God's Word for You (Thursday, Jul 29, 2010)
A Daily Devotion by Pastor Tim Smith
John 14:8-14
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
The second traditional question at Passover is, “Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, but on this night we eat bitter herbs?” The Apostle Philip turned to the Lord and asked him (his grammar is imperative, show us, but it’s still a request) to show them God the Father. The response to the traditional question should involve a reference to Exodus 12:8, in which God commanded the Israelites to eat bitter herbs with their Passover meal. Traditional bitter herbs include Romaine lettuce (which becomes bitter after the first taste, like the slavery in Egypt), endive, parsley, green onions and even dandelion. The command to eat the bitter herbs and roasted meat (not raw or boiled) concludes with the simple statement: “I am the LORD” (Exodus 12:12). Philip’s request focuses on the identity of the Lord: Show us the Father.
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 are not just my own. 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 miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He 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 Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (NIV)
I wonder how much Jesus was hurt by Philip’s questions. God the Father cannot be seen by a human being (Exodus 33:20). By becoming a man, Jesus presented God in a physical body that could be seen and touched by mankind; he showed us the Father in himself. Is Jesus truly God? Jesus said: “At least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” With the words of Jesus, the disciples sometimes got lost and confused, but with the miracles? All they had to do was pinch the risen Lazarus and listen for his “Ouch!” to know that Jesus was truly God who can raise the dead.
Jesus goes on: “If you have faith in me, you’ll do even more than this.” Jesus, about to die, rise and ascend into heaven, assured his followers that they would perform even more miracles, beginning with the amazing gift of tongues at Pentecost. The words of verse 14, “Ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it,” do not present a magic formula, as if saying the words In Jesus’ Name force God to obey our commands like a genie or the Islamic idea of a Jinn or demon. Instead, we pray in the name of Jesus, in accord with the will of Jesus, and he always answers our prayers. Although he sometimes answers us with “no,” or “in my own time,” we still go to him in prayer and know that he knows what is best for us, and for the people around us. Perhaps an answer of “No” from God isn’t about a flaw in me or about my readiness at all. Perhaps it’s about the readiness of the people around me for a certain blessing to come into my life.
Pray today, and know that God is listening to you, that God loves you, and that God will certainly answer you. Pray boldly, pray with confidence like a small child asking a parent. Pray in Jesus’ name. He has already forgiven your sins. God will keep on blessing you.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul's Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. His wife, Kathryn, attended Chapel from 1987-1990 while studying Secondary Education (Theater and Math) at UW-Madison. Kathryn's father, John Meyer, was also the first man to serve as a Vicar at Chapel.
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