John 14:9
Jesus 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’?
This chapter is continuing from the last Passover. Here Jesus was comforting the disciples. As they were sad after Jesus had told them he must leave them. This chapter documents that Jesus did not want the disciples’ hearts to be troubled. Jesus wanted them to consider heaven as their everlasting rest. That, they would understand the power of prayer. Jesus explained the coming of another comforter. And communion between Him and the disciples after His departure.
Philip, who is not so out spoken, cries out in a strong desire for more light, more truth, and more of God the father. This cry is not just for him but for all of the disciples. However, bold, and noble his request, it gave testimony of how weak his faith was and his ignorance of the gospel's way of manifesting the Father which is spiritual not sensible.
Here is Jesus response to Philip. "Was it not you Philip who on that day I came to you, you declared me as Messiah, yet you claim not to know me?" The word know in Greek is Ginosco to recognize. In Hebrew the word know; is to be intimate like a man and wife. Jesus is willing to make the best of His disciples’ knowledge, though they are weak and defective in it. He knows the good that is in them better than they do themselves. Therefore Jesus takes this opportunity to continue to educate this disciple.
Have you ever been in a situation where your dealing with another person that you just met and you know they are believers? By the way that person acts in kindness perhaps? Their very person reminds you of Jesus. Like you can just see the fruits of the Spirit?
Shopping for work boots one day we had a very attentive sales lady assist us. Now, this is not a happy time for the Gonzalez tribe. Yet this lady continued to bring out boot after boot and finding the best boot for our buck. I very secretly took the first pair and went about the women section of the store. I knew after all this work that Wally would end up buying the first pair. Going on eighteen years of marriage a girl just knows "ginoscos" her man. The sales lady comes to me after leaving Wally to decide. I was giggling over a plaque that stated "cowgirl by choice a child of God by birth" She commented to me that she loves working at this store for they are not afraid of offending other with messages like that. She then told me how she asked God to give her an example of how to deal appropriately with something she was currently going through. She said she had asked God for an example of how to deal with the situation appropriately, and he did. What a privilege it is to have others see the father through us.