Jesus said to him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip? he that has seen me has seen the Father; and how say you then, Show us the Father?
Have.
Mark 9:19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
he.
John 14:7,20 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him…
John 12:45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
how.
Genesis 26:9 And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.
Psalm 11:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
Jeremiah 2:23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
Philip, I have been with you all this time
Philip, one of the twelve apostles, represents the disciples' struggle to fully comprehend Jesus' identity. The phrase underscores the duration of Jesus' ministry, approximately three years, during which He performed miracles and taught about the Kingdom of God. This time frame is significant as it fulfills the prophetic timeline and establishes Jesus' authority and credibility.
and still you do not know Me?
This question reveals the disciples' incomplete understanding of Jesus' divine nature. Despite witnessing His works and hearing His teachings, they struggle with the concept of Jesus as the incarnate God. This reflects a common theme in the Gospels, where Jesus' true identity is gradually revealed and often misunderstood.
Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.
This statement is a profound declaration of Jesus' divinity and unity with God the Father. It echoes the prologue of John's Gospel, where Jesus is described as the Word made flesh. This connection is central to Christian theology, affirming the doctrine of the Trinity and the belief that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
This rhetorical question challenges the disciples' request for a physical manifestation of God. It highlights the spiritual blindness and lack of faith that can obscure the understanding of Jesus' divine nature. The question also serves as a call to deeper faith and recognition of Jesus as the full revelation of God, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah.
– Jesus calls Philip by name, drawing personal attention.
– The Lord often speaks directly to individuals, as He did with Moses (Exodus 3:4) and Samuel (1 Samuel 3:10), reminding us that God is relational and knows each of His followers.
– Addressing Philip shows that questions about God’s nature are welcomed, yet Jesus expects us to listen closely when He answers (James 1:5).
– For roughly three years, Jesus walked, ate, and ministered alongside the disciples (Mark 3:14 – 15).
– His constant presence fulfilled the promise of Isaiah 7:14 — “Immanuel” (Matthew 1:23).
– We too experience His ongoing nearness through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5).
– Knowing Christ is more than observing miracles; it is recognizing His divine identity (John 6:36).
– The disciples had witnessed the raising of Lazarus (John 11:43 – 44) and the calming of the sea (Mark 4:39 – 41), yet fuller understanding lagged.
– This question challenges complacency in our own long-term church involvement; genuine knowledge of Jesus produces transformed hearts (Philippians 3:8 – 10).
– Jesus presents Himself as the visible revelation of God (John 1:14, 18).
– Earlier, He stated, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), stressing exclusivity and sufficiency.
– Bullet points to ponder:
• His compassion with lepers (Mark 1:41 – 42) shows the Father’s mercy.
• His righteous anger in the temple (John 2:15 – 16) shows the Father’s holiness.
• His forgiveness of sinners (Luke 7:48 – 50) shows the Father’s grace.
– Jesus equates Himself with the Father, affirming His full deity (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3).
– This statement fulfills Isaiah 9:6, “Mighty God,” applied to the Messiah.
– In practical terms, we need look nowhere else for the clearest picture of God; Christ’s life is the Father’s heart on display.
– Philip’s request echoes humanity’s longing first voiced by Moses: “Show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18 – 23).
– Jesus reveals that such a request is already answered in His incarnation (John 12:45).
– Today, doubts about God’s character are settled by focusing on the Gospel accounts; they are the Father’s self-revelation (2 Corinthians 4:6).
John 14:9 teaches that seeing Jesus is seeing God Himself. The personal address to Philip highlights our relational Lord; the reminder of Jesus’ long presence exposes spiritual dullness; the declaration that Christ perfectly displays the Father provides the ultimate answer to every search for God. Therefore, to know God, we study the life, words, and work of Jesus Christ, confident that Scripture’s portrait is complete, true, and sufficient.
(9) Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?--More exactly, . . . hast thou not recognised Me, as in John 14:7. Comp. the reference in John 14:8, from which it will be seen that Philip was one of the first-called disciples, and had occupied a prominent position in the band of Apostles. There is in our Lord's words a tone of sadness and of warning. They utter the loneliness of a holiness and greatness which is not understood. The close of life is at hand, and Philip, who had followed Him from the first, shows by this question that he did not even know what the work and purposes of that life had been. They speak to all Christian teachers, thinkers, workers. There is a possibility that men should be in the closest apparent nearness to Christ, and yet have never learnt the meaning of the words they constantly hear and utter; and have never truly known the purpose of Christ's life.He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.--Comp. Note on John 14:7, and Philip's own answer to Nathanael, "Come and see" (John 1:46). The demand of Philip is one which is constantly being read, and the answer is one that constantly holds good. Men are ever thinking and saying, "Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us." "Give us something in religion upon which the soul can rest. We are weary of the doubts, and strifes, and dogmas which are too often called religion. We want something which can be real food for the soul. We cannot feed upon the husks which the swine do eat; and we believe that in the Father's house there is, even for the hired servants, bread enough and to spare. We are not irreligious, but we are impatient of what is put before us as religion. Give us truth! Give us life! Let it be free and open as the air of heaven, and we will gladly accept it, embrace it, live it." All this is the heart of the child seeking the presence of the Father. That Father has been manifested in the person of the Son. In the Life and Truth revealed in Him is the full revelation of God. In Him is the Bread of Life to satisfy every want of every man. He that hath seen Him hath seen the Father. How then can men say, Shew us the Father? (Comp. Note on John 12:44-45.) . . .
Verse 9. - Christ's reply is, Have I been so long a period (χρόνον) with you, and hast thou not come to know (ἔγνωκάς) me, Philip? (Compare the aorist δεῖξον, suggesting one great complete sufficing act, with the perfect forms, ἔγνωκάς με ἐωρακὼς ἐόρακε, implying a process continuing from the past into the present,) The revelation of the Father, rather than an unveiling of the absolute God whom no man hath ever yet seen (see John 1:18), had been constantly going on before their eyes. Our Lord first of all appeals to that fact; and yet fact, reality as it was, the disciples had failed even to know him, inasmuch as they had not seen in him the Father. He thus confirms the statement of Ver. 7. "There is an evident pathos in this personal appeal the only partial parallels in St. John are cf. John 20:16 (Mary); John 21:15 (Simon, etc.)" (Westcott). There is no right understanding of Jesus Christ until the Father is actually seen in him. He is not known in his humanity until the Divine Personality flashes through him on the eyes of faith. We do not know any man until we know the best of him. How far more true is it of God and of the Father-God revealed in the Christ? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. The "seeing" here must be adequate, comprehensive vision. How sayest thou - emphatic - Show us the Father? Philip, by the hints already given of him, might have discarded the Jewish and crude idea of a physical theophany. "How sayest thou?" reveals that sense of failure which Christ experienced when he sought to realize in the poor material of our human nature his own ideal.