Philip
said to him, “lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 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?” Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father and the
Father in me...-John
14:8-10
As a Matter of fact, Jesus
has made clear one point before hand, even before his dispels and Philip that
nobody had seen the shape of God which can be seen in the following verse.
And
the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me, ye have
neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape -John 5:37
However, why Jesus has said
“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father?”
In fact, the main intention of Jesus in saying as “he who has seen me has seen the Father” is not to
make us clear that God has the two hands, two legs, ears, eyes, beard and mustache just as him. Then to know why Jesus has said that as “he that hath
seen me hath seen the Father” first we have to read the last part of the verse
of John 14:8-10 that “how sayest thou then,
shew us the father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father and Father in me.” According
to this, it is clearly understood that Jesus has proclaimed “he that hath seen
me hath seen the Father” because of “Jesus is in the Father and Father in him.”
Not only Jesus is in the Father and Father is in him but every believer has the
same opportunity to be in the Father and Father in him according to the
following verse.
God
is love; and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him. – 1 John 4:16
According the above verse
one who possesses the attribute of “Love” which God possesses, abides in God
and God will abide in him. This means if we see that type of believer, who
possesses love which is the attribute of God, has seen the Father. Here, seeing
means not the external physical shape but seeing means to understand completely
the internal nature. In this meaning only Jesus is saying figuratively- “he who
has seen me has seen the Father”.
But according to the
following verse some pastors argue that due to Jesus is the image of God, he
said as “he who has seen me has seen the Father.”
He
is the image of the invisible God... – 1 Colossians
1:15
If anybody argues according
to the above verse that due to Jesus is the image of God, Jesus has said as “he
who has seen me has seen the Father” then first we have to believe according to
the below verses that Adam also the image of God and every man is the image of
God and one who sees Adam has seen the Father of one who sees the image of man,
has sees the Father!
So
God created man in His own image in the image of God He created him:-
Genesis 1:27
For
a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image of God and
glory of God. – 1 Corinthians 11:7
Therefore, if anybody argue that
because of Jesus is image of God he proclaimed as “he who has seen me has seen
the Father” then first one should believe that if one who has seen Adam or has
seen the man has seen the Father!
So arguing as because of
Jesus is possessing the image of the Father, he said as “he who has seen me has
seen the Father” becomes sheer ridiculous.
In this regard everyone
should understand one thing that after Jesus saying before his dispels as “he
who has seen me has seen the Father” did they believe him to be incarnate of
God just as the present church believes? If they have believed Jesus to be a
incarnate of God basing on the above proclamation of him could they ever have
proclaimed as follows?
No
one has seen God at any time. – 1
John 4:12
...who
alone has immorality, dwelling in inappropriate light, whom no man has seen or
can see. - 1 Timothy 6:16
According to the above
verses it is obvious that even after Jesus saying before the dispels as “he who
has seen me has seen the Father” they never ever have believed that “Jehovah is
Jesus.”
“Seeing” means
“Understanding”
...because
seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they
understand. – Matthew
13:13
Hearing
you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not
perceive. – Matthew 13:15
But
blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear. –
Mathew 13:16
According to the above
verses we can clearly understand that seeing means to understand or perceive.
Keeping in the view of these verses kindly observe the below verses spoken by
Jesus.
Then
Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him
who sent me. And who sees me sees Him who sent me.–
John 12:44-45
If
you had known me, you would have known my Father also; and from now on you know
him and have seen Him. – John 14:7
According to the above
verses seeing means not the seeing of external physical shape but to understand
wholly the nature of Jesus. In this meaning only Jesus has said metaphorically
as “he who has seen me has seen the Father”.
Metaphorical words of Jesus
He
who hears you hears me, he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me
rejects Him who sent me. – Luke 10:16
He
who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives Him who sent
me. – Matthew 10:40
He
who believes in me, believes not in me but in Him who sent me.–
John 12:44
And
he who sees me sees Him who sent me. – John 12:45
This means if one hears
dispels hears Jesus, if one rejects dispels rejects Jesus and in one receives
dispels receives Jesus. In the same way if one believes Jesus believes the
Father and if one sees Jesus to means as understand completely Jesus has seen
the Father.
