⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus answered: “Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. · ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Jesus’ unanswered prayer is the foundation of every one of our answered prayers.
Thoughts
- Philip’s Request and Jesus’ Answer (8–11) His request is deeply human. He wants one clear, unequivocal sighting of God. Philip is not slow. Philip is us: he has heard it and asks anyway. Jesus answers with grief rather than irritation: Don't you know me, Philip? The question is singular: one man addressed by name, not a group rebuke. There is no fuller, truer, or more severe God standing behind Him. The One the disciples have been walking with, listening to, and watching is the visible face of the Father: to see Jesus is to see God. This is the answer to the biblical ache. Moses asked to see God's glory, and was told no man could see His face and live. The temple kept the presence behind a curtain. Now the invisible God has a human face, and that face is about to be struck and spat upon for us. Note how gently he handles the man who cannot get there: believe me, or else believe because of the works. He takes the faith that comes in the side door. If you want to know the heart of God, look at the One at the table with them, who will soon go to the cross. ➤ There is nothing more of God to see than what you see in Him.
- Greater Works Because He Is Going (12) The promise of greater works is frequently misunderstood as a call to spiritual performance. But Jesus says the source of the greatness is this: because I am going to the Father. His going includes the cross, the resurrection, the ascension, and the gift of the Spirit. The works become greater in reach and scope, not because the disciples are stronger, but because the finished work of Jesus is now being applied across the world through his people. Then consider who he hands it to: men who have understood almost nothing at this table, trusted with his work before they get anything right. Augustine said the greater work is a righteous man made out of an ungodly one, because that will outlast heaven and earth. ➤ The power is not in the intensity of our effort. The power is in the finished work of the One who left.
- Prayer in His Name (13–14) Jesus ties answered prayer to two realities: his name, and the Father's glory. This is not a blank check for our desires. To ask in Jesus' name is to ask in alignment with who he is and what he came to do. The purpose of every answered prayer is that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Men in this group have prayed for a marriage that failed, a parent who died anyway, a child who is not well. Read against that personal history, v. 14 sounds false, or like an accusation that they did not believe hard enough. It’s neither one. Within hours the same Jesus falls on the ground: Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. He had perfect faith, perfect standing, and he asked in the only name heaven honors. The answer was no. His unanswered prayer becomes the foundation of every prayer of ours that is answered.
Reflection
- What have you asked God for and not been given? Does it matter that the Father said ‘no’ to his own Son in the garden so he could say ‘yes’ to you?
