John 14:8-17, 25-27
If there was ever a moment in which Jesus likely felt a sense of frustration with one of his disciples, it had to be this moment with Phillip.
The Lord had literally just finished explicitly spelling out the truth that if you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen the Father, and Phillip chooses that moment to ask Jesus, “Will you show us the Father?”
And Phillip is, in a sense, all of us.
Through Jesus, through scripture, through history and tradition, through nature, and through reason God has revealed and communicated spiritual truth to us. He has placed at our disposal many of the mysteries of the universe. He’s shown us who he is and what he is like.
And after having received all of this revelation, we often, like Phillip, still don’t get it. So we ask for more.
And when we ask for more of God, he graciously gives himself more fully to us. Jesus even issues the promise that those who believe in him and his teachings will not only do the kinds of amazing things Jesus has done but will actually do even greater things than Jesus.
Does this mean we will have more supernatural power at our disposal than Jesus himself? No, not exactly. What it does mean is that while Jesus was able to accomplish such great things during his life, he barely scratched the surface in terms of showing the world the power of the gospel.
In our era, in obedience to the Great Commission and in partnership with the ever-present, empowering Holy Spirit, we get to take that message to the very ends of the earth to see the lives of billions transformed for all eternity!