Monthly Archives: August 2025

JOHN’S GOSPEL… MISSION ACCOMPLISHED – 29

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John 17:4, 6, 8 NIV
[4] “I have BROUGHT YOU GLORY on earth by FINISHING THE WORK you gave me to do…
[6] “I have REVEALED YOU to those whom you gave me out of the world….
[8] For I GAVE THEM THE WORDS you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.”

How confidently Jesus reported back to the Father the completion of His work on earth! In this unparalleled prayer, He shared with the Father the success of His mission.

What had the Father sent Him to earth to do?

  1. “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do…”

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.”

Through centuries of disobedience and rebellion, God’s people had lost the reality of His love for them. Despite His reassurances, they rejected Him, rebelled against His laws, and turned to idols. Therefore, He had become to them a strict disciplinarian who punished them harshly for their sinfulness.

In Jesus’ day, this notion was compounded by the teaching of their spiritual leaders, who had added a plethora of laws to their aleady demanding religious system. This way of gaining acceptance with God through obedience to His laws didn’t work because they had no power to overcome their inherent sinfulness.

Jesus’ work, then, was to show them just how gracious God is by introducing Him to them as Father, and by treating them with the same love and mercy as is in the heart of the Father.

  1. “I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them.”

His words and works…these were the most powerful witness to His identity as the Son of God! The entire success of His mission hung on His identity. If His disciples were convinced that He was the Son of God, they would believe what He said. Since who He was and what He said was the Word of God, His mission was to give them God’s words.

Why was this so important? God’s words were written by people through the Holy Spirit and preserved in written form through the centuries. Only in this way could they, we, and every believer throughout the ages, receive these words, and believe their message.

Not only this, but it is also in the power of these words that we can experience what they convey.

1 Peter 1:23 NIV
[23] “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

Since Jesus’ primary focus was on His disciples, to train them to continue His work on earth after He had left them, His last recorded prayer was about them and those who would follow them.

John 17:9 NIV
[9] “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.”

What was His concern?

Unity!

John 17:11 NIV
[11] “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.”

During His time with them, Jesus had made every effort to protect His disciples from splintering into rival groups. They were not a homigenious bunch. Frequent quarrels broke out among them… constantly trying to sort out their pecking order.

Their leadership style was flawed. For them, leadership depended on who was the greatest. Jesus had to turn their philosophy upside down, not lording over but serving one another in love and humility. He knew that disunity would destroy their witness and their mission to reach the world with His message.

When we read through this relatively long prayer, we discover that Jesus’ requests focus on His two requirements for His church that will set His people apart from the world and be the witness to His identity and His mission… unity and love.

The world can never match what is in the church…the love and unity that is only made possible by the Holy Spirit. Paul expands on these qualities produced by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5 NIV
[5] “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Ephesians 4:3 NIV
[3] “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Only through God’s power would His disciples be protected from the damage their sinful nature could cause.

John 17:15 NIV
[15] “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”

Jesus knew that the most powerful force against them was not the devil but the effects of their own evil hearts. The Greek word, “poneros”, unfortunately, mostly translated “evil one”, is not about the devil but about the results of the evil in the human heart. As in the Lord’s prayer, “deliver us from evil,”, so here in this prayer, Jesus’ focuses on what sin does in and to people.

Jeremiah 17:9 NIV
[9] “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

These men had yet to undergo the radical experience of the new birth. Only after Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on them in transforming power, would they be ready to fight and win the battle over their sinful flesh.

John 17:15-17 NIV
[15] “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from (the) evil (one) . [16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. [17] Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

How beautifully, in His own prayer, Jesus gives us the way to overcome the sinful nature that constantly demands the satisfaction of evil desires. God’s Word has the power to change us on the inside from self-centred slaves of sin to unselfish servants of Jesus, serving one another in love from the heart.

