The Love of a Father
Hebrews 12:4-13 says this, “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are punished by Him; for whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He punishes every son whom He accepts.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.” Proverbs 22:6 tells us this, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he grows older he will not abandon it.” Very little is said about Yeshua when He was young except for the time when Yeshua stayed behind in Jerusalem and His parents searched for Him. Luke 2: 51-52 goes on to tell us this , “And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Yeshua kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people.”
Like so many children Yeshua wandered off and, of course, His interest was in the House of God. Coming from a Jewish family, you can be sure that Joseph was a good father and he taught young Yeshua about life. Yeshua was still human and even though He had great insight and was filled with the Holy Spirit, He still, like any child, needed a father. Joseph would have trained up his child in the way to go and I’m sure that at times he too, had to discipline young Yeshua. This does not mean that Yeshua sinned in any way, but He too as a child needed to learn. Joseph would have even taught young Yeshua according to his knowledge of the Torah. Joseph, being a carpenter, would have taught Yeshua the trade. Luke tells us that Yeshua was obedient to His parents. There is no doubt that Joseph would have even taught young Yeshua this from Proverbs 3: 1-6, “My son, do not forget My teaching, but have your heart comply with My commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and a good reputation in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” And again in Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His rebuke, for whom the Lord loves He disciplines, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.” I’m sure Joseph loved Yeshua, and would have taught Him everything that was needed of Him to be a prosperous adult, and an obedient observer of Judaism. I’m sure that Joseph trained up his child so that he could live the life that God was calling Him to. Yes, the Holy Spirit was leading Him and filling Him with all things pertaining to life and godliness.
Isaiah 53:1-3 says this, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we would look at Him, nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him. He was despised and abandoned by men, a man of great pain and familiar with sickness; and like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him.”
Yeshua had a lonely life, even His own family did not understand Him as Mark 3:31-35 says, “Then His mother and His brothers came, and while standing outside they sent word to Him, calling for Him.And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.’ Answering them, He said, ‘Who are My mother and My brothers?’ And looking around at those who were sitting around Him, He said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, this is My brother, sister, and mother.’’’
Mary treasured everything in her heart, but it went no further, until Yeshua rose from the dead. But because of the love of a father who raised Yeshua for life’s hardships, and the love of His heavenly Father, Yeshua never left what He was taught, and His hardships were endured because of the discipline of a faithful father here on earth and in heaven. We too should train up our children and grandchildren in the way of the Lord, so they too, will grow up in the wisdom of the Lord and not depart from it. Those who love their children will discipline them, for it is by discipline that we are all taught. Proverbs 13:24 says, “He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”
Could this be our problem today?
Tweet this!