Summary: A Parable describing the Love of God for His children as compared to that of a father and mother.

The Love Of A Father John 3:16

By John Teem Jr.

Written in October 2009/ Shared Jan. 10, 2010

A Father chooses to have children

Our Heavenly Father wanted to have children to call His own

To Love, raise and spend time together with, and to be like Him.

He could not do this on His own.

It takes two that are One. (The Father and the Son with one mind)

Genesis 1:26 “Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness…”

He plants a seed to grow

Matthew 13:3 says “Behold a sower went out to sow”

Read Luke 1:26-38

Jesus Christ carries the seed and nurtures it as a mother does

All this Mother can dwell on is the joy of having this child and how beautiful it will be. She loves this child before it is even brought into this world.

The pregnancy causes much pain

Morning sickness and pain are constantly with her but she does not dwell on this fact. All she considers is the end result and her love for this seed that was planted and she sees all the beauty that is yet to come. It troubles the Father to see the suffering of His wife so He comforts her and assures her that it will all be worth it. The Garden of Gethsemane Matt. 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12

The Birth causes much more pain

This causes the Father to look away. He can not bear the pain that He sees.

He knows that the end will be worth the means but He still can not bear to see the torture that grips her.

Remember how while Jesus was on the cross he asked My God My God Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me. God had to look away.

After the birth of the child the pain is forgotten. The father holds no grudge The Mother remembers it no more

The beauty of what has been born seems to erase all the pain that was suffered. The Father loves this child and He loves His wife and they both disregard all the pain and suffering that had to be in order to bring this child into fellowship with them. This Is Grace and Mercy. But the story does not end here (happily ever after)

Even after birth the process is not complete

There is still much that has to be done. This child has a purpose in life. The Father must see to it that this child is trained and prepared for this purpose.

The child must still grow/mature

The Father raises the child to be strong; the mother nurtures the child and tries to protect it from harm. The Father has employed a Tutor/Helper to train up this child. The Tutor being the Holy Spirit working in harmony with both the Father and Mother to see to it that this child grows to be all that it can be. A mere image of the Father, with all the character traits of the Mother. When people see us do they see Our heavenly Father?

Do they see the Love of Christ in us?

Raising the child to be mature still causes many disappointments

The child desires to have its own way and rebels many times breaking the heart of the Father. The child behaves as if he has no common sense. The child is continually doing and saying things that bring shame and embarrassment to the Father. It seems as if the Mother does not even notice these infractions. She has to see them, they happen so often.

Do we bring shame upon our Heavenly Father?

The Father may get frustrated but the Mother intercedes for this child

Romans 8:34 states “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

The Father’s anger is stirred but the Mother intercedes for the child and assures the Father that this too will pass. It seems that the Mother is constantly interceding for the child but that is because she loves this child and gave her life for this child. The Father knows this and relents from His anger and frustration time and time again, even though it seems as if the child is in constant rebellion. He remembers, this is my child and I Love him. We should not take the Mercy of God the Father as slackness for the Bible tells us that The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The child grows to a certain level and believes they no longer need the wisdom of the Father and Mother

The child has reached a point where they believe they know all they need to know and spurn the instruction and correction of the Father and even the nurture of the Mother.

The parents try to assure the child that they have only the best interest of the child in mind, they love this child and want only what is best for him.

This child may stray

The child chooses to walk away from the love and protection of the home and decides to go his own way (Like the prodigal son)

The Father never gives up but waits patiently for the child to return

Each and every day the Father looks out into the horizon and calls to His son to return For He loves His son and wants to have fellowship with him again. He waits and watches for any sign of his child’s return.

An earthly Father has the Promise of God that tells us to train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Just as I rebelled from God and my parents, but when I grew older I returned because of the teaching and training of my mother and the promise of God.

The child comes to their senses and returns to beg forgiveness

As in the story of the prodigal son, the child realizes what a fool and a wretch he has been and decides to return to see if his Father will take him back. When the Father sees the child return he weeps for joy. When the child asks for forgiveness the Father assures him of His love and forgiveness. I can just hear the mother on the front porch crying tears of joy. For the Father and the child have been reconciled.

The Father takes the child back in, holding no grudge

The Father does not decide to throw the foolish mistakes of the past back into the child’s face when the child messes up once again. For the Father has forgotten the sins of the child’s past and remembers them no longer. All the Father can see is what this child will become and how this child will one day soon make Him so very proud. The Bible says that if we confess our sins then our Father in Heaven is faithful and Just and will forgive us of our sins.

The Bible also says in Micah 7:19 that our past sins are cast into the sea that some call forgetfulness, never to be remembered.

Read Psalms 103:8-14