There are only natural fathers on earth — through procreation and adoption. And natural fatherhood is a temporary title. If somebody feels like he needs a father, it’s upto him to ask for one. But it’s weird if you are an adult — as adults are meant to leave parents and cleave to spouses — not leave parents and cleave to other parents.
Jesus said that if you leave anything for his sake you will gain more of the same on earth and heaven. If you leave land for his sake, you will get more land on earth and in heaven. If somebody travels away from his children for a season to preach the gospel, he gains more natural children in Christ — mostly NEW CONVERTS.
A mature believer doesn’t need to be fathered. And the missionary becomes a natural father in Christ — not a spiritual father. And an earthly father is meant to tell people, “I will give you bread and not a stone if you ask me for bread. But natural bread will never satisfy you; therefore, ask for heavenly bread from the FATHER IN HEAVEN, which is the Holy Spirit.” A good natural father debases his fatherhood, rendering it as nothing. This is why Jesus said, ‘call no one father’.
The fatherhood title on earth is temporary and should be discarded as soon as possible as new born believers need to grow up — not remain stunted in a dependency-on-people’s-approval-syndrome. Jesus was right, is still right and will still be right.
Essentially, this is the critical question: Who were the spiritual fathers of Paul or Apollos or Stephen? Mature believers — people who directly listen to the Holy Spirit — don’t need fathers in Christ. They just teach, encourage and rebuke each other. There are many fathers in Christ and their work is crucial in tutoring believers who are not yet mature. But only for a season — not for a lifetime.
And Jesus was the Father of Israel at 12 years old. When a little boy, he needed to call Mary ‘mum’ and Joseph ‘dad’, until the Holy Spirit took over his mind and heart. In fact, from 12 years onwards, Jesus considered the Holy Spirit as his only parent, the reason he called Mary ‘woman’. This is the reason Mary is not the ‘mother of God’ but the woman who birthed the messiah into the world.
Look at the Catholic church and see how they have abused the title of ‘mother’ and ‘Father’ — to mislead people from Christ. Jesus was not rude in his extreme dependency on God; he was divorcing his spirit from any other human spirit — as he had to do what he would ask everyone else to do. He asked his disciples to forsake everyone for his sake. Why? This is the only way the Holy Spirit would become their constant companion.
And when he said he is not going to leave his disciples as ORPHANS, Jesus was pointing out how the Holy Spirit will become their PARENT — who will never leave them, who will always comfort them and who will always advice them — FOREVER.
joyninn 