“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who 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 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 in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.”
John 14:9-11 (RSV)
Everything we can know about God has been revealed in the words and actions of Jesus. All that He did and everything He taught are reflections of who God, the Father is. If we see Him as anyone other than a loving Father and a caring shepherd, then we haven’t been listening to Jesus.
At the transfiguration, God spoke audibly from heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him,” so if we listen to Jesus, He shows us all we need to know about God, the Father.
Jesus’ actions revealed the heart of His father, in reaching out to the marginalized people of society. In both His parables and His actions, we see in Jesus what God desired to express to the world. A gentle, patient, father of the prodigal standing with open arms and the caring shepherd who will leave the flock to chase after the one who is lost. That’s the picture God wants us to see.
When Jesus said “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” it’s an open invitation to all people to come to Him. He is inviting the broken, the burdened and the lost to come to Him. He goes on to say, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am “gentle” and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus, who is one with the Father, tells us He is gentle. These are words God wants us to listen to.
He has known us from birth, He has seen all our celebrations as well as our sorrows and struggles, throughout all the ups and downs of our lives. The still quiet voice of God has always been calling us to come to Him, during all stages and phases of our lives, leading us to the state of grace which we are in today.
I think at times in my life I was deceived, and imagined an angry God, with high standards that I could never measure up to. I imagined Him frowning at me, holding my past failures against me.
Now I realize this was the deception of the enemy, which kept the most powerful truth from me, which is that God is my true Heavenly Father. Confessing sin is so simple and cleansing, but our nature leads us to run away from God, instead of to Him. Jesus was speaking to me during those times in my life, saying “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace.” (Luke 19:42)
He was calling me when I didn’t listen, but still He never gave up on me.
As parents, we know how it feels to have a child who falls short of what we had hoped for, but it doesn’t lessen our love for that child. The heart of parenthood always hopes for the child to return and be reconciled. God is our perfect parent, who is also hoping and believing we will return and be reconciled to Him.
The word reconcile is defined as moving from a place of separation, hurt, and brokenness to a place of healing, wholeness, forgiveness, and reunion. God is slow to anger, and His very nature is patient and hoping for our reconciliation.
He longs to move us from a state of brokenness and separation, to a state of wholeness and reunion with Him.
It’s the lovingkindness of God, not a fear of wrath, that finally leads us to that place of repentance and into a lasting relationship with Him.
When Jesus stood looking at the city of Jerusalem, He wept over it, saying that He longed to gather them under His wings as a mother hen gathers her chicks. His statement reveals the compassion of a parent, who wants to reconcile and gather all children in their arms.
Through Jesus, we receive a glimpse of God’s true nature, who is the perfect prototype of the many earthly relationships we can know. He is our good shepherd, our perfect parent, our loving spouse, and our most loyal friend.
To know His actions and listen to His words, is to know Jesus, and to know Jesus is to know God, the Father.
Lord, help us to see you as our gentle, loving Father, and to know that you are always longing for us to be gathered and reconciled to You. Amen