John 17:20-21 NIV
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

John 17:26 NIV
[26] “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Love and unity, the greatest witness to Jesus! In His so-called “high-priestly” prayer, Jesus gives us His modus operandi to reach the people of the world. He called His disciples to BE His witnesses. When the world looks at the church, what do they see?

The love and unity that are the only true witnesses of His powerful presence in the church are only possible through the Holy Spirit. Yet, so much of the church is not really His church but the counterfeit woman of Revelation. Why? Is it because doing replaces being? Doing “Christian” things like prophesying etc., can never replace being “in the vine” as the witness to Jesus.

Matthew 7:21-23 NIV
[21] “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ [23] Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Is Jesus prayer being answered? Yes and no! Yes, when the fellowship of the church mirrors the prayer of Jesus. No, when the people in the church act like the world.

1 Corinthians 3:3 NIV
[3] You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?

In the end, it’s all about fruit. Love begets unity, hence the commandments of the Old Covenant are distilled into two in the New Covenant.

1 John 3:23 NIV
[23] “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. “

JOHN’S GOSPEL… FINAL REASSURANCE – 28

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John 16:33 NIV
[33] “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

What could Jesus have said to His disciples in this moment of crisis? He knew that He would never have time with them alone again before He went to the cross. How could He reassure them that all was well and that, despite the way things seemed to be heading, everything would also turn out well for them?

Peace! They needed a peace that would hold them steady in every situation, no matter what happened. He had already bequeathed to them His love, joy, and peace, the most priceless gifts He could ever give them in a world of chaos and turmoil.

John 15:9 NIV
[9] “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”

John 15:11 NIV
[11] “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

John 14:27 NIV
[27] “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Uncertainty, insecurity, fear gripped them like the tentacles of a clinging vine. How would they be able to navigate the next few hours and the days to follow when He spoke repeatedly of leaving them? For years they had walked in His shadow, secure and protected by His presence and wisdom. What now?

Let’s examine the peace of which He spoke. What is Jeaus’ peace?

Google says…

“The peace Jesus gave his disciples was his own “inner peace” and spiritual tranquility, not the absence of conflict or worldly problems. It was a powerful, internal calm that provided reassurance and freedom from fear, even amidst turmoil and impending suffering. This divine peace is unconditional, permanent, and rooted in a relationship with God, offering assurance of salvation and eternal life, unlike the temporary and conditional peace of the world.”

How could Jesus experience this peace despite everything He endured as a man? “I have overcome the world.”

For Jesus, “the world” implied all the forces of evil in the world system over which His arch enemy had control that attempted to destroy the unity between Him and the Father. The one thing that could break that unity was sin, i.e., acting independently of the Father.

Jesus treasured and guarded this unity even to the shedding of His blood in obedience to the Father. Since He never sinned, His peace remained intact through every temptation, the assurance that He and the Father were always in complete harmony.

So, He offered the possibility of experiencing the same tranquility of heart and mind to His disciples in their current circumstances. Having this peace, to steady them always, depended on two responses…

  1. Faith in Him to remove the sin barrier between themselves and God. Only Jesus could forgive their sin by paying their debt. Once their sin had been forgiven and removed, God was free to accept them as His own children.

Romans 5:1 NIV
[1] “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have PEACE WITH GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Peace with God! All barriers removed! Fully accepted by the Father!

This part of His peace was a once-for-all reality when they were made alive and transferred, through the power of the Holy Spirit, out of the realm of darkness into the kingdom of God.

Romans 5:2 NIV
[2] “… through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”

…a standing in grace!

This means, that God was free to provide for them, (and us), because of His grace…His goodwill and favour towards them…everything they needed to live godly lives.

  1. Faith in Him to carry them through every trial and test. Anxiety and fear are the two great monsters that rise up in daily experience to threaten His peace.

The key is to trade anxieties for His peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
[6] “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And THE PEACE OF GOD, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

So, Jesus assured them that He had taken care of their victory as well as His own, by holding steady against all the onslaughtss of the world. Since He had overcome, they could also overcome through His power in them and maintain the trust in Him that assured them of peace.

