4/2/2019   2 Comments (at the bottom of this reflection.)

Today's question:
"Have I been with you all this time, Phillip, and still you do not know me?"

From John 14:
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 

Reflection from Jonathan R. Butera 

Things are happening round about us all the time - at our work, in our relationships, in our thoughts, in our world of media and politics.  Then there is the world behind those worlds, the forces, the agendas of the spirit. These worlds leave us only in confusion, and so we cry out to God.
 
"Lord, show us", we say.
 
“Have I been with you all this time Phillip? …” Jesus had an expectation that by now this disciple should have known his agenda and hence the agenda of the one who had sent him. Phillip should have already ‘seen’ the Father from all the experiences which he had had with the Savior. …but he hadn’t.
 
We live in a day of great spiritual malaise: we live and experience much; but so often we are in the dark, in the shadows. We need to see not just what is around us, but the agenda of heaven that is behind what is around us. Can we discern the Father’s hand in our lives, in our dilemmas and our victories?
 
We need clear vision.  It starts with this Lenten apprehension, this Easter time vision:   Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, slain for US, risen for US, coming back for US. Hallelujah!
 
And Jesus says to Philip who was soon to witness this crucifixion, this resurrection, and he also says to us “from now on you know him, and have seen him.”
John 14:7.
 
“Oh God the Father, Oh Jesus Christ the Son, Oh Blessed Holy Spirit of God, Open my blind eyes to behold your Face, to witness Your Glory, and to Live ONLY for YOU!”

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Comments

Renee Edmondson
Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 9:58 am
Thanks for your reflection. We get very busy and even though God is in our midst - we sometimes do not recognize His hand in things or see His good works. Your words are a good reminder to pause and see that God is good. 

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Walt Dibbern
Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 9:30 am
When my life gets noisy, I try to remember and pray two passages from the psalms.
"But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hands;" (Psalm 31)

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
 I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."  (Psalm 32)

These help me to think beyond the noise.

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About Today's Author

​Jonathan R. Butera is brother in law to Mrs. Janice Weber, married to her sister Linda. He and his wife boast six sons, three daughter in laws and two grandchildren, and reside in eastern Ohio. Jonathan is a graduate of Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, and a former pastor with the United Methodist Church.

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