Day 60 – Who’s Your Daddy?

Read:  John 8:39-59

In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis points out that a father does not "make" a child in the same way a sculptor "makes" a statue.  A father "begets" a child, meaning that a child is made of the same substance as his or her parents.  While a sculptor may create a statue in his image -- similar in size and appearance -- that statue does not share substance with its creator.  A biological child not only resembles his father and mother but also shares their DNA.

Jesus frequently referred to God as his "Father."  This habit was unsettling for most of His Jewish audience. While they often referred to Abraham as "father," (something Jesus never did) they viewed such familiarity with God as not only disrespectful but blasphemous. While it is true that God created humans in His image, to call him "Father" is to claim to be of His same essence. That is the radical claim Jesus was making and His audience was questioning.

When the Jews called Abraham "father," they were referencing their biological, religious and cultural heritage. Jesus, however, does not define son-ship in terms of biology, but in terms of obedience. So what we have at the end of John 8 is a dispute over paternity. The Jewish leaders are questioning Jesus' right to call God "Father," and Jesus is challenging the religious leaders' claims to be the children of Abraham (John 8:39).  He instead suggests that their real father is the devil (John 8:44-45)! Abraham, after all, was a portrait of obedience, a trait that did not define this crowd.

For many years I struggled with the knowledge that my biological father was a deeply troubled man.  My attempts to ignore or deny him were, in many ways, an effort to avoid admitting that I am of his same substance.  Perhaps all sons or daughters, including my own, struggle with this reality.  We are all sinners and pass that curse on to each subsequent generation.  Jesus, however, says that before Abraham was, “I Am.” John declares that Jesus is the “only begotten son of God” (John 1:14 & 3:16). Paul says that Jesus is the “firstborn over all creation” and is “before all things” (Colossians 1:15 & 17). Because of Jesus’ status as the Only Begotten, and because He “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,” we have been invited to share in His inheritance and can be adopted as the sons and daughters of God (Galatians 4:4-7). Before that can happen, one must first recognize his or her need for adoption. As long as we are content with our religious or biological heritage, we will never see our true status as orphans, and will remain unwilling to accept Jesus’ invitation to call His father, “our Father.”

Abba, Father,

Thank You that because Your Only Begotten Son was willing to forsake His rights I have been adopted as Your son. Thank You for the generosity of Christ and His willingness to share His inheritance with me. Thank You that, despite my sinful nature and my willful disobedience, You have called me your own. Help me to live worthy of such a title and to honor You as my Father and my Lord.

Amen