Seeing Jesus: The Father Made Visible by Youth with a Mission (Author)

Chapter One

Mirror Image of the Father John 14:1-14

When Mary's parents came to faith in Jesus Christ, their lives changed dramatically. But their headstrong teenager wasn't interested in changing. Mary was looking for fulfillment through various means, far from her parents' wishes. After years of failed relationships, she was still searching. One day, having just discovered that she was pregnant by her latest boyfriend, she got the stunning news that her dad was dying after a heart attack.

"God must be punishing me for getting pregnant!" she burst out to a Christian acquaintance. "Why else would he take away a good man like my dad?""But Mary, God is not like that!" her friend responded. As she explained further, Mary, in tears, understood for the first time that while God was grieved by the sin in her life, he loved her and her baby dearly. And he was reaching out to help her through the difficult times she faced.

In the book The Tutor's First Love by George MacDonald, one of the characters says: "Don't measure God's mind by your own!" Let's face it, so often we do. We weigh God by our own standards of love, justice, fairness, and mercy. Our image of him has been woven together from scraps of philosophy and science, images from the entertainment world, experiences in our family, and other areas of life. Most of the time we have developed an image of God that is distorted and vague. We don't let God speak for himself. Our heavenly Father longs to be known for who he really is. In this study we will look at Jesus as the mirror image of God the Father. As we do so, invite the Holy Spirit to remold your understanding of God.

Preparing Heart and Mind

Imagine looking down onto the surface of a windblown river. What do you see? Now imagine looking facedown into a glassy pond. What's the difference?

What is your definition of a friend?

How much of a friend is God to you? Can you imagine sitting down to a cup of coffee with him?

Engaging the text

1. When you think of God, what kind of a picture comes to your mind? Think of descriptive words that capture what you see.

2. What kind of a picture comes to mind when you think of Jesus?

Read John 14:1-14

3. How many times does Jesus refer to the Father in these verses?

What do you think he is trying to emphasize about the Father?

4. Jesus is drawing several parallels between himself and the Father (vv. 1, 6-11). What are they?

5. How might these parallels be reassuring to the disciples in their troubled state? (See Setting the Stage.)

6. Is one or more of these parallels also reassuring to you in your present walk with God? Explain.

7. Identify aspects of Jesus' character that are demonstrated in this passage (see also Setting the Stage). Note both what he says and how he says it.

8. In verse 4, Jesus assures the disciples that they know the way to the place where he is going, but Thomas doesn't seem to have a clue what Jesus is talking about. What do you think is the reason for this gap in communication?

9. What more do we discover about Jesus in his response to Thomas?

10. In verse 8, Philip expresses a desire to see the Father. What, according to Jesus, is Philip failing to grasp?

11. Both Thomas and Philip are looking for answers outside of Jesus - for their comfort, direction, and security - but Jesus points them back to himself. Describe a time when you felt like Thomas or Philip, searching for answers outside of Jesus.

12. Think back to your response to Question 2. In what ways has your perspective of Jesus as God changed? How might you respond differently to Jesus now?

13. The Father is like Jesus, that is, they think the same, act the same, love, care, and forgive in the same manner. Think back to your response to Question 1. As you consider what you have learned in this study, how might the way you now respond and relate to God the Father change?

Setting the Stage

It is the evening of the Passover meal and Jesus is talking to his disciples in the upper room.

The disciples have been with Jesus for about three years.

During the previous weeks, Jesus has repeatedly told them that he is going to die.

This is an evening filled with emotion. The disciples are feeling confusion, fear, and grief.

Jesus knows that later that same night he will be betrayed and arrested. This passage is part of his final instructions to his disciples. He understands their confusion and tries to comfort them.

The Principle of Repetition

Repetition is one of the best ways of teaching to get a point across more fully. We often find this principle in the Bible. When studying the Scriptures, taking note of repetition may give you new insights. For example, Genesis 1 often repeats the phrase "and God saw that it was good." And in Leviticus, the word "holy" is repeated about eighty-nine times in only twenty-seven chapters, showing us that the focus is not on these "tedious" laws but on the fact that God is holy and wants us to lead holy lives.

Only Through Him!

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" (John 14:6).

Face-to-Face

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

Millions of people today communicate with each other via electronic mail. Some say they prefer to build relationships this way-perhaps because there is relatively little risk involved. We also may feel freer to express ourselves when facing a computer monitor or a piece of paper than we do when talking with someone.

In spite of these benefits, we intuitively understand that we don't really know a person until we have met them in person. Many people have felt that they had found love with a pen pal or an acquaintance on the Internet, only to be bitterly disappointed when they met in person.

God gave us his law through Moses and described himself through Abraham, David, and other prophets. But those laws and descriptions would never be enough to enable us to say that we really know who God is.

Having given his Word, God showed just how committed he is by becoming one of us. Thanks be to God that Jesus became a human being! Now we need not be satisfied with laws and written descriptions of God in heaven. He is incarnate. The Word has become flesh and dwells among us!

As you consider your relationship with the Lord, is he a friend with whom you talk and share? He wants that kind of deeply personal relationship with you.

(Continues...)

Finding Your Purpose: Becoming...

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Lessons on Assurance

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Integrity: Living the Truth

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Daniel