46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.
Jesus offered a caution in the following verses that those who have heard and learned from God have seen Him. God is not immediately accessible to man. Jesus is the medium whereby we can know God. There is no mysticism whereby people can connect with God directly. Since the Son was preexistent with the Father, He is the only person with adequate knowledge of eternal things. Revelation of the Father is through the Son.
46 Not that anyone has seen the Father,
This phrase clarifies the phrase “shall all be taught by God.” To be taught by God does not imply that a person had to see God to be taught by Him. Jesus is the only One who has and had direct communication with the Father. God does not reveal Himself to men in general by direct vision. Our knowledge of God comes only from Jesus: “. . . except He who is from God.” He has exclusive knowledge of God.
There is no such thing as immediate access to the Father by anyone other than the Son. There is no mystical connection with God. The revelation of the Father is through Christ.
except He [Jesus] who is from God;
Jesus had immediate access to the Father (Jn 1:18) and saw the Father in person. He came from eternity as the one who was sent from God (Jn 3:34). The “one and only” Word recalls His preexistence with the Father (Jn 1:18). His access to the Father was direct. He is the sole mediator between God and man.
“From God” means from being beside God. Jesus was with the Father in eternity.
He has seen the Father.
Jesus saw the Father in eternity past in His eternal preexistent state. This is a claim that goes beyond hearing from God. Jesus told about the Father because He had an eternal relationship to the Father (Jn 8:38).
PRINCIPLE:
Jesus claimed true knowledge of the Father because He was with Him in eternity.
APPLICATION:
There is no one else on earth that has had direct, personal access to the Father in eternity other than Jesus. Jesus is our access to the Father. He is the “only” way to heaven (Jn 14:6).
