[7/f ..seen me...seen the Father^ This deep sentence cl^n only mean "He that hath thoroughly seen me with the eye of faith, and realized that I am the eternal Son, the Divine Messiah, hath seen as much of my Father, whose express image I- am, as mortal man can comprehend." There is so close and intimate a union between persons in the Trinity, that he who sees the Sou sees the Father. And yet we must caref ally beware that we do not, like some heretics, " confound the Persons." The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father.
Musculus observes that to see with bodily eyes is one thing, and to see with the eyes of faith quite another.
[And how sayest thou... show. ..Father^ This question is a further gentle rebuke of Philip's ignorance. " What dost thou mean by saying. Show us the Father? What clear knowledge of Me canst thou have if thou canst ask such a question ?"
Let us note how Jesus calls " Philip " by his name. It was doubtless meant to prick his conscience. '' Thou, Philip, an old disciple, so ignorant ! Ought not thou, after following and hearing Me for three years to have known better than this ? "
10. — [Believest thou not. ..I.. .in Father...in Me.] This question continues the rebuke to Philip. It means, " Dost thou not yet believe and realize what I have taught, — that there is a mysti- cal union between Me and the Father, and that He is in Me and I in Him ? "
This question surely seems to indicate that our Lord had oft- en taught His disciples about the union between Himself and the Father. But, like many of the things He taught, the mighty truth passed over their heads at first, and was not re- membered till afterwards. How little reason have ministers to complain if their teaching is little regarded, when this was Christ's experience 1
[The words that 1 speak.. .Father. ..works.] There can be little doubt that this is a very elliptical sentence. The full meaning must be supplied in this way. " The words that I speak to you I speak not independently of the Father ; and the works that I do I do not do them independently of the Father. The Father who dwells in Me, speaks in Me and works in Me. My words are words given Me to speak, and my works are works given Me to do, in the eternal counsel between the Father and the Son. Both in speaking and working I and my Father are one. What I speak He speaks, and what I work He works."
The whole difficulty of the verse arises from forgetting the close and mysterious and insoluble union between the Persons of the Trinity. How little we realize the fulness of the expres- sion, " The Father dwelleth in Me."