On this
Father’s Day I am thankful that Jesus chose to teach his disciples to God as
Father, and by doing so honored fatherhood. The Jewish people ordinarily did
not pray to God as father. In the psalms, the Jewish prayer and hymn book, God
is addressed as “Lord,” “Yahweh,” “my Rock,” or some other metaphor, but never
as “Father.” In the psalms and in the OT generally God speaks of the king as
his son and of the Jewish people as his children, but individual Jews did not
pray to God as Father.
This
changes with Jesus. In Matthew Jesus began his teaching ministry with the
Sermon on the Mount when he taught his disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven
…” He modeled that approach throughout his ministry, until at the end, on the
cross, he twice addressed God as Father, “Father, forgive them …,” and “Father,
into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Why did
Jesus choose to have his disciples pray to God as Father? Perhaps doing so
recognizes something about the mystery and power of God. To a child a father is
this tall, strong, even fearsome person that he or she does not fully
understand. A father in the Jewish social structure had extraordinary status
and power. His word was final. It was to be obeyed without question.
But the
use of “Father” by Jesus goes far beyond that. The word he used in Aramaic was
“Abba” – a word implying intimacy and closeness. Some have likened it to our
terms of “Papa,” or “Daddy.” In addition to respect for this fearsome,
mysterious and powerful God, he wants his disciples to have an intimate, loving
relationship with God. As Paul says in Romans 8:15, “You did not receive the
spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by
whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’”
As I
have read, prayed and studied the psalms, one fact stands out. To be sure, God
is seen as powerful, mysterious, fearsome, and one who demands obedience, but
this is balanced by two other terms. Over and over the Psalms speak of God’s
“steadfast love,” and his “faithfulness.” His steadfast love and faithfulness
can be summarized in the one word, “commitment.” As our heavenly Father, God is
so committed to us that he will do whatever it takes, pay any price, to save us
and make us his own.
As we
take communion this morning, may we see not only the sacrifice of Jesus, but
the commitment of God – a commitment so strong that he gave his only begotten
son so that we might become his adopted sons and daughters and thus be able to
call him “Abba, Father.”
