JESUS AND THE FATHER
In the Bible, Jesus often referred to God as His Father, a significant and intimate term that was unfamiliar to many Jews and Samaritans of His time. Though God had considered Israel as His son (Ex 4:22), the common practice was not to address God as Father. Jesus, being the Son of God, introduced this relationship to His followers, teaching them to pray to “Our Father who art in heaven” (Mt 6:9). By doing so, He extended this intimate relationship to all believers.
JESUS DEMONSTRATING HIS UNITY WITH THE FATHER
Throughout His ministry, Jesus demonstrated His unique connection with the Father in several ways:
1. Mutual Testimony: When the Pharisees challenged Jesus’ authority, He stated, “Even if I should judge, my judgment is valid, because I am not alone, but it is I and the Father who sent me. Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men can be verified. I testify on my behalf and so does the Father who sent me” (Jn 8:16-18). Jesus emphasized that knowing Him meant knowing the Father (Jn 8:19).
2. Seeing the Father through Jesus: Jesus told Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). He clarified that His words and works were not His own but those of the Father dwelling in Him (Jn 14:10).
3. Perfect Obedience: Jesus declared that He did nothing on His own but only what the Father taught Him, underscoring His perfect obedience and alignment with the Father’s will (Jn 8:28-29).
4. Unity in Essence: Jesus proclaimed, “The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:30), indicating their shared divine essence.
5. Representative of the Father: Jesus explained that believing in Him is also believing in the Father who sent Him. His words and actions reflected the Father’s commands (Jn 12:44-50).
6. Divine Presence: Jesus reassured His disciples that knowing Him meant knowing the Father (Jn 14:7). Even during His earthly ministry, He was never alone because the Father was always with Him (Jn 16:32).
7. Expression of God’s Pleasure: God expressed His pleasure in Jesus during significant moments like His baptism and transfiguration, affirming, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17, 17:5).
Jesus had revealed his union with the Father during his discourses.
1. While Jesus was in Jerusalem during the winter for the feast of Dedication, he told the Jews who questioned him, “The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:30). The Jews picked up rocks to stone him. Then Jesus said, “If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father” (Jn 10:37-38).
2. During the Last Supper discourse, Philip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us” (Jn 14:8). Jesus’ reply was, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. … Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves” (Jn 14:9-11).
3. Jesus said in John 14:20, “On that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in me, and I in you.” This shows the unity of Jesus with his Father that he would share with his faithful disciples at his second coming.
Thus, the persons in the Most Holy Trinity are inseparable, being substantially one. “Following this apostolic tradition, the Church confessed at the first ecumenical council at Nicaea (325) that the Son is ‘consubstantial’ with the Father, that is, one only God with him. The second ecumenical council, held at Constantinople in 381, kept this expression in its formulation of the Nicene Creed and confessed ‘the only-begotten Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father’” (CCC 242).
THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
1. Divine Sonship: Jesus’ sonship is unique compared to that of faithful humans. As the second person of the Most Holy Trinity, He shares the essence of God. The Incarnation reveals that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, meaning He is one and the same God with the Father (CCC-262).
2. Trinitarian Understanding: The doctrine of the Trinity teaches that God exists as three persons in one essence: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is distinct yet fully God, and Jesus’ relationship with the Father exemplifies this unity.
3. Mission and Obedience: Jesus’ life was marked by His mission to fulfill the Father’s will. He stated, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (Jn 4:34). His perfect obedience and alignment with the Father’s will are models for believers.
4. Endurance in Faith: Jesus faced suffering and moments of perceived abandonment, yet remained faithful to the Father. His cry on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46), fulfilled Psalm 22:2 and expressed His deep agony. Despite this, He knew the Father would not abandon Him.
REFLECTION
1. Intimate Relationship with God: Believers are invited to embrace an intimate relationship with God, viewing Him as their loving Father, deepening their spiritual connection and trust.
2. Obedience and Alignment with God’s Will: Following Jesus’ example, Christians are called to align their actions and decisions with God’s will, involving regular prayer, studying Scripture, and seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
3. Embodying God’s Love and Truth: Reflecting God’s love and truth in daily life by loving others, speaking truth, and acting justly, believers can reveal God’s character to the world.
4. Endurance in Faith: Persevering through trials with the trust that God is always present and will never forsake them.
5. Unity with Christ: Christians are invited into a unity with Christ, transforming them and enabling them to live out their faith with courage and conviction.
Understanding and embracing the relationship Jesus had with the Father empowers Christians to live out their faith more fully. Recognizing God as Father, striving for obedience, reflecting divine love, enduring in faith, and seeking unity with Christ are key aspects of a vibrant Christian life. Through these actions, believers can deepen their relationship with God and effectively witness to His love and truth in the world.