Why “Father?”
Johnson, Chris. Mister Gabor’s Eyes. 2022.
Digital with Midjourney AI
Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “Pray like this… our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name.” In that moment Jesus shifted the status quo. No longer was the creator of Heaven and Earth merely a judge of right and wrong. No longer was he simply a divine being to be worshipped. Now he was humanity’s Heavenly “Father.”
WHY FATHER?
The word “father” is a unique one like no other. Not particularly passive, indeed never neutal, and almost always evoking emotion, this typical term packs a potent and powerful punch. Simply put, “father” has deep meaning, for better or for worse.
THE TERM “FATHER” IS PROBLEMATIC, BECAUSE FATHERS ARE FLAWED.
While this household title may seem commonplace in society, it is problematic in sacred scripture. After all, many a broken heart has spoken these very words, “The father relationship is a difficult one for me. It’s hard when I talk about God like that.” This challeneg we may face when refering to God in such a personal way is exasperated due to the fact that fathers are very human. For some they can be the most flawed, most disruptive figures within life. Whether present or absent, this prominent force can “make or break” a childhood experience.
LOVE THEM OR HATE THEM, FATHERS CAN’T BE IGNORED.
Perhaps the logic of calling God our father has less to do with how fathers behave and more to do with what we expect from them. Rarely does a person hear the term “father” without making a universal and timeless assumption: Fathers are supposed to care. For those who love their dads and see them as pillars, it is easy to acknowledge that “fathers are meant to be loving and good.” Ironically, those who have terrible parental relationships and don’t know the warmth of a dad are likely to feel the same way by acknowledging, “I don’t understand why my father wasn’t good.”
IS GOD THE FATHER YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR?
In Matthew 7:11, Jesus states that God is unlike human fathers. According to Christ, this is because God as a father is good. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Is it possible that Jesus understands the problem humans face when it comes to fathers? Does he know that parents are flawed and can even be “evil?” It seems so. Thus, Jesus appeals not to what humans have experienced, but rather to what they have longed for. “Yes, there is a Father. And he is better than you can imagine.”
