it too, but he is telling them that it's part of the plan. He goes away to prepared places for his people in heaven.

vs 3

And the end result of the plan is that they will go to be with the Father (and Jesus) too. But Jesus has to go away to do that. He can't hang around with the disciples on their knock-about romp through Israel for ever. Three and a bit years, it's not as long as they'd like I guess. But Jesus thought it was long enough. But he will return. I'm assuming he's talking about his end-times return here, rather than his return from the dead. Because he didn't take them all with him when he came back from the dead.

vs 4

Apparently, if they'd been listening, they would know.

vs 5

Thomas is there to prove him wrong though. Well done! It's only fair, though, to me anyway. The way John portrays Jesus, especially what Jesus says, is very confusing, and you never really know when to take his words literally, or whether he's painting a word picture or using symbols. So what is Thomas meant to think now? Is Jesus really going to the Father? Is he going to die to do that? Or what?

vs 6

An alternate translation is "I am the true and living way". The point is that Jesus was talking about going to be with the Father, and preparing places for his disciples there. And he's the only one that can do that, that can get you to the Father's house.

vs 7

Jesus wants them to get that! From now on, they should see God the Father when they look at Jesus. Will they? Not yet, they still don't get it. But Jesus is saying that they do, even if they don't realise it now. They do know the Father, because they do know Jesus.

vs 8

Whoops, but another disciple wants to prove Jesus wrong. Philip is now showing that he, too, doesn't get it. They want to see the Father. But didn't Jesus just say "If you know me, you know my Father as well?" But Philip wants to see it, with his own two beadies. "That will be enough". But would it? So often we look back and say "If only we could meet Jesus, that would be enough for me. That would clinch it for me. Then I could really have faith." Well, meet Philip. He was there, and he wanted more.

vs 9

Jesus, I think, is suitably peeved. How can he say it? We met Philip back in chapter 1. He's been there with Jesus the full time. He's the third disciple. But he still doesn't get it. So Jesus makes it clear. He says that if you look at him, you are looking at the Father. Same same. Now, at the end, the night before he goes to die, and Philip comes out with this pearler.

vs 10

The Father is in Jesus! God in Jesus is God at work, God in action, God on earth. Don't you believe, Philip? How much more do you need to see? You've witnessed every miracle, heard everything he had to say. But that hasn't been enough. Peter was one of the three who saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain. He still goes on to deny Jesus as Christ three times. Is it ever going to be enough?

At some point, you have got to look at what you think you really need to see and hear before you're going to believe, and then look back at all the things you actually have seen and heard, and you'll probably realise "Hey, ok, I have actually got a hell of a lot of evidence here, and a hell of a lot of reasonable propositions, and a whole lot of seeming coincidences, and so on and so on". That's what Jesus is asking Philip to do here. Don't just set the standard as "one bit more than I have, and then I'll believe". Look at what you've already got! Because if you call on God to do one more thing, one bigger thing, and he doesn't do it, you are in a lot of trouble. It means you've already got enough. God can't be unjust. He just can't. And so if you ask for something ("Reveal the Father, that will be enough") and it doesn't come, the truth is you've already got enough information. God isn't a miracle candy-machine. He knows you better than you know yourself. He'll give you what you need, and to ask more is just rude really. Jesus got upset at Philip, and I think that was fair.