Show us the Father and that will be enough for us. It seems Jesus had opened a can of worms when he talked to his disciples about him going to the Father in order to prepare a place for them. In yesterday’s Gospel Reading, we saw how Thomas was unable to hold back and requested Jesus to tell them in plain terms where he was going and how they (the likes of Thomas) were to get there. But it appears that it was not only Thomas who had concerns or who needed further clarifications from Jesus. In today’s Gospel passage, we see Philip also asking Jesus to cut to the chase and show them the Father. If God was their final goal and end, if God is all that they needed, then why couldn’t Jesus do away with all the unnecessary steps and conditions? Philip had certainly heard a lot about the Father from Jesus, and if what Jesus was saying was true, then there was no need to wait. They were ready to see the Father. Philip’s request stunned Jesus. It appeared that Philip (and probably the others) had still not gotten it. “Have I been with you all this time and you still do not know ME?” It was not Philip’s knowledge (or lack of it) of the Father that surprised Jesus. Rather, it was Philip’s lack of knowledge of Jesus that appeared to hurt him. “The Father and I are one, Philip, if you have seen one, you have seen the other.” Jesus was wondering if Philip had really come to know who he was, because if he did, then he would have come to know that he (Jesus) and the Father were one. Had Jesus’ words been landing on deaf ears? Had his works come to nothing? Didn’t anyone see him perform the signs? 
There are times when we get to behave like Philip. We have been with Jesus, we have witnessed Jesus work signs in our midst, we have read books and all kinds of literature on Jesus, but we are still far from getting it. How many times do we find ourselves laying out conditions for God? “If we arrive safely, then we will praise your name,” or “Jesus, if you are really listening, please heal my friend.” We profess our knowledge of God with our lips, but our actions point to a deficiency in what we profess. Our knowledge of the Jesus whom we profess to follow should be enough to calm our fears whenever we find ourselves in a fix. Our knowledge of who he is to us (our shepherd, our friend, our brother, our savior) should be enough to give us strength to march forward with hope even in the midst of uncertainties.