As long as they held fast to their trust in Him with gratitude for His unfailing goodness, His peace would act as a referee, only blowing the whistle when they trespassed outside the truth that held them steady. Truth and peace go hand-in-hand, peace in the heart always confirming truth in the mind.

So, despite outward turbulence, inward peace was His legacy to keep them from falling apart when their world spun out of control.

JOHN’S GOSPEL… THE PENTECOST EVENT – 27

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John 14:16-18 NIV
[16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you ANOTHER ADVOCATE TO HELP YOU and BE WITH YOU FOREVER — [17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and WILL BE IN YOU. [18] I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 15:26 NIV
[26] “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—HE WILL TESTIFY ABOUT ME.

John 16:8-11 NIV
[8] “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: [9] about sin, because people do not believe in me; [10] about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; [11] and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”

John 16:12-15 NIV
[12] “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. [13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL THE TRUTH. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. [14] HE WILL GLORIFY ME because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. [15] All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Not much in words but a whole lot in meaning!

How mystified the disciples must have been. They were steeped in Old Covenant history and teaching. They knew about the Holy Spirit. He came and went in the lives of some of the old covenant saints…but now, Jesus was speaking of Him as His equal, even His other self, His representative who would replace Him in their lives and yet be as if Jesus Himself would be with them, His unseen but real self, to carry on His work. So Paul could write… “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

First, we must go back to Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. The starting place for the Holy Spirit’s ministry in the disciples and all who follow them could only be in their spiritual birth into God’s kingdom. No one who has not entered the kingdom in this radical way can ever have the Spirit indwelling them and doing the work that Jesus said He would do.

Second,

“He lives with you and will be in you… I will come to you.”

“When the Advocate comes… He will testify about me.”

“He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.”

“All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

everything the Holy Spirit does in believers that is not focused on Jesus…the revelation of who He is, and transformation into His image, the blueprint of God’s Son, is peripheral. What Jesus taught His disciples about the Spirit in the Upper Room is the core of everything the Holy Spirit does in, for, and through the believer.

Second, when we examine what Jesus said about Him, we see that the work of the Holy Spirit is all about Jesus. This is in perfect harmony with the relationship of the three Persons of the Trinity. Each is entrenched in the other two persons, in harmony with, submitting to, and exalting one another.

The closeness between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cannot be more clearly revealed than in the saving work of Jesus and the aftermath, as Jesus explains here, of bringing people into God’s kingdom and transforming them into His image by the Holy Spirit’s work.

Everything the Holy Spirit does in believers that is not focused on Jesus…the revelation of who He is, and transformation into His image, the blueprint of God’s Son, is peripheral. What Jesus taught His disciples about the Spirit in the Upper Room is the core of everything the Holy Spirit does in, for, and through the believer.

How tragic that so much of modern Christianity has corrupted the Scriptures by presenting, in preaching and practice, a version of the Holy Spirit which is foreign to the Word of God. He is presented as an entertainer… doing strange things while people look on, sending feathers flying and gold dust falling, people collapsing on the floor “under the power”, muttering strange sounds and even animal noises! How do these “manifestations” glorify Jesus or change people into His image?

Even the so-called “miracle campaigns”, so common today, are an abuse of the Scriptures. Jesus’ miracles were, first and foremost, confirmation that He was who He said, he was, the Son of God sent from the Father.

To His opponents, Jesus argued…

John 10:30-33, 37-38 NIV
[30] “I and the Father are one.” [31] Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, [32] but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” [33] “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”…
[37] Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. [38] But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

… And to His disciples, He said…

John 14:11 NIV
[11] “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”

The works Jesus did were through the power of the Holy Spirit…

Matthew 12:24, 27-28 NIV
[24] “But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”…
Jesus responded…
[27] And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. [28] But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

How important, then, that the disciples (and we) take Jesus’ teaching seriously, not adding, subtracting, or twisting out OF shape what He said. On their shoulders rested the responsibility of correctly interpreting the events of Pentecost according to the Scriptures and faithfully passing on to the next generation the teaching and ministry of Jesus in obedience to the Holy Spirit in them.

Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit in them confirms that he recognised the prophetic word spoken by Joel, as that moment of fulfilment.

Acts 2:14-21 NIV
[14] “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. [15] These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! [16] No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: [17] “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. [18] Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. [19] I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. [20] The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. [21] And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

The Holy Spirit came, inspired Peter with the understanding of truth, and convicted sinners, as Jesus said He would, pointing them to Jesus as the truth and the Saviour of
sinners.

John 16:8 NIV
[8] “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:”…

Acts 2:37-39 NIV
[37] “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” [38] Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Pentecost was the demonstration and confirmation that the Holy Spirit fulfilled and fulfills everything Jesus taught about Him.

JOHN’S GOSPEL… THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES – 26

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John 15:1 NIV
[1] “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

What graphic imagery! Jesus loved to teach in picture language. The imagery of the vine was not new to His disciples. In the Old Covenant, God and the vine were often used to illustrate God’s relationship to His people.

Psalms 80:8-9 NIV
[8] “You transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. [9] You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.”

The prophets told the sad story of Israel’s failure to live up to God’s desire. He did everything He could for them but they turned away and became a rebellious vine bearing corrupted fruit.

Isaiah 5:1-2 NIV
[1] “I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. [2] He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.”

Jeremiah 2:21 NIV
[21] “I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine?”

Hosea 10:1 NIV
[1] Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.”

Imagine, then, how the disciples would have reacted to Jesus’ announcement, “I am the vine.” He, Himself, He declared, was taking over the role God intended Israel to play in their relationship to the Father. He was taking responsibility for the nation who had failed dismally to produce the fruit of that relationship.

In the following verses, Jesus went even further. He amplified the connection between vine and branches, a union so close and intimate that everything the vine is in its entirety, the branches become through their union with the vine.

This thought must have shocked His disciples. How could it be that they, mere humans, and Jesus, whom they were convinced was the Son of God, would be so closely bound together that His life and theirs would become one?

This was a truth that would only become real to them when the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus said was His “other self”, would come to live in them on the Day of Pentecost. At that moment, the Spirit was “with them”, but He would be “in them” to replace the person of Jesus as His personal representative.

John 15:4-5, 7-8 NIV
[4] “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. [5] “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…
[7] If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. [8] This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

These words are the simplest explanation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in the entire Bible. He did not come to set up a new religion or even to clean up the old one. He came to clear away the obstacle of sin and to establish a union with Himself so close that the “sap” of His divine life would flow into His followers as freely as the life-giving sap of the vine flows through the entire plant, producing the fruit of that union. The vine and the branches are indistinguishable from one another. They are inextricably connected as one.

This union was established in them through the power of the Holy Spirit in response to faith. Jesus would focus on the role of the Spirit in the lives of His disciples in His final moments with them before the cross. They must understand what He had come to do. They must know and cultivate the awareness of presence of the Spirit in them to maintain and strengthen that union without which they would be pruned from the vine.

A vine can only bear the fruit which identifies its nature as a vine if the branches remain vitally connected to the vine. So, Jesus insists, the only way to live out this life He came to bring, is to cultivate the awareness of this union in the everyday course of life. The best way to explain was to say, in three simple words, “Remain in me.”

The Greek word, “meno”, conveys the meaning of “to stay in a given place, state, or relation”. It is the Holy Spirit who has cemented us in this union with Jesus but it is up to us to maintain the union by our own effort, to stay in that state which the Holy Spirit established. This is a dynamic partnership between Jesus and us. He has done His part. We must do our part. He holds us, but we must hold on to Him by faith and obedience to His teachings.

