A Hidden Truth
In order to know what Jesus meant in the bible sometimes, you have to get rid of pre-conceived teachings that are almost considered sacred and anybody that disagrees is going to hell or something worse.
One of the teachings of Jesus was “The Vine” which is in John 15: 1-17
In this versus Jesus is saying that he is the vine, God is the Gardner, and we as Christians are the Grapes, so he is explaining how the mechanism works, God-Jesus- Christian, just like in a vine if you cut a branch from the main vine branch it will die, if you stay you will live, in many verses, Jesus said that he was only the Vehicle and was not the original source, the original source was GOD.
When Philip asked Jesus to show them the father he said;
John 14:9-15New International Version (NIV)
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Then he also said to the apostles in Mathew 10;19-20
Matthew 10:19-20New International Version (NIV)
19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Another example of what was going on, just like Jesus was the voice of God , the apostles were going to be lending their body and voice to God so God could use them, but it would be God talking.
Jesus said to Philip ” “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. Jesus was saying that he reflected God in many ways, just like the apostles would and just like many Christians would when they acted in obedience and were sensitive to Gods Guidance, the apostles talked in occasions what God put in their heads, (not always) just as Jesus also talked what God told him to say, and do , (but not always) there were sometimes in which Jesus talked in his own behalf like when he prayed in the mountain just before his arrest, that was not God talking but Jesus.
Luke 22:42-50New International Version (NIV)
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.[a]
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
He was afraid of what he knew was going to happen, but the angel gave him strength.
So you see a pattern here, just like he said of the vine.