He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? John 14:10 Jesus asks the question as if the riddle should make everyone sort of smile sheepishly, nod their heads, and sort of elbow each other in the ribs. But . . . can you explain it? Why didn't this riddle get into the discussion when people were trying to solve the whole, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" issue? The Roman bishops used a Latin word homoousion, meaning “same substance,” to describe the relationship between the Father and Son. Both are God, and God is one. But why create a solution that seems even more difficult to understand than the solution Jesus presents here in John 14? Some may not think this riddle is important, but Jesus uses it again, the second time he includes his disciples. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. John 14:20 The third time, he includes US: I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us. John 17:20-21 So let's start with the most simple of the three riddles: Jesus and his Father. How can they both inhabit one another at the same time? It seems to defy the laws of science. But Jesus, as he often does, provides his disciples with a parable to understand it. The parable is very familiar and can be found in the very next chapter--the vine and the branches. 
Let's break it apart: Jesus is the branch. The Father is the vine. How is the branch in the vine? That's easy, we can see how that works. The branch is growing right out of it. It is an extension of the vine's life, an extension that produces green leaves for healing, and fruit to offer sustenance and strength to others. The life of the vine finds expression through the branch. But remove the branch, and the branch is dead, good for nothing but to be bundled up and burned. How is the vine in the branch? In this case, it is not the physical vine that is in the branch, but the life of the vine. The vine takes the water and nutrients from the soil, and gives it to the branch, allowing the branch to live and grow and bear fruit. We're talking about the indwelling Spirit of God. This is also true of an arm and a body. The arm allows the body to express itself and to accomplish things. But the life of the body gives the arm everything it needs to live and grow. By being an active member of the body, it is connected to the brain through the nervous system, and receives the blood it needs from the heart. In the same way Jesus received life from his Father, and functioned in response to that life. But if the vine and the branch are the exact same thing---homoousion . . . Now I'm confused. There is much more to be said about this subject, but for now I want to challenge you to take the vine and branches illustration and apply it to the other two mysteries (John 14:20 & John 17:20-21). Can you explain them?
The Mystery Explained
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5 comments:
I'm assuming this is another "be thou silent" for those of us in study.
Well, I may be looking at this too simplistically but the concept may not be that difficult.
John 14:20 "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you." (NAS)
Using the Vine/Branches parable, Father = Vine, Jesus = Branches, us = leaves. Without the vine and branch, we could not exist. Which is where the Israelites were before Christ's arrival - leaves without connection to the vine. Without the vine/branch providing the needed sustance, we would wither and die.
Which kinda makes the next verse, John 17:20-21 less complicated. There are many trees/bushes that if you remove one leaf, many come with it. We are all interconnected thru the life giving power of the branch, which connects us to the true source of life, the vine.
Unlike a tree or bush in the fall, our root continues to supply life all the time, sometimes the leaves just refuse the branch's life power. The branch and the vine just wait for the opportunity again to be a provider. The leaves just have to accept it.
Jenn,
Go for it. I don't plan to blog on these and I'll enjoy the responses of anyone and everyone.
It is interesting that the branches die when they are cut off,but,if you cut on the vine it still grows. So, they aren't the same thing,it is a one-way support system. The branch doesn't give anything to the vine.
Carrie,
The vine, branches, leaves thing is pretty close, but leaves don't bear fruit as we are meant to do. The verbiage in John 15 is that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. Earlier, Jesus calls his Father the vine dresser. Mainly, I want you to see that our relationship with Jesus now is the same as his relationship to his father was then.
But that leaves one part of the riddle unanswered. Jesus says, "In that day, you will know that I am in my father...and you in me and I in you" but he doesn't say that the Father is in him. Why not?
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