John 15:5-7 NIV
[5] “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. [7] If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

If we neglect actively to maintain the awareness of our union with Jesus, we will lose that connection and forfeit all its benefits. However, if we faithfully make our choices and decisions in everything we do, in our awareness that we are in union with Jesus, we will be fruitful both in character and in the outcomes of that union. Answered prayer will be the result of our continual working together with Jesus.

So, Jesus said, to be His true follower is not to follow a set if rules or even to do the things that His disciples are supposed to do…”read the Bible, go to church, pay your tithe, and tell others about Jesus”! This is such a terrible corruption of the truth!

When we let go of all this peripheral stuff and do the one thing Jesus told His disciples to do…”Remain in me”, all the blessings and benefits of our salvation will flow like a life-giving fountain, to and through us.

Any other understanding of what it means to be a Christian falls short of what Jesus conveyed in the image of the vine and the branches. Is it any wonder, then that He said that the gate is small and the way is narrow to real life, and few find it.

JOHN’S GOSPEL… SHOW US THE FATHER – 25

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John 14:8 NLT
[8] Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Really, Philip, after all this time, do you still not know the Father?

John 14:9 NLT
[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?”

Imagine Jesus’ frustration! After years of painstakingly revealing the nature of the Father, doing and saying whatever the Father showed Him, constantly referring to the Father as His source, and witnessing to His unity with the Father, Philip still naively whined…
“Show us the Father.”

Philip, where have you been all this time?

How true of human nature! How blind to truth when hearts are born in unbelief and blocked by beliefs and traditions cemented into the soul by years of exposure to the world and its ways!

Paul commented that the person who does not have the indwelling Spirit to awaken the dead human spirit, will never understand or accept God’s truth.

1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV
[14] “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

Jesus made the same observation in his conversation with Nicodemus.

John 3:10, 12 NIV
[10] “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?…
[12] I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?”

The sad reality is that God’s truth is only foolishness to those who have never been awakened by God’s Spirit to spiritual truth. It takes a miracle of grace for a person who is born dead in sin to understand and believe the gospel. It’s no wonder that worldly people are God’s enemies, hating the truth and strongly resisting the message of Jesus, however compellingly it is presented.

Paul, writing to the Ephesian church, people who were once steeped in pagan beliefs and behaviour,

Ephesians 2:1, 4-5 NIV
[1] “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…
[4] But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

Was Philip revealing, by his question, that he and his fellow disciples were still in the realm of darkness where the truth was veiled to them?

Only at the moment when the Holy Spirit came in power, raised them from spiritual death, tore off the veil of unbelief, and transferred them into the kingdom of God, did they recognise the truth of what Jesus had come to reveal.

When the Holy Spirit fell on them on the day of Pentecost, the world of the disciples turned right side up. All their confused misunderstanding and muddled beliefs were obliterated by the miracle of new birth. This was a profound “aha” moment for them. They started life all over again with a clean slate of spiritual understanding.

Thus Peter could proclaim with utmost confidence, linking experience with Scripture…

Acts 2:14-17, 22-24, 32-33, 36-39 NIV
[14] “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. [15] These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! [16] No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: [17] “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams…
[22] “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. [23] This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. [24] But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him…
[32] God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. [33] Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear…
[36] “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” [37] When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” [38] Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

In a flash, all they had heard and experienced in their years with Jesus fell into place. New birth happened, and with the new birth, they finally understood the nature of the Father.

He, the Father, and Jesus are one. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. Jesus is God’s glory on display. Jesus is the God-man in whom all the attributes of the invisible God are revealed to us…in whom all the fullness of God dwells in a real man who came to earth to be… Immanuel – God with us.

Jesus is still, and will always be …in heaven… our mediator,

1 Timothy 2:5-6 NIV
[5] “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus…”

So, Philip, here is the truth. The Jesus you only knew as a man, or even perhaps God’s Messiah, is in true far more than a holy man.

Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV
[1] “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, [2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. [3] The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

And the Father, whom they longed to know, was as real to them at last as the Son whom they had seen, touched, and walked with on earth.