Pentecost (John 14:8-27)

Philip makes a request to Jesus that should give us hope: "Show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Notice he says "us"—Philip isn't the only unsatisfied follower. There are others who feel the same way.

This is strangely hopeful for us because we're not so different from Philip and his friends. Think about it: they've traveled with Jesus from town to town, witnessed his work, experienced him up close, and yet they're still not satisfied. If they couldn't fully see the Father in Jesus despite all that firsthand experience, then we—who have never encountered Jesus in person—might actually have a good reason for our own struggle to be satisfied.

But here's where it gets complicated. Philip and his friends could at least express their dissatisfaction directly to Jesus. We can't. So while their request keeps us from being blamed for not seeing the Father in Jesus, it also seems to leave us with no chance to actually see the Father in him. Are we stuck? The answer, of course, is no—but let's dig deeper first.

What Does It Mean to Be Satisfied?

When Philip says "we will be satisfied," he's revealing that they're not satisfied now. They're betting on Jesus because they believe he can show them the Father—that's their reason for following him. But what exactly are they unsatisfied with? Political oppression? Economic hardship? Something spiritual and religious? It's something fundamental about life itself.

Remember the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well ten chapters earlier? Jesus offered her living water that would satisfy her thirst forever. Clearly not H2O—this is a metaphor for God, in whom we find complete satisfaction.

The Heart of the Problem

So we have two issues here. First, Philip and his friends are following Jesus to see the Father, but they're not satisfied with what they're seeing. Second, Jesus has been showing them the Father all along—the writing is on the wall, but to them it doesn't seem particularly significant.

Here's what's encouraging: both Philip and Jesus take this longing for satisfaction seriously. They both understand that only God can truly fulfill this deep human need. Their disagreement is actually minor—it's about how to see what's already there.

Jesus needs to teach them a skill: how to see the Father in him. This is a skill that requires practice and effort. There's no instant magic that suddenly makes God visible in Jesus. Even after the resurrection, the gospel stories are filled with Jesus' friends who don't recognize the risen Christ. To see the risen Christ, you must develop skill and become skillful.

The Skill We Need

What skill is this? For those of us who never experienced Jesus in person, the Advocate is sent. Jesus calls this the Spirit of truth (πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας), which can be translated as the Breath of unforgetfulness.

This Breath of unforgetfulness isn't just a poetic nickname for the Holy Spirit. This expression is the skill itself. We take the Breath of unforgetfulness. We unforget this Breath in our own breath.

I have to repeat this because it's so crucial: this simple skill is always available to us. Yet again and again, we discover that simple is not easy. Just because it's always available doesn't mean we always know how to access it or remember to practice it.

Pentecost Today

On this Day of Pentecost, I leave you with one skill and one phrase: the Breath of unforgetfulness. When we unforget this Breath in us, the risen Christ shows us the Father.


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