Knowing the Father

<p>According to legend, British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham once saw a distinguished-looking woman in a hotel foyer. Believing he knew her but unable to remember her name, he paused to talk with her. As the two chatted, he vaguely recollected that she had a brother. Hoping for a clue, he asked how her brother was doing and whether he was still working at the same job. &ldquo;Oh, he&rsquo;s very well,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;And still <em>king</em>.&rdquo;</p> <p>&nbsp;A case of mistaken identity can be embarrassing, as it was for Sir Beecham. But at other times it may be more serious, as it was for Jesus&rsquo; disciple Philip. The disciple knew Jesus, of course, but he hadn&rsquo;t fully appreciated who He was. He wanted Jesus to &ldquo;show [them] the Father,&rdquo; and Jesus responded that &ldquo;anyone who has seen me has seen the Father&rdquo; (John 14:8&ndash;9). As God&rsquo;s unique Son, Jesus reveals the Father so perfectly that to know one is to know the other (vv. 10&ndash;11).</p> <p>&nbsp;If we ever wonder what God&rsquo;s like in His character, personality, or concern for others, we only need to look to Jesus to find out. He reveals who the Father is&mdash;Jesus&rsquo; character, kindness, love, and mercy reveal God&rsquo;s character. And although our amazing, awesome God is beyond our complete comprehension and understanding, we have a tremendous gift in what He&rsquo;s revealed of Himself in Jesus.</p>