Why Farther Stay?

Jesus may have said, '"Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."' (Matthew 11:28) but He never claimed to be the ultimate destination.

Even the very next verse He pictures the wooden yoke clamping both heads of oxen stocks-like together ploughing in unison a straight and steady furrow prepared for seed: '"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's yoke is easy and the burden of His plough light because there's no striving strain in the Son Who delights to lead the way to His Father, already having dug deep for our repentance.

The preceding verses offer up yet more treasure in uncovering the shared desire of our Godhead's close-knit heart that all this work is for, that straying rebels should not only come to humbly know the Father again but delight to prepare the way of fruitfulness for a growing Gospel family:

'“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."'

Given the Father-enthralled bent of their Rabbi's heart, it wasn't so much a spontaneous request when Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” (John 14:8).

Jesus had just said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6).

Think on that again. Though the Son be not destination but Way, He is also the Truth and Life; so how much more than life is there truly within the Father to come to? Even the prodigal of Jesus's parable had known some truth to wend his way toward life with the Father once more but how far exceedingly abundant above all he could ask or think was the welcome? Just hear the compassionate heart of the Father who seeing his wayward son's return afar off ran to fall upon his neck with kisses... “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry." (Luke 15:22-24).

Far from the sombre robber of fun we'd flee for counterfeit charms, Psalms 16:11 declares the truth of sonship as co-heirs in treasured family reunion, 'You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.'

This being the case, that the Father is so wondrous to return to, why do we dilly-dally daily?

'Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.' (James 1:16-18).

It is the age old lie of the wicked one that God is holding something back from us to be sought without Him, 'For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!' (Psalms 84:11-12) So bright is the sun of our Heavenly Father's radiant Love for us that the Son is even needed as a shield to provide yet more grace within glory. The truth remains that the generosity of the Father is too much for us as yet, far from being too little! There is no shadow of turning in Him Who has ever called, "Adam, Adam, where are you?" Though the Father ran into the prodigal's arms it was for the sinner to turn to Him Who's never turned from Love for us! 'The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms;' (Deuteronomy 33:27).

The more I think on 'Why Father's Day' the more I realise the need for that celebration of what ought be a grace-fuelled demonstration of the most stolid and enduring One Who provides stability for us all. True, Jesus Christ is our foundation Who remains the same yesterday, today, and forever, but even He graciously took on flesh not merely as a covering but even was made sin for us on the Cross that we might become the righteousness of God. The Holy Spirit is so dovelike in going to griefs to show us the Son whilst the Son shows the Father, but then the Father calls us into 'the kingdom of the Son of His Love.' (Colossians 1:13).

Ultimately the Father is a husbandman who tends the Vine with many branches Whilst Paul identified with the unflinching givenness of a mother to spiritedly impart of themselves he also appreciated the discipline of a father to point beyond themselves to our Perfect Father in Heaven: 'But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us... You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 and 10-12).

Of course in our broken world there are heroic single parents who battle on to reflect the God Who made us together male and female to mirror Him to children, but when I reflect on the Father of lights Who fixed the stars to shine forth to the father of our faith, Abraham, just how fruitful he would be, I remember my greatest failings that provoke my child least positively are to do with my shadows of turning. "But Daddy, that's not what you said before!?" Lord help us to stand firm as father figures to provide that restful place of wholesome familiarity a home ought be.

Oftentimes we ought adapt as Davids rather than Nabals in treasuring the wisdom our Abigails bring in the whole counsel of God, but every father is ultimately beholden to bring their children closer to the Father of us all, and the more we burn in the blaze of His Love the warmer they'll all get.