A couple verses of Scripture caught my attention while
reading recently. In John 19:7, the Jews tell Pilate, “We have a law, and
according to that law He [Jesus] ought to die because He has made Himself the
Son of God” (ESV). Earlier John had explained, “This was why the Jews were
seeking all the more to kill Him, because not only was He breaking the Sabbath,
but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God”
(John 5:18). The Jews found this to be both outrageous and blasphemous.
But notice what happens after the resurrection—Jesus says to
Mary, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to
My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to
My God and your God” (John 20:17). Jesus isn’t just claiming God as His own
Father, He is also naming the disciples as His brothers and God as their Father
as well! That brings to mind the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father in heaven…” (Matthew
6:9). The Pharisees would have been appalled.
The Apostle Paul continued to break the rules throughout his
letters.
“For all who are led by the Spirit
of God are sons of God… you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by
whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and
fellow heirs with Christ…” (Romans 8:14-17, compare Galatians 4:4-7).
It’s a bit mind-boggling to consider that not only are we
brothers and sisters with all believers around the world today, but also with
the Apostle Paul, John, Peter, and the other disciples. And on top of that, we
are siblings with Jesus. This is one area where the Catholic Church has made a
mistake. They’ve encouraged praying to the apostles and “saints” as if somehow
those people have greater access to God than the rest of us. Jesus, along with
the New Testament writers, made it clear that our ideas of hierarchy and
prestige are completely backwards. “Many who are first will be last, and the
last first” (Mark 10:31). “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world
to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He has promised to those
who love Him?” (James 2:5).
Tim Keller writes:
“To be adopted means that now God
loves us as if we had done all Jesus had done… so we can run to our Father
without fear. We have the most intimate and unbreakable relationship possible
with the God of the universe. To be a child of God means access. We know God is attentively listening to us and watching us”
(Prayer:Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, 69-70).
We can “approach the throne of grace with confidence”
(Hebrews 4:16 NIV) without relying on any intermediary. We don’t have to make a
formal petition and wait for the Judge to hear our case. We can simply run to
Him as a child runs to his father’s open arms. Although earthly fathers fail
us, our heavenly Father waits patiently, loves lavishly, and responds perfectly
no matter what we may say or do.
“Jesus paid the price so God could be our father… This new
relationship with God is what you need if you have a bad family background.
This is what you need if you feel like a failure, if you feel lonely, or if you
are sinking further into despair. Because of the infinite price paid by your
brother, Jesus, God your father will hold you up” (Keller, 80).
