Jn. 14:9. Jesus said to him: I have been with you for so long, and you do not know Me, Philip?
So, teaching Philip that God cannot be seen bodily, Christ says: "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?" Look. He did not say "you have not seen," but "you have not known," in order to lead Philip away from an earthly way of thinking, from the desire to see the Father bodily. For concerning God, one speaks of knowing, not of seeing bodily.
Jn. 14:9. He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how then do you say, "Show us the Father"?
Then He adds: "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." The words have this meaning: "Philip! You desire to see the Father with the bodily eye and think that you have already seen Me. But I say to you that if you had seen Me, you would have seen Him also. But since you have not yet seen Him, neither have you seen Me as one ought to look upon Me: you have seen Me bodily, since I also have a body, but the Divine essence you have not seen; therefore you cannot see bodily the essence of the Father either. Neither Me nor the Father is it possible to see bodily. For he who has seen Me has seen the Father also. However, many think that they see Me, yet do not see the Father. Therefore they see Me not according to the Divine nature, but according to the human."
You may also understand it more clearly thus: "I am consubstantial with the Father." Therefore, whoever has seen Me, that is, known Me, has known the Father. For when the essence and nature are one, the knowledge is also one.
Let Arius be put to shame, hearing that he who has seen the Son, that is, he who has known the Divinity of the Son, has known the Father, that is, the Divinity of the Father. Let Sabellius also be put to shame, who says: "There is one essence and one person of the Father and the Son." For behold, the Lord distinguishes the Hypostases, and shows one Person in the Father and another in the Son. For in the words "he who has seen Me" He indicates His own Person, then in the words "has seen the Father" – another Person. But if He and the Father were one Person, He would have said nothing of the sort, but to Philip's request – "show us the Father" – He would have answered that I have no Father, but I am both the Father and the Son. And it would be utterly unreasonable to hear the Son saying "I go to My Father" and "I am in the Father," and many other things of this kind, and not to understand that the Person of the Son is one and the Person of the Father is another, and not to confuse them.
Therefore the Lord reproaches this disciple that he has followed Him for so long, has seen the signs and works of the Divinity, yet still has not recognized Him as God, so as to know the Father through Him as well. "But now," He says, "from the fact that you desire to see the Father bodily, it is revealed that you believe neither that I am God, nor that He is God."
Jn. 14:10. Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak of Myself; the Father who abides in Me, He does the works.
The Son is in the Father, since He exists in His essence, and again the Father is in the essence of the Son, just as a king is present in his image, and the image in the king. For the features of the image and the king are the same. And that My essence and the Father's are one, this is clear. For "the words that I speak, I speak not from Myself," that is, I speak them no differently, but as the Father would say, so I also speak; because I have nothing of My own, nothing separate from the Father, but all things are common; for the essence is one, though the persons are different.
But to the Father belong not only the words that I speak, but also the deeds, the Divine deeds. If the deeds are God's, and the Father and I are God, then the deeds belong to one Essence, so that if I act, the Father acts, and if the Father acts, I act.
Jn. 14:11. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; but if not, believe Me because of the works themselves.
"Believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me," that is, you who hear of the Father and the Son should not seek any other proof of Their kinship in essence. But if this is not sufficient for you as proof of consubstantiality and co-equal honor, and that the Father is present in My essence and I in the essence of the Father, then at least believe Me on account of the works, for the works are God's.
Jn. 14:12. Truly, truly, I say to you: he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also, and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Christ, showing that He can perform not only these works, but also others far greater than these, speaks of this with extraordinary power. For He does not say "I can perform works even greater than these," but — what is far more astonishing — "I can also give others the authority to perform works greater than these."
Do you see how great is the power of the Only-Begotten? He gives others also the power to do works greater than those which He Himself did. "Because I go to My Father," that is, now you yourselves will work miracles, for I am already departing.
Jn. 14:13. And whatever you ask the Father in My name, that I will do,
Explaining to us how one who believes in Him can perform great and wondrous deeds, He says: "If you ask anything in My name." Here He shows us the manner of working miracles: anyone can work miracles through petition and prayer and the invocation of His name. So too the apostles said to the lame man: "In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk" (Acts 3:6). Therefore He did not say "whatever you ask, I will entreat the Father, and He will do it," but rather "I will do it," showing His own authority.
Jn. 14:13. That the Father may be glorified in the Son.
For when a son is shown to possess great power, then glory also comes to the one who begot such a son. See, then, how glory flows to the Father. Miracles were performed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; because of the miracles, people believed the preaching of the apostles; and finally, advancing to the knowledge of God, they came to know the Father, and thus He was glorified in the Son.
Jn. 14:14. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Let those who suffer from Arianism say: "How is it that He performed miracles through the apostles, yet did not do His own works Himself, but with the cooperation of the Father? How is it that He gave power to others, yet did not have it Himself? Why did He say one and the same thing twice? For having said 'if you ask anything in My name, I will do it,' then adding 'that the Father may be glorified in the Son,' He again says a second time 'if you ask anything in My name, I will do it.'"
He says this twice in order to confirm His word and to show that He acts by Himself and has no need of any outside power. Yet He says this to the disciples for their consolation and as confirmation that after death He will not perish, will not be destroyed, but will again remain in His dignity and will be in heaven. "For I," He says, "am going to the Father; I will not be destroyed, but am departing to where life is most blessed. Although I will die, I will in no way appear powerless; on the contrary, I will also clothe others with the power to do greater works. And whatever you desire, I will give you. Therefore, do not lose heart because My death is such as I have indicated to you."
Jn. 14:15. If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Above He said "I will do everything you ask"; now He shows that one must ask not simply, but with love for Him and the keeping of the commandments. For then I will do it, when you ask in this manner.
And in another way. Hearing that they would be left by Him, they could naturally become saddened and troubled in their souls. He says: "Love for Me consists not in being saddened and troubled, but in obeying My words. I gave you the commandment not to fear 'those who kill the body' (Matt. 10:28). If you love Me, then keep it and no longer grieve over My death. For it is not fitting for one who keeps the aforementioned commandment to grieve. How then, not keeping My commandment, but fearing death, do you say that you love Me?"