The Philip Question

8.12.2011

John 14:9 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?" NIV

There is a guy I have come to know – I know his name. Not so long ago I didn’t know his name and I didn’t like him – I didn’t even know why, I just knew I didn’t. What an awesome thing (in the God-sense of the word) to get to know someone just by getting to know their name. What walls come down that were previously built on prejudice (in the completely non-racial sense) and just the unknown…or a feeling…or whatever…

But now I know his name and he knows mine. I help him out at the store. It’s not like we’re best buds or anything like that but I know him and he, at whatever level, knows me.

Jesus asked Philip with only what I could describe as incredulousness: “Don’t you know Me Philip…?” Dude, after all we’ve been through, you still don’t know who I am and what I’m about! I wonder what Jesus thinks of my prayers. Dude, after all I have done for you, you still don’t know what I’m about… Knowing Jesus is the same as knowing anyone else – and just like others Jesus knows when I’m trying to manipulate Him even when I trying my dangedest to show Him I’m really being sincere. (But mother, I am hungry, I really am…)

I wonder if the person I’ve come to know wondered if (or why)I had such a burr in my butt toward him all of those months before I came to see he wasn’t such a loser as I thought him to be. I wonder what Philip thought of the look on the Lord’s face before He asked, “Don’t you know Me Philip!?” Jesus may have been thinking, What do I gotta do to get this guy on my team? He might be asking that about me at times as well.

I am going to try to just see people at face-value. I am going to try to stop playing my own movie (in my mind and heart) about them and just accept them the way I’d like to be accepted. The upside to the Philip question is that Jesus accepted Philip and knew who he was and knew he was going to give his life for the faith. Wow! The upside to my downside is Jesus knows me too, and knows what to do to get me to pay attention and know Him beyond just His Name…