Jn 14:7-14
See the Father: It is a belief in the Old Testament that the sight of God is too much for the human eyes. No one sees God and lives! The vision of God is granted to very few individuals, but only in some symbolic form. Yet to see the face of God is an ardent desire of the human heart. Thus Philip asks Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us,” perhaps echoing the desire of Moses: “Do let me see your glory!” (Ex 33:18). Both requests articulate the spiritual search of humankind.
John puts it clearly that no one has ever seen God (Jn 1:18). Seeing God is reserved for the end time (cf Mt 5:8). For the moment, we see him dimly, as in a mirror, but later, face to face (1 Cor 13:12).
Here, when Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father, he probably means to experience the like of the great theophany of God at Mt. Sinai or the vision of the heavenly court enjoyed by the prophets. But Jesus tells him that theophanies and visions are no longer necessary now that the disciples see him. The Word of God, who is God, has become flesh and can be touched, seen, and heard. In seeing Jesus, one sees God. John, however, is not presenting us metaphysics which would be used in later Trinitarian debates. The oneness between Jesus and the Father is to be based more on the Jewish concept that the “one sent” completely identifies with the “one who sent.” Yet there is clearly a uniqueness in Jesus’ relationship with the Father. More than an agent of God, he is also the Son of God.