How what we see can trick us

I in you and you in I, 2024 (5th painting of Pursuing Love Series)

Artwork inspired by John 14:11a

Keiko Yamada

Acrylic Painting on Canvas

16 x 20 inch

What we see changes by what we know

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.

From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”

 John 14:7

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, declaring that to see Him (Jesus) is to see the Father (God). For people who think carefully and logically, that can be hard to accept.

Philip, one of the disciples, responds honestly and logically:

“Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

John 14:8b

In other words, “Jesus, I see You—but I don’t see the Father. Please show Him to us.”

Jesus answers gently, not with anger, but with truth:

Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John 14:9

Jesus reveals that the problem is not a lack of evidence, but a lack of KNOWING who Jesus and Father is.

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Philip was a practical thinker. Earlier, when Jesus fed the five thousand, Philip calculated the cost and concluded there was not enough money to buy bread. His reasoning was correct—but it left no room for who Jesus truly is.

And yet, Jesus took five loaves and two fish and fed everyone.

God is not limited by what makes sense to us. He often works beyond our logic, not to shame us, but to invite us into knowing Him deeper, and to trust Him deeper based on who He is.

Pause & Reflect: Are you being convinced more by your circumstances—or by the word of Jesus today?

📖　Pause & Reflect (check our lens)

Are you being convinced more by your circumstances—or by the word of Jesus today? If you already concluded that word of Jesus is not trustworthy, what led to that conclusion?

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What we see changes by what we believe 

Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,

or else believe on account of the works themselves.

John 14:11

Philip wanted to see the Father before he could believe. But Jesus gently redirects him from knowing Him, and to believing (placing trust in who He said He is based on personal conviction) in Him.

Today’s painting is based on this very verse– John 14:11

I chose the vibrant orange color to express brilliant life. Life fulfills both outside and inside the tree that represents Christ. That He is truly in the Father and the Father is in Him. 

Jesus does not demand blind faith. He points to His words—and to His works, to show us that He is worthy of our faith/trust.

Whether we believe Jesus as who He says He is or not drastically effects how we see the world, people, and even ourselves. Even today, He is inviting us to know Him personally and to believe (trust) in Him.

🙏 Prayer：  Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us the ability to think logically so that we can love not only with all our hearts but also all of our mind. As we make the most out of what you have given us, help us to continue to know you as who you are, and to trust you with all our soul. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

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Thanks for reading！God bless you!