Show us the Father and that will be enough for us. It seems Jesus had opened the can of worms when he talked to his disciples about him going to the Father and preparing a place for them. Thomas didn’t hold back and requested Jesus to tell them in plain terms where he was going and how they (the likes of Thomas) were to get there. But it was not only Thomas who had concerns. In today’s Gospel passage, we see Philip also asking Jesus to cut to the chase and show them the Father. If God was their goal and end, if God is all that they needed, then why couldn’t Jesus do away with all the unnecessary steps and conditions? Philip had certainly heard a lot about the Father from Jesus, and if what Jesus was saying was true, then there was no need to wait. They were ready to see the Father. Philip’s request stunned Jesus. It appeared that Philip (and probably the others) had still not gotten it. “Have I been with you all this time and you still do not know ME?” It was not Philip’s knowledge (or lack of it) of the Father that surprised Jesus. Rather, it was Philip’s lack of knowledge of Jesus that appeared to hurt him. “We are one, Philip. The Father and I are one.” Jesus doubted if Philip had really come to know who he was, because if he did, then he would have come to know that he and the Father were one. Had Jesus’ words been landing on deaf ears? Had his works come to nothing? Didn’t anyone see him perform the signs?
We sometimes get to behave like Philip. We have been with Jesus, we have witnessed Jesus work signs in our midst, we have read books and all kinds of literature on Jesus, but we are still far from getting it. How many times do we find ourselves laying out conditions for God? “If we arrive safely, then we will praise your name,” or “Jesus, if you are really listening, please heal my friend.” We profess our knowledge of God with our lips, but our actions point to our deficiency.