almost enough ...

"Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.'" John 14:8

This was boldly asked just after Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth, the Life and thus the ONLY way to the Father.  Not only that Jesus Himself is the way to the Father but in knowing Christ they knew the Father indeed!  Pretty audacious question don't you think? To which Jesus responds bluntly "Whoever has seen me HAS SEEN the Father. Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?" John 14:9-10.

Philip was seeking for something past Jesus.  He, at the time, understood Jesus to be the means to get to the Father.  But what Jesus stated is that He has seen the Father.  Philip implied, "if you showed me just a little be more THEN I will be satisfied, then I will have enough."  But Jesus is telling them ...  "no, in me you have more than enough for I am God and abiding in me and my word you abide with the Father."  There is nothing else that the apostles needed from Jesus Christ to see God, because...



JESUS WAS AND IS MORE THAN ENOUGH!!

Have you ever done this at a party or out with friends before.  You get into the room and I mean its a social event so as soon as you get there you look for someone to talk to.  So you say hi to the first person you meet but you are constantly looking around ... over his shoulder, over your shoulder ...  keeping the conversation going until *snap* there goes by someone of seemingly more importance than the person you are currently talking to so immediately you turn your entire focus on them and try to consume yourself with their lime-light and soak up their glory ... and the cycle keeps going.  Those people can be kinda rude right?

Isn't this, in a small way, kind of what Philip is doing to Jesus?  He is looking past the man who he saw raise a dead man back to life (Lazarus), feed thousands, heal blind men, yet he sees Jesus as the means to an end, and not the end Himself.  We do this with Jesus all the time.  We say, "Okay Jesus pays my bills, buy my books, answer my prayers, but when it comes to my affection, love, and approval ... *snap* ... oh hey impersonal, impure, internet relationship! PS I will see you later Jesus"

The Gospel of Christ is all we need, so why do we treat Him as a crutch and a bandaid? He is God.  He is the end, the goal, the purpose, Him we glorify, Him we praise, Him we seek,  Him we love!  Its Jesus guys, and He is MORE than enough.

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as lost for the sake of Christ  Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I might gain Christ and be found in Him ... " Philippians 3:7-9