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John

John 
Day 
Day 342

John 20:19-31 "LEARNING HOW TO RELATE TO THE FATHER"

Day 342 – John 20

LEARNING HOW TO RELATE TO THE FATHER

Throughout the three years of training, Jesus had emphasized to the Disciples the importance of having a deep knowledge of the Father. He Himself had demonstrated how to relate to the Father. Surely, it was because He related to His Father the way He did that He was able to remain so consistently strong!

The Disciples must understand how to relate to the Father, just as they had learned how to relate to Him. This ability to understand and appreciate the relationship with the Father was as important as having a good and strong faith!

RECALLING VITAL LESSONS ABOUT GOD THE FATHER

1. The Being of the Father

“God is Spirit, and those who worship
Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:24

2. The Father’s Authority and Will

“My food is to do the will of Him
who sent Me, and to finish His work.”
John 4:34 (John 5:30; 6:38-40)

3. The Father’s Personal Involvement

“My Father has been working until now,
and I have been working.”
John 5:17

4. The Father’s Power (even to raise the dead)

“For as the Father raises the dead
and gives life to them …”
John 5:21

5. The Father as Witness

“And the Father Himself, who sent Me,
has testified of Me …”
John 5:37 (John 8:18)

6. The Father’s Name

“I have come in My Father’s Name …”
John 5:43

7. The Father as the Giver of Life-Giving Bread

“Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not
give you the bread from heaven, but My Father
gives you the true bread from heaven.”
John 6:32

8. The Father as the One who draws people to Jesus

“No one can come to Me unless the Father
who sent Me draws him …”
John 6:44

9. The Father as Teacher

“It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall
all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who
has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”
John 6:45 (John 8:28)

10. The Father as the One who sustains

“As the living Father sent Me, and I live
because of the Father …”
John 6:57

11. The Father as One who sends forth

a) He sends His word (“doctrine”) with the Messenger

“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”
John 7:16

b) His Presence is always with those who serve Him faithfully

“And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father
has not left Me alone, for I always do those
things that please Him.”
John 8:29

12. The Father gives honour

“If I honour Myself, My honour is nothing.
It is My Father who honours Me …”
John 8:54

This is not an exhaustive list of things that Jesus taught His Disciples. A careful study of the Gospel of John (and the Synoptic Gospels) would reveal that Jesus taught many more things about His Father.

HOW WELL DID THE DISCIPLES PUT INTO PRACTICE THIS IMPORTANT KNOWLEDGE OF GOD THE FATHER?

An honest answer would be that the Disciples did not appear to have practised what they knew about God the Father:-

1. The Lack of Certainty

They asked to see the Father when they should have understood that to see Jesus was to know the Father (John 14:1-6).

2. The Lack of a Strong Prayer Life

The Disciples were not able to develop and sustain a strong prayer-life in the three years they spend with Jesus! This lack of prayer indicated that they did not know how to relate to the Father in any significant way yet!

3. The failure to trust God in critical times

Jesus displayed in His life what it meant to trust His Father. He was able to submit to His Father’s will humbly and fully. Thus He found that He was so well sustained despite the tremendous suffering He had to endure! The failure on the part of His Disciples indicated that they had not learn how to trust the Father fully yet!

“AS THE FATHER HAS SENT ME …”

The Disciples would have to learn how to relate to the Father better. Yes, Jesus was sending forth His Apostles, but at the back of it all was still the Father. They must do their utmost to cultivate a stronger relationship with the Father. Much was at stake. If they did not succeed in learning how to relate to the Father better, they could well fail miserably again. How well have we learned to relate to our Father in Heaven?