The apprentice Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, just show us
the Father, and we’ll be happy.”
9 Jesus replied, “Phillip! I’ve spent all this time with you and you still don’t know who I am? If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father! So what’s up with the “show us the Father” bit? 10 Don’t you believe that the Father and I are so interconnected that when I speak, the words that come out are from him? We’re so tightly connected that his work comes through me. 11 Believe me, we’re totally together on this -- the Father and I. At the very least believe because of what you’ve seen me do.
12 “This is the truth, those who believe in me will do the same kind of stuff that I’ve been doing -- might I say, even greater things. That’s because I’m soon on the way to be with the Father. 13 And since I’ll be right there with him, when you ask anything of me that fits with my agenda you can expect that the request will go straight to the Father. I’ll make it happen. And in doing so I’ll be heaping honor onto him. 14 Just in case you missed it, ask for anything and everything that fits with who I am and what I’m about, and I will do it!
15 “If you really do love me, do exactly what I’m telling you to do. 16-17 I will then ask the Father, and he will send another advocate, the Holy Spirit, to always be with you. He’ll show you what is true in this world filled with lies and half-truths. The world refuses to have anything to do with the Spirit because it isn’t interested in what he’s offering -- and frankly, they wouldn’t recognize him if they saw him. But YOU already know him! He’s been living with you and in the future will be living in you.
