The disciples had become afraid because of what Jesus had been saying and he spoke words of great comfort to them although they could not yet understand his meaning (14:1-4). The reference in 14:2 is to heaven. A question from Thomas (14:5) leads to the great saying, (I AM the way, the truth and the life' (14:6). The way to God is Jesus (14:6-7). Philip's request in 14:8 not only shows his failure to understand what Jesus had been teaching them but indicates that he thought that the most important thing was a mystical or ecstatic kind of religious experience; a vision of God 'is all we need.' Later Jesus would tell the disciples that loving God could not be separated from obeying God in this world; this would require a readiness even for martyrdom (21: 18-19). Jesus replied to Philip's request with the great affirmation, 'I am in the Father and the Father is in me' (14:9-11). 'Whoever has seen me has seen the Father' was a claim which the disciples still failed to understand. The words in 14:12-14 refer to the task of the future Church which would continue Jesus' work in the world. In the power of the risen Christ, sins would be forgiven, blind eyes opened, health and life restored and mankind fed with the living bread and the life-giving water, as the Church reached out to the whole human race with the offer of eternal life. What could be rightly asked for in the name of Christ would be given in answer to the prayers of the believers.