It is true that Jesus considered Himself sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and that He confined His labours chiefly to theui ; but it is equally true that this was solely a matter of order. He told the Canaanitish woman that the children should be iaA first (Mk 7^), which plainly suggests that the gospel was for all, but that for some reason it was to be offered first to the Jews. .Moreover, He granted the woman's request, though He thus spoke ; and in no case did He turn a Gentile away empty who r^me to Him for help. He healed a Samaritan leper (Ljv 17I»), and the servant of a Gentile centurion (Mt S'S). There ia no indication that they were less dear to Hun than were the Jews.
We conclude, therefore, both from the words and the life of Jesus, that He called God our Father, not because Gotl created us, — a view common in Pliilo, — or because He rules over us, or because of tlip cm-iMiiiiit wliich He made with Abraham, but siin|ily.-niil "iily liecause He lovesus. The abstract stahiii.iii ili.it 'God is love' (1 Jn 4^) is a true iiitcilii.iaiioii of the word 'Father' as used by
3. The Fatlierhood of God in the Fourth Gospel. — The Fatherhood of God is more conspicuous in John than in the Synoptics, the word 'Father' occurring about 90 times as against 5 in Mark, 17 in Luke, and 45 in Matthew. Here also, as in the Synoptics, the word is found only on the lips of Jesus, with the exception of three passages where the author speaks from his own Christian point of view (Jn 1^ 8*' 13^), and one passage in wliich he attributes his Christian usage to the Baptist (3'°).
The new feature of tlie .subject in the Fourth Gospel is the emphasis laid on the universality of Fatherhood. Thus it is the world {Kbat^os} wliich God is represented as lo'ving up to the point of tlir highest sacrifice (Jn 3'*). It is all men whom Jesus >vill draw unto Him-ilf (12^-). In oft'ering ]iie to a, Sanmrif mi . .Ii - .- |. cN that He is accom- plishing the Fathi ) ~ will i! ' '), and a visit of certain Greeks brou^iht liuforc His soul theWsion of a great harvest for the Kingdom of God (12'^'-').
FATHER, FATHERHOOD
FATHER, FATHERHOOD
581
Still more iioticoable, and inme .liMT.m'iit Imni the earlier usage, is the emplnyiiHiit nt • I'.illin ' in an absolute sense. The exti'iit nt thi- ii^:i;ji' in John is not altogether clear. In the cinivir^iilinii with the Samaritan woman, Fatherhood is phiinly universal : ' The hour cometh and now is w;hen the true worshippers shall worsliip the Fatlier in spirit and truth : for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers ' ; ' Believe me, the hour cometh when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem shall ye worship the Father ' (Jn i^'- ^). Anotlier passage which admits of no doubt is Jn 20" ' I am not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.' It is quite clear that the word ' Father ' in the first clause is unlimited ; for, in the later clauses, He who is here called ' the Father ' is called by Jesus ' my Father and your Father.' Two other cases of what ap- pears to be the same use of the word are Jn 6-''- ■"*.
In about one quarter of the passages where God is called ' Father,' He is so called in reference to Jesus, and the language is ' my Father ' {e.g. Jn 216 gi7 g3ii)_ Since, now, there are some jjassages in which the absolute sense of ' Father ' is required, and since in the majority of the other passages, where the expression ' the Father ' is used, there is notliing which requires us to adopt a limited idea of Fatherhood, it must be regarded as probable that the author always employed the word in an unlimited sense wlien he did not associate a ]ier- sonal pronoun with it. Thus the Fourtli (gospel would place a very striking emphasis on tlie thought that the Fatherhood of God is essential and universal. Such emphasis on this point in the teacliing of John was, of course, made natural by the missionary activity of the early Church, which had gone forward many years before the Fourth Gospel was composed.
The meaning of Fatherhood in the Fourth Gospel is the same as in the primitive tradition. It de- scribes the character of God, and is expressed in love. It is perhaps probable that the author of the Fourth Gospel occasionally used the term 'Father' in a metaphysical sense (l"-"), but he has put no words on the lips of Jesus which require to be taken metaphysically. He often represents Jesus as saying ' my Father,' but it is unquestionable that Jesus would have every man address God in just this way. He tauglit His dis- ciples to say 'our Father,' which, <if rduisc. implies that each individual may say ' mi/ l'':illic'v." W'lien Jesus, to comfort His disciples, is ri'ini'scntrd as sending them the message, 'lascend untcmiy I'ather and your Father, and my God and your God ' (Jn 20"), He does not separate Himself from them l)y claiming a unique relationship to the Father, even God, but rather joins Himself closely with them by the thought that one and the same Father is theirs and His alike, one God the God of both. The Fatherhood of God according to Jesus, even in the Fourth Gospel, is one and ethical, but His appreciation and appropriation of that Fatherhood are unique.