John 14:9
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Study Note
Study Note
Jesus's response to Philip's request — 'Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?' — is the Fourth Gospel's most direct identification of Jesus with the Father. The 'seeing' language does not collapse the distinction between Father and Son (the Fourth Gospel consistently distinguishes them) but claims that the character, will, and work of the Father are fully visible in the person of Jesus. Colossians 1:15 ('image of the invisible God') and Hebrews 1:3 ('express image of his person') develop the same christological claim that the Incarnation makes the invisible visible. The verse's tone — mild reproach for a failure of recognition after extended fellowship — suggests that proximity to Jesus without recognition is an ongoing temptation in discipleship.
Other Translations
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father?
Jesus saith to him, `So long time am I with you, and thou hast not known me, Philip? he who hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how dost thou say, Shew to us the Father?
Jesus said to him, Philip, have I been with you all this time, and still you have no knowledge of me? He who has seen me has seen the Father. Why do you say, Let us see the Father?
Cross References
And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is …
In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, …
He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer …
Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye …
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the …
I and my Father are one.
And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have …
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.