Whatever the Father Does

In John 5 Jesus stirred up the Jews by telling them that God was His Father. They (rightly) understood that to mean that He was equal with God (John 5:16). In order to clear up the question, He said,

"Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing." (John 5:19-20)

As you see, this didn't "clear up the question"; it affirmed their conclusions. As He said later, "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30)

It's interesting to me, on this Father's Day, to note that Jesus recognized that He was doing what He saw the Father doing. And so do we. Kids with fathers who weren't there are often parents who aren't there. Kids with drunken or abusive fathers often end up drunken and abusive. Even when we are repelled by a bad father, we end up linked to him by the focus on the bad father and, perhaps avoiding the overt behaviors we hate, end up mimicking the character and attitudes. Like Jesus, we see what our fathers are doing and do likewise.

This can be good or bad. Good fathers give us good things to imitate. Bad fathers leave us bad things to imitate. Even absent fathers tell us something about how to live. It can be good or bad in another sense. Given a really good father, it becomes a real challenge to live up to that standard. Now, Jesus didn't have any difficulty, being God Incarnate, but for me it's not as easy. I have one of those fathers with long strides--hard to follow in his footsteps.

Dad always goes to church. It cannot be otherwise. Not like today's younger Christians who can hit or miss when something "more important" comes up. Dad has a high view of church. None of this syncretism, merging worldly views and approaches and styles with Christian views and values. Dad has a strong work ethic. In his '80's and technically retired, he thinks it would be bad to actually retire--do nothing. He needs to be doing: helping neighbors, encouraging believers, involving himself in the lives of any who enters his sphere of influence. Dad has a firm set of beliefs built on Scripture. None of this relativism built on "how I feel" or "well, we know better today." This is the kind of thing I have to live up to if I'm going to imitate my father as Jesus imitated His. Increasingly in the face of our society, I am going to have to stand as my father does on biblical principle with self-discipline and courage.

It's Father's Day. I want to tell my readers how blessed I am to have the father God gave me. I want to say "thank you" to my father. Dad, you set a fine example to follow. And I want to thank my Father in heaven. It is He who gave me my father. And it is He who will enable me to imitate my father (Phil 2:13). I guess He has His work cut out for Him.