John 14:7
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
John 14:7
Here Jesus intensifies the promise: if you truly knew Him, you would also know the Father. If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father. This challenges any complacent assumption that knowing about Jesus is enough; the knowledge of Jesus is intimately tied to the knowledge of the Father. The claim would have startled listeners who pictured God as distant or unapproachable, separate from the Son. Yet Jesus is revealing the deep unity of the Father and the Son, a unity so complete that discerning one reveals the other. It also points toward the experiential dimension of knowing God—seeing Jesus in life, teaching, miracles, and character is seeing the Father at work.
The passage reinforces the doctrine of the Trinity’s unity in economy: Father and Son share the same divine essence and will, and Jesus acts as revealer. It strengthens Christological emphasis in John’s Gospel: to see Jesus is to encounter God Himself. This has pastoral implications: God is approachable in Jesus, not distant; revelation comes through the incarnate Word. It also sets up the role of faithful obedience as seeing God work in the world.
Live with the expectation that knowing Jesus reshapes your understanding of God. As you study His life, seek to "see" the Father in His actions—compassion, justice, mercy. In practical terms, let Jesus’ life inform your expectations of God’s activity in your circumstances. When wrestling with questions about God’s will, consider whether your view of God aligns with Jesus’ character. Prayer, worship, and scripture should draw you toward a more intimate knowledge of the Father by knowing the Son. If you’re unsure you know God, ask, “What do I know about Jesus that reveals the Father?”
Cross-References: John 5:19-23; John 8:19; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:3; 2 Corinthians 4:6