Who the heck did this guy think he was? “All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Jesus probably infuriated a lot of people when he said that, claiming to be the one to whom God had entrusted all things, the only one who could make God known. Some believed him, some did not, some wondered. Pretty much covers the gamut for us too.
It feels great when we know something other people don’t yet know. And when we know someone important and get to introduce other people to that person, don’t we feel some power, excitement, a moment of superiority? If I can have a well-known artist at a party, or a U.S. senator at a worship service, I feel like hot stuff. Well, friends, we know a guy who can introduce us to the God who made the universes, who can not only introduce us but get us an audience at which we can ask anything, confess anything, say anything.
Those who believe that Jesus is who he said he was, and that he is risen and ascended, who count themselves as his brothers and sisters, are ones to whom he has chosen to reveal the Father. Maybe he also chooses to reveal God to others; I don’t know. He said he has made God known to us.
Are we taking him up on that invitation? If you had a chance to meet with your favorite celebrity, or maybe the Dalai Lama or Pope Francis, would you go? I’d move my schedule around to get there. Do we want to know God? We’re told Jesus is the perfect image of the invisible God… and he said that those who have seen him have seen the Father… so Jesus is the best place to start.
Today in prayer we can take another imaginary exploration. Our imaginations can be wonderful vehicles for prayer, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Imagine walking with Jesus into wherever it is you imagine the Father to be… a throne room? A corner office? A beautiful field? Play it out in your mind – what do you see? What do you hear? What is said? How do you feel?
In an age when access to power is everything, we might hold as precious how much access to ultimate power and eternal love we have been given in Christ. “For through him we have access to the Father by one Spirit.” You’ve got the “in.” Use your connections!
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