Looking in the Wrong Places

John 14:8

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

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You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Oh my shame
You know I believe it

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" bu U2

Philip wants to see the Father. If you think "Doubting Thomas" was a tough nut to crack, Philip wants to see the Father. So what has Christ done? By this point of John's gospel Jesus has done a good deal.

He has healed the Royal Official's son. He has healed the man at the pool called Beth-zatha. He has fed the 5,000. He walked on the water and healed the man who was blind from birth. That's just a sample of the miracle stories.

He has also answered the many challenges of the rich and the powerful. He has touched the untouchable. He has brought Lazarus back from the dead and he has entered Jerusalem triumphantly. After all of this, Philip wants to see the Father. When is "enough" enough?

This is actually a harsh judgment on Philip, because we still ask this question everyday. We want proof. Our society, with instant internet and news access from all over the world, we want to see the proof for ourselves. It is no longer enough to hear the testimony of those who know, people want to experience it for themselves.

Jesus has broken the bonds and loosed the chains. Sin and death have no claim on us because he has carried the cross of our shame as only he can. Only Jesus can do this, Jesus who walked the Earth as God in flesh and bone. Jesus has done what we cannot, and still we want to see the Father. We want proof. Why? Because we still haven't found what we're looking for.

Our problem is that we tend to look in the wrong places. People treat their bodies like trampolines. People look for solace and salvation in a needle and bottle. People hide inside of caves and cloisters looking for something within themselves that was never there. It is when we look to what is there, when we look for Christ, then we will see the Father at work in the world and in our lives.