Thursday, September 30, 2021

John 14:44,45 - Whoever Believes in Me

John 12:44 - Jesus cried out and said, "Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me.
John 12:45 - He who sees me sees him who sent me. 

Some quote the above as proof that Jesus claimed to be Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Exodus 3:14,15) So far, however, we have seen no explanation as to why this scripture should be thought that Jesus was saying that he is God. In some unknown manner, however, many seem to think that since Jesus stated that if one believes in him that such would mean that Jesus was saying that he is God who sent Jesus and that if one sees Jesus, that he was saying that he was God who had sent him

Actually, Jesus presents God as being only one person, and distinguishes himself from being God by saying that God had sent him. Prophetically, Jesus is quoted as saying that it was "the Lord Jehovah" who sent him, and he includes himself in referring to the Lord Jehovah as "our God." (Isaiah 61:1,2) Micah 5:2 identifies the one person who is Jesus' God as Jehovah. Since Jehovah is the God of Jesus, the default reasoning should be that Jesus is not Jehovah. 

Jesus gave the credit of faith in himself to his God and Father. (Ephesians 1:3) He did this because he came to declare his God and to represent his Father rather than himself. (John 1:18; 17:4,6)

In stating that by seeing him one could see God in him, however, Jesus was certainly not saying that by seeing his body of flesh with physical eyes that one was seeing the body of God who sent him. Those who simply looked upon Jesus' body of flesh with their physical eyes were not seeing the God and Father of Jesus. The Jewish leaders saw Jesus' body, but Jesus, speaking of his Father, said to those Jewish leaders: "Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape." (John 5:37) Thus, by simply seeing his body those Jews were not seeing God in Jesus.

Jesus was therefore evidently speaking of seeing figuratively, with the eyes of faith. He was to those who did recognize him and understood him to be the Son of the Most High. (John 1:10-12) Only these could see the glory of Jesus' God in Jesus.

Jesus never failed short of the glory of his God as other men. He kept his human crown of glory unblemished with sin. (Psalm 8:5; Romans 3:23; 1 Corinthians 15:40; Hebrews 2:9; 4:15) Thus by seeing Jesus one could certainly see the glory of the God and Father of Jesus in Jesus.

Some related studies:

Seeing the Father in Jesus
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/2017/03/john14-7.html

Hath Seen the Father
https://reslight.boards.net/post/1992/thread


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