Who is our father?

Readings

1 Samuel 17:40–50 ESV

40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.” 48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.

Revelation 2:8–11 ESV

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. 9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

Gospel reading

John 8:42–51 ESV

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” 48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

Introduction

‌About a decade ago, I used to watch a comedy series on TV. One of the subjects dealt with was a man, named Barney, who had grown up with his mother, but did not know who his father was. As an adult, Barney had to deal with the desire to know his father, while not wanting to upset his mother, and did therefore not pressure her to tell him who he was. Evnetually a coincidence revealed the truth. His father was a man he had believed to be an old uncle. Barney then had to wrestle with the question of whether he should consider this man as his real father. Perhaps it would have helped him to ask: What is meant by the word father?

Obviously, now that we know about DNA, we can define a father as the person who provided half of it. In that sense, Barney could not deny that he had found his real father. But that was not a satisfactory answer to him. He missed having a father who provided him with safety and a male role model, and who molded his son into a man. Since his father had abandoned him in childhood, perhaps he had also forfeited his right to call himself father.

I: Of the same nature

In the Bible, the word father is a term that has a deeper meaning. God himself calls himself Father. We say in the creed: "I believe in one God, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible." The word Father is used here in the sense of origin. It is the Father who creates and makes the world.‌

Most importantly, however, the word refers the role of the Father in the history of salvation. He is the Father, because he has his only Son, who was born of the Virgin Mary. That is why we confess about Christ that he is: "God of God,” that he is "light light light" and "true God of true God, begotten not made, of one essence with the Father."‌

The Son, Christ, has the same divine nature as the Father. "Like father like son" as they say. This means something deeper than simple similarity. Christ, the Son, came from the Father, and has the same nature and essence.

This relationship between the Father and the Son is a model for all ordinary fathers on earth, as Paul writes in the letter to the Ephesians: "Therefore I bow my knees to the Father, from whom every fatherhood in heaven and earth takes its name." (Eph 3:14-15) Although the father's role in childbearing seems small in comparison to the mother's role, the son or daughter nevertheless receive an equal share in the nature of their father. In this respect, fathers on earth are the image of their father in heaven.

Of course, this is not the whole story, as Barney in the comedy learned. For the giving of part of ones nature entails continuing ties and obligations, and even inheriatnce and possessions. All that belongs to God the Father also belongs to the Son. The kingdom of God is not only the Father's, but also the Son's.

II: Having the devil as father

It is this understanding that lies beneath when Jesus says that the Pharisees have the devil as their father. They are of a different nature than Christ and therefore of a different nature than God the Father.‌

In the story of the fall of man, the devil was in the garden with Adam and Eve. There he questioned God's word of truth, and instead offered the lie that disobedience and rebellion against God would not result in death, but would make man to be like God. It was a lie that caused the death of Adam and Eve and all their descendants. That is why Jesus says that the enemy has been a murderer from the beginning.

When Adam and Eve believed the lie, they chose to form a relationship with the devil instead of God. They chose to receive the nature of the lie, which is the nature of the devil. They chose the sinful nature. So does anyone who believes his lies.‌

The Pharisees did not want to believe Christ's words, but instead made themselves His judges. They thought they knew better than Christ who Christ is. They said: "Is it not true that we say that you are a Samaritan and have an evil spirit?" Isn't it exactly the same when one of us says something like:

"I think that Jesus was very misunderstood, that he may have been a good teacher, but he never claimed to be God. He did not intend to found any religion at all." Or sometimes, when we say and think: "If God is like this or like that, I don't want to believe in him." Or even when we don't want to show God the trust we should show an all-gracious father. When we do what God's word forbids us to do. When we call the words of Scripture obsolete and out of date. When we say that these are just the thoughts of men who were children of their own time.‌

When we believe and trust the lie about God rather than His Word in the Holy Scriptures, we partake of the nature of the lie and therefore the nature of the father of lies. It's not just that we indulge in it every now and then, but it's much worse: It's natural to us.‌

It is absolutely essential that we realize this. The nature of sin, lying and the devil resides in our human nature, distorting it and causing death. We are given no other option but simply to confess that it is so. We find in our hearts a lust for evil.

Therefore we are also under the wrath of God, as it is written in Exodus, chapter 20:‌

Exo 20:5b "I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers on the children, even to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me."‌

This is also how evil's deception comes down on us all.‌

III: The one who is of God

But this place in the second book of Moses continues. God is not only the one who visits iniquity but the one who shows mercy. Thus it is written in verse 6:

Exo 20:6 "but [I] will show mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments."‌

They are those who have God as their father, and belong to Him. After all, Jesus says in today's Gospel:‌

Joh 8:47a "He who is of God hears the word of God."‌

And it can truly be said that the one who before everyone else is truly from God: Christ himself. He not only hears the word of God, but speaks it himself and communicates it to us in the Holy Scriptures. This is how we can hear the word of God, through Jesus Christ.

That is why he says again in verse 51:‌

Joh 8:51b "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that keepeth my word shall never die."

Through Jesus Christ, we can hear this life-giving word. And when we receive it, when we confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord, that he came from God. When we receive him in his word and the sacraments, he gives us the right to be children of God. We are thereby given the right to call God our Father. We are given the right to pray: Our Father, who art in heaven.

But it is not enough that he takes our father's place like an adopted father, and thereby gives us a share in the inheritance that belongs to Christ. Indeed he does this, but, he also begins to renew our nature. To give us a new nature, which comes from God. Nature that hears his word, trusts it and believes.‌

This work of God is called sanctification, and it is a work that begins with justification, when God makes us his children, and gives us the right to call him Father. But the work does not conclude there. It is not complete until He raises us from the dead again on the last day, completely without the sinful nature. Therefore, when we look sincerely at our own lives, we always see that the old nature of sin clings to us. That's why we need to recognize our sins again and again, confess them, and constantly trust that Christ has borne our sins on the Cross.

Conclusion

Many people do not like to be labelled by others. Yet Christ offers us only two possibilities: Either we have the devil as our father, and thus the nature of lies, or God as our father, and thus the nature of truth. It's that simple.

When people say: I don't want to be defined by old labels. I go my own way, I have my own truth. Then it is precisely the nature of the lie that speaks. We cannot define in our hearts what is truth and what is not. Our only hope is to trust that Christ has marked us with the sign of the cross, and called us children of God.

Let us stand up together and confess our faith in God our Father, in his son Jesus Christ, who gives us this right and sanctifies us through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Glory be to God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, it is and will be for ever and ever. Amen.