“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ Isaiah 9:6
No season can magnify the absence of a parent more than Christmas. As families gather for special celebrations of the birth of our Savior we feel the absence of our loved ones more profoundly, recalling the part they played in our lives. For others the memories may not be all that positive because their reflections are of absence, neglect or perhaps mistreatment. Nevertheless we all have a hunger for the role of a father to be fulfilled.
Our text is a traditional Christmas reflection but have we ever really stopped and thought about how puzzling these four Messianic titles are at first glance. C.H. Spurgeon said, “How complex is the person of our Lord Jesus Christ! Almost in the same breath the prophet calls Him ‘a Child,’ ‘a Son,’ ‘a Counselor,’ and ‘a Father.’” And yet Jesus Himself makes His role as the Everlasting Father clear in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
As we think about that title, “Everlasting Father” we must realize that no one experiences, understands or relates to the Father apart from Jesus Christ. John tells us in John 1:18 that, “no one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” So in order to relate to an Everlasting Father it is going to require everlasting life.
John reminds us in John 1:1, 4 that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…In Him was the life.” He tells us again in John 3:16, “For God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Jesus continually spoke of eternal life throughout His ministry. He announced in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” So as the Everlasting Father, the Messiah makes everlasting life, a relationship with God, a possibility to all who believe.
All that we hunger and yearn for in a father is satisfied by Jesus Christ. Yes, we miss our loved ones, but have you ever stopped and thanked God for that capacity to love someone in such a way that you do miss them? That comes from God and who has loved you like the Lord? Hebrews 9:12 says, “With His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” No wonder John can say in 1 John 4:8, “God is love.”
I believe we not only hunger for the love of a Father but also for the security of their authority over us. Remember that the title “Everlasting Father” is given to Jesus as the Messianic King. We may not think of a king as a father, yet the image of fatherhood expresses the idea that He will not rule over His subjects to oppress them, tyrannize them, or exploit them. Just as a father rules over the house, displaying the love of God, the administration of God, the care and nurture of God, so King Jesus will rule.
I find security in knowing that King Jesus, ruling as the Everlasting Father will not be a politician concerned about His own prosperity, but He is a King who will be a Father to His people. And this Father will never leave because He is everlasting and His kingdom will not decay or fall away and He will reign forever and ever.
