Word to the Wise
Saturday, May 9, 2009 - Saturday in the Fourth Week of Easter
[Acts 13:44-52 and John 14:7-14]Jesus said to his disciples, "If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to Jesus, "Master, how us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father....."
Although the Gospel of John consistently uses the dramatic technique of misunderstanding as a way of introducing important teaching by Jesus, there is a certain poignance in this particular occasion. There is almost, at least to me, a kind of frustration. "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip?" I am reminded of the frustrated sighs of certain teachers I remember who would say, "We've been going over this material for a whole month, and you still don't 'get it?' The important thing to note is that Philip is speaking of a person or teaching that is 'outside' him and supposedly graspable by being placed in front of the pupil by the teacher. Jesus is trying to point out that the teacher IS the subject matter in this case. It is not a matter of a "show and tell," or a set of data to be analyzed. The truth is a person - a relationship to be lived! For Philip, the truth was hiding in plain view! For all of us, Jesus' statement remains a challenge! In ordinary friendship, even in profoundly intimate friendship, there is always more to the person we love than we know or love. Every person is a mystery (even to themselves)! In the case of Jesus, we always have a long ways to go, but if we are going to get started, we start with accepting and loving him in the scriptures and in the person of our neighbor. The rest demands the rest of our lives! AMEN
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