Jesus takes us to a place and a person

Jesus’ disciples spent about 3 years with Him. Even after all the time they spent together, they still had difficulty comprehending that He was there to show them what God was really like. As He spoke to them in the Upper Room the evening before He was betrayed, He explained to them that He was “going away.” 

As they discussed what this meant, Phillip said to Jesus, “Just show us the Father and that will be enough.” 

Jesus’ response? 

“If you’ve seen Me you’ve seen the Father,” He proposed.

Then, Jesus elaborated with words which prove to be one of the most revealing passages in Scripture about this subject. Let’s read it and then continue our conversation (John 14:6-11 NKJV, emphasis added): 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Phillip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

Jesus said to Him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Phillip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”

Most often, if we ask people in the Church, “What is Jesus the way to? Where is Jesus taking us?” they will answer that He is “the way to Heaven— He is taking us to Heaven.”

But that’s not what Jesus emphasizes in this passage. 

Yes, it’s true that Jesus takes us to Heaven. In fact, in John 14:3— just a few verses before the passage I showed you— Jesus promises to go “prepare a place” for us. That verse is read at most funerals as an incredibly valid reminder. But, that’s not the emphasis of the disciples or Jesus (this “place” idea is so ingrained in us, by the way, that you may have answered “Heaven” is where Jesus is taking us— even after just reading the Scripture above!).   

Notice, Jesus came to take us to a Person (the Father)— not just a Place (Heaven). It’s true that we get to go to a place— but the place only matters because of the Person.

This is similar to what Jesus revealed to the repentant thief on the Cross, by the way. He said, “Today, you will be with Me (a Person) in Paradise (a Place)” (see Luke 23:43). Again, the personal aspect, the connection, is the biggest issue.

Jesus tells us in the passage from John that:

• He is taking us to the Father (14:6). And, 
• He came to reveal the Father (14:9f.).

Again, Jesus came to reveal a Person— not just a Place. And, according to Him, He does so with the words He says (14:11) and the works He does (14:11). The words and the works are both important.

LifeLift helps you find and fulfill your purpose. 

For an easy on-ramp, claim your free book at www.Jenkins.tv/purpose — and get introduced to the entire LifeLift framework. 

This video clip comes from the LifeLift workshop— available at https://www.jenkins.tv/lifelift 

It’s in the first part of the framework, Identity, where you learn who you are— www.Jenkins.tv/identity