This week, from The DAWGHOUSE looks at how our Good, Good Father makes Himself known to us, His sons through His Son Jesus!
When a son doesn’t really know his father, he can’t really know himself. A father who is unhidden—who shares who he is with his son without holding back anything—is able to help his son find his own point of reference and identity in a chaotic world. A father differentiates his son from the crowd, focuses him, reinforces the point that his son is unique, and points to the trails in life that are consistent with their family.
If you had an earthly father who opened his life and heart to you, you know your father’s story. That’s a wonderful gift. But to really know ourselves, we have to go further than our earthly fathers. We have to know the Father—the one who made us and knows us intimately. We have to know him. All that our own earthly fathers can do only imperfectly, if at all, our heavenly Father does perfectly.
The good news is that our heavenly Father wants to be known. He wants his sons to know all about him because he is not hidden. He is a totally committed “all-in” Father who wants you to know him and his love for you.
THE FATHER IS KNOWN THROUGH THE SON
Here’s how Jesus explains getting to know your heavenly Father:
“If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”
Jesus is God the Son who perfectly reveals the Father to us. Let that sink in. Grab some time and read a Gospel in one sitting. Pay particular attention to what Jesus reveals to you about the Father. To know our elder brother is to know our Father.
When we reflect on Jesus coming to this earth, we know that this unique event was motivated by love from God the Father as well as God the Son and God the Spirit. The cross reveals the love of the Father every bit as much as it declares the love of Jesus. As Jesus walked this earth, he gave a living picture of the love of the Father for his people. When we see Jesus calling his disciples by name to follow him, we see the Father’s love in action (John 1:35–51).
Jesus’s encounter with an enemy of his people, a Samaritan woman who obviously had a painful and tumultuous relational past gives us another picture of God’s love at work (John 4). Jesus is tired and hungry, but he sees her need is more important than rest and food. So he draws her into a conversation, using language she will connect with, and answers her questions to help her connect to God. In everything Jesus does, we clearly see the love, patience, and generosity of the Father.
