Who is your ultimate exemplary father? Do you look to a higher power for his main guidance? Even if you’re not a spiritual or religious person, or a member of a Christian denomination, the Bible is one source for guidance that still provides terrific reading, teaching tales of morality we should all follow. The most ardent atheist wouldn’t even disagree in principle with any of the Ten Commandments.
The Ultimate Example of an Exemplary Father
So, with it being the Easter season, and with blogs this month discussing the importance of fatherhood, I thought it made sense to look at the bond between the most powerful father and son duo of all time: God and Jesus Christ. I’m going to spare you the Biblical passages because I think there’s a message here that everybody can understand.
The Short Version of The Story
God sent Jesus to earth via the Immaculate Conception to be born of the Virgin Mary. Prior to the conception, an angel told Mary she would have a child who would save mankind, and she did. He was called the Christ Child, and we have come to know him as Jesus Christ.In his lifetime, Jesus tried to spread the word of God and people often scoffed at him; they saw him as more of a rabble-rouser than as the son of God he proclaimed to be. Thankfully, he did develop a solid following, the closest of which were his apostles.The apostles also went throughout the land, preaching the word of God as Jesus taught them. Slowly, more people started listening and paying attention to this man who could supposedly heal the sick and feed the hungry, causing those in power to feel the need to get rid of him.Pontius Pilate, who was the dictator of the day, condemned Jesus to death. Pilate first had Jesus drag a cross through the streets, and then crucified him on that same cross, essentially torturing Jesus until he succumbed.
Reflecting on The Ultimate Exemplary Sacrifice
Here’s the part that I still find amazing. God had only one son, Jesus. God is also an all-knowing being. He always was and always will be. The moment he gave his only son to be carried by the Virgin Mary, he knew nearly 35 years later that his son would be put to death in the most gruesome of ways.But God also knew that the only way for souls to enter Heaven meant he needed to get them to believe Jesus was the son God sent to save them. He knew if every good person in the history of world were going to live in eternal salvation, he had to sacrifice the life of his son to prove what he was willing to do to save the souls of mankind. God allowed this to happen; he chose it.Think about that. God didn’t have to let it happen that way. He could have intervened in some other way, but he knew the only way to save humanity was for his son to die. If that’s not the ultimate benevolent sacrifice, I don’t know what is.
Your Exemplary Sacrifices
As fathers, we sometimes sacrifice things for our children.
Maybe we miss a golf game with buddies to take the kids to the zoo.
Maybe we have to return late to the office because we choose to watch our kids in the school play during work hours.
Maybe we have to sit through an irritating cartoon movie instead of the action one we want to watch.
At the time, these activities may feel like big sacrifices because we're not getting to do what we want, but in these moments, I hope you’ll pause and think back to God and Jesus. They set the bar for the ultimate father-son sacrifice.Putting it in perspective, your sacrifice probably pales in comparison, right?