Our Father
When Jesus addressed Jehovah as “our father” it was bold and revolutionary.
The level of fear and respect that the Israelites had for Jehovah reminds me of the way that the characters in Harry Potter feared Lord Voldemort so much that they refused to even utter his name. The Israelites revered Jehovah so much that they wouldn’t even spell out his name or say it verbally. Instead of writing out the full name “Jehovah,” they would abbreviate it as “Jhvh.”
In 2 Samuel 6 Jehovah’s sacredness immediately killed Uzzah who had touched the Ark of the Covenant to prevent it from falling.
Then Jesus comes along and starts addressing this supremely sacred God of gods as “father.” Can you imagine how bewildering that must have been for the Israelites to hear? When they heard Jesus casually address their supremely sacred God as “dad,” they must have winced in fear and quivered as they watched out for lightning bolts to come down from the sky.
And not only did Jesus address Jehovah as HIS OWN father, but he took it one step further and addressed him as “OUR” father, implying that ordinary people could view him as their father too. Wow. That must have just been pure insanity. No wonder the church leaders put Jesus on trial for belittling God and executed him on the cross.
But Jesus was correct in addressing the Almighty Existing One as “our father.” As believers, we are united with Christ who is God’s son. So if we are united with God’s son, that means we are God’s children. When the Father looks at JESUS, he sees ME. And when the Father looks at ME, he sees JESUS.
The Almighty Existing One is my dad, and I can approach him as his kid even though his ultimate sacredness makes the rest of the universe shudder in fear.
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