There simply is no way to get over Jesus’ words in John 14. Check this out:
6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know
my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9Jesus 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’? 10Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
John 14:6-14.
Jesus clearly teaches that He is acting and living just as the Father. What He did while on earth, with every person he encountered, was speak, act, live, and love just as God the Father would and does. That blows my mind.
When I think of Jesus as human or even as the Son of God I can almost be casual about all the wonderful things He did and how He demonstrated great love for people, even “really sinful” people like myself. But, when I think that the Father would do the exact same thing, for some reason it seems even more fantastic.
Think about when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. Now, rather than the Jewish carpenter we picture doing that, think of God doing that.
Think about when Jesus called wee Zaccheus down from his tree and worried not about his reputation with the Pharisees by going to his house to eat. Now, rather than picturing some meek and mild man doing that, picture the one who calls all the stars by name doing that.
Remember that when Jesus let Himself be nailed to the cross, God the Father was there too. God died for you.
That’s how great His love is. It wasn’t just a man. It wasn’t just a son. It was God, taking our death on Himself.
People often want to dissect the cross in such a way as to suggest that Jesus was alone on the cross and that God the Father wasn’t. I don’t see how you can read John 14 to suggest that. Sure Jesus felt, in his humanity, forsaken in those last moments on the Cross, but God was there, sacrificing Himself, demonstrating His love for us.
If that doesn’t change the way we see His love for us, I’m not sure what will. God loves us. God loves you. God loves and loves and loves. What does God tell us about love? He says it never ceases. It never fails. It never ends. It always endures. It always hopes. It always is. And God is Love.
Soak it in! Soak it in!
Do you feel like you can’t be loved because of something you’ve done or are doing? IT’S A LIE! THAT’S WHAT SATAN WANTS YOU TO BELIEVE! STOP BELIEVING THAT LIE!
GOD LOVES YOU! He doesn’t love you less when you screw up and He doesn’t love you more when you do something you think was good. His love is unceasing and unchanging. HE LOVES YOU!
Let that change you. Let that transform you into a lover. Live loved!