Father

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. John 3:16
 
Last May, I had to bring my daughter Praise to the emergency room due to her red spots all over her body. She was vomiting and has multiple stints for vowel withdrawals for the past two days. I and her sister had to bring her at 2am in the morning for medical attention. She was given dextrose. The nurse and the doctor injected medicines into her. We were put in an emergency room for 4 hours. Look, this is not even at the border of life to death. But as a father, I was deep worried for my child. As a father, I have this feeling I don't want my child to be harmed or be stricken by illness. My day is not the same day when my child is sick. What more if my child dies?

Devastated. Crushed. Distraught. These words described my father when my brother died. As if, the whole world has fallen on his shoulders without ample preparation. As if, his heart has stopped pumping blood, as if his breath has stopped from pulling air. His son, who made him proud - a national board examination topnotch, is now dead. A son, who can't make a mistake in following his orders, now lies bloody from fatal shooting. His son, who almost all of his life had his father's favor, has eyes shut forever. The son, whom I remember gave him no headache or heartache, is about to travel and never to be seen. What do you expect from the father when his son dies?

Did God feel this way when He gave His only Son? Sometimes, we think because He is God, this is nothing for Him. It is not.

Was the Father's day the same on that day His Son was breathless on the cross? The sun He created eclipsed on that day.

Was He devastated, crushed, distraught? I believe He is. We won't call Him Father if He was not.

In Genesis, we read we were created in the Father's image and likeness. We look like the Father. We have the innate nature of the Father. He feels what we feel towards our children's death or injury. His breath stopped the moment His Son's gasp halted. His world dropped the moment His Son's head dropped. His tears dripped as His Son's blood dripped. The Son who has His favor and love died and Jesus' death was to express the Father's love for His people.

My father has four other sons and he felt that way. Well, Jesus is the one and only Son and God is a Father.