THE FATHER’S BLESSING

¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16

What is it about fatherhood that either makes or breaks a child? What is it about a father’s blessing that sets a child free to fulfil his potential? Jesus simply taught and demonstrated this quality of fatherhood throughout His public ministry. Since it was His primary mission to reveal the Father, the way He treated the “dregs” of society would open up people’s understanding to the heart of the Father.

What the religious leaders modelled was the exact opposite of the Father’s attitude to people. They presented a god who put people on trial in relation to their behaviour. Everything was judged on the grounds of rule-breaking. They only accepted the people who thought and behaved as they did. They created a class of people who were exclusive and contemptuous of all other people who did not fulfil their expectations.

Jesus, on the other hand, modelled a true father who loves unconditionally and accepts all people as His sons. He affirms every person regardless of what they have done, as long as they have faith in Him. In that environment of total acceptance and unconditional love, a person has room enough to be himself and to learn, through mistakes and imperfections, how to be a son. Through fellowship with the Father and under the mentorship of Jesus and the nurturing of the Holy Spirit, they mature into spiritual adulthood in order to partner with the Father in the business of the kingdom.

Jesus Himself, on the threshold of His public ministry at His baptism, received the confirmation and assurance of the Father’s love and full acceptance that carried Him through to the completion of His mission. He was so secure in the Father’s love that He constantly spoke about it in His conflict with the religious leaders. This loving acceptance was the driving force and guiding light of His whole life.

A father’s blessing, then, is not just a once-off act but an attitude – the daily, loving, non-judgmental acceptance of his child that creates the environment for learning, growth and development into secure and responsible adulthood.

It is tragic that the church has lost its perspective. People are judged or accepted on the grounds of whether they are “in” or “out”.  Why is this? Is it because there has come a gradual separation, through centuries of erroneous understanding and preaching, between “the gospel” and the kingdom of God? The church in many cases, has become a place of judgment instead of a place of safety. “Gospel” preaching is equated with evangelism and tends to focus on how to get to heaven. It’s mostly about how to get one’s sins forgiven so that one can escape hell and go to heaven when one dies. That is NOT what Jesus taught. He taught that the kingdom of God is here. He invited all people to enter in order to experience His life here and now and to be restored to ECHAD with Him.