November 24, 2020 -- John 14:8-11 -- The Mystery

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

John 14:8-11 English Standard Version

This passage seems like a repetition of John 14:7. Why is Jesus repeating Himself? Great question. Jesus is speaking of a great and wonderful mystery—the Trinity. There is One God in Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A mystery is different than a contradiction.

Many people like to watch crime shows. We are familiar with the component parts of such shows. There is a body. There is a search for clues. The show revolves around a mystery that needs to be illuminated. Sometimes the investigators will reexamine the evidence over and over again seeking to put all the pieces together until the mystery is solved.

Jesus is inviting His disciples to consider, to meditate on over and over again, the information that will help them assemble the mystery of the Trinity. It is worth pondering. It is important that we, as believers, listen to Jesus Christ and consider His words. He is putting together the great truth of the Old Testament and revealing the Father’s purposes in His life and work. He is giving the Spirit so that believers who look to Jesus will see the purposes of and the loving-glory of the Father.

Remember a mystery and a contradiction are fundamentally different. A contradiction will not be untwisted no matter how many clues are given, no matter how much light is shed on it. When you are confronted with a contradiction it speaks against law and reason, it is ultimately nonsense.

Jesus is teaching His disciples concerning the mystery of the Trinity. He is giving information that will inform their minds and confirm to their hearts the reality of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God forever blessed!

Blessed be Your Name—from everlasting to everlasting. Your Name is glorious, exalted above all blessing and praise. You are the LORD alone. You made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them! Praise the LORD, let the earth hear Your voice. People of this great blue planet, come to the Father through Jesus the Son and as the Spirit gives us expression, let us give God the glory, now and forever more. Amen.

The prayer today is based on Nehemiah 9:5-6 and the chorus of To God be the Glory

https://youtu.be/JwI7TuLaPFs