John 14:7 (DRB)

Passage

If you had known me, you would without doubt have known my Father also: and from henceforth you shall know him. And you have seen him.

Nearby Context

John 14:5 Thomas saith to him: Lord, we know not whither thou goest. And how can we know the way?

John 14:6 Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.

John 14:7 If you had known me, you would without doubt have known my Father also: and from henceforth you shall know him. And you have seen him.

John 14:8 Philip saith to him: Lord, shew us the Father; and it is enough for us.

John 14:9 Jesus saith to him: Have I been so long a time with you and have you not known me? Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou: Shew us the Father?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "known", "without", "doubt", "father", "henceforth", "shall", and "seen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "known" and "without", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Jesus saith to him I am the..." into verse 8's "Philip saith to him Lord shew us...", so "known" and "without" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "known" and "without" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.