The Good News for the Day, April 27, 2024
Saturday in the Fourth Week of Easter (284))
Jesus says to those of us inspired by Him: “If you have any idea of who I am, then you already recognize my Father, too.
From now on you have knowledge of Him and, yes,you have seen Him.”
Philip said to Jesus, “Sir, just show us this ‘Father’—that will work for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for such a long time—and still you don’t have any idea of who I am, Philip? Anybody who has seen me has recognized the Father, too!
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I address to you—I am saying these things not on my own. The Father who remains within me is doing his job.
Believe me—that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe just because of the things that get done.
The truth I am telling you is this: anybody who believes in me will be doing the same things I do—and achieve even greater things than these—because I am going to be gone to the Father.
In this regard—anything whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, so that the Father may be appreciated—glorified—in the Child. If you ask me anything as part of the Family, I will do it.” (John 14)
Jesus is pointing out a phenomenon that occurs to some but not all in adolescence – the discovery of the faults of our parents. I have often said that maturity occurs when we forgive our parents for being humans. Jesus is speaking of something parallel to that.
“Anybody who has seen me has seen the Father,” Jesus says. He is pointing to the discovery that everyone wears a mask between their true selves and how they look to others. It is not deceitful, it is natural.
The passage through adolescence to maturity, when we are loved, enables a person to see and accept that mask and an awareness of the person – the loving person behind shortcomings, mistakes, real faults, ignorance, and habits.
So it is with Jesus! It is not merely the mask – the behavior, the miracles, the insights and wisdom – which Jesus wears – but something deeper than all of that.
We see God! We see God’s creativity, God’s love for us, God’s forgiving patience, and even God’s involvement in our lives.
The challenges of faith that we have, the incomprehensible pain and suffering of ourselves and the people we love, the coming back from personal disasters and failures, and the deep-seated joy our heart has – lead us to see – in Jesus and people like Jesus – the love of God for you and me. We acknowledge that the cross is part of life – as are miracles and the fidelity of long-term friends – things Jesus reveals about Himself and the father. If you see Jesus with faith and live Him, you have the DNA of God in you!
Your joy is you are living out the opportunity to live that life of Jesus and God today.
jorisheise 