I Just Needed to Hear from My Dad

There was a season in my life where my wife and I experienced a series of betrayals in church ministry. To be honest, it was one of the most difficult times in my 23 years as an ordained minister. During this time, I fought hard to stay in peace. One evening while sitting on my couch, I found myself in a deep place of pain, discouragement, and confusion. So, I decided to call my dad. I needed to hear from him. You have to understand that my dad is my biggest cheerleader—he truly is my best and closest friend. He’s always there for me when I just need to talk, and I knew he would be a voice of comfort and wisdom. Unfortunately, he didn’t answer the phone. So, I tried calling again, but to no avail. I was so disheartened, and, in that moment, my heart sank even lower. I began to weep. Then, my wife—sitting beside me on the couch—asked, “Honey, what’s wrong?” I replied, “I just need to hear my dad’s voice.”

You see, when I made that phone call, I wasn’t looking for answers, nor was I seeking counseling. I just needed to hear my dad’s voice. I just needed to know he was still there, standing with me as I faced one of the greatest tests of my life.

Enter Jesus on the cross...

Although I never want to compare the weight of my trials with the magnitude of what Jesus bore on the cross, I do imagine—as I experienced that day—the Son needing to hear his Father’s voice as he faced the greatest test of his life. It was in that lonely, isolated moment that Christ desperately needed to feel the closeness of Abba’s embrace, and, for the Son, simply knowing his dad was present and never-forsaking was enough for him.

I believe it was in the final moments on the cross that the enemy lurked, waiting for this particular time in history, where humanity’s sense of abandonment and isolation would come crashing down on the Son. The accuser waited to reintroduce the Son of Man to the ancient lie of separation. A lie that, if left unanswered by the Father, would inevitably produce inescapable feelings of forsakenness.

As Jesus Christ hung on the cross, what would the evil one whisper? All alone, knowing that most of his closest friends and disciples were nowhere to be found, how would the Son respond?

As we behold the Son suspended in mid-air on the cruelest of torture devices, we see him falling into the delusion of Adam (humanity), the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter, the ridicule of Israel, and the outright rage of the religious system. Hanging there, feeling all alone, when Jesus said, “My God” (instead of “My Father”), he was identifying with the bewildered cry of the human race. By uttering the ancient lie of separation and the illusion of being forsaken, the Son—in utter oneness and total dependance on his Father—was facing the lie that mankind had fallen prey to.

In our darkness, we could not see beyond “God” and into the revelation of “Father.” We were blind, thinking of God only in vague, general terms—not in the closest, most intimate way Christ knew. Sadly, we thought God forsook, abandoned, and left his own stranded. We hadn’t yet experienced the embrace and communion of Abba Father as Christ had experienced. For this, we would have a hard, if not impossible, time drawing near. And so, the Word became flesh and drew near to us—near enough to let us hear his song of oneness with the Father. By quoting the Messianic Psalm, I believe Jesus—in the likeness of sinful flesh—was identifying with humanity’s delusion and dark vision of a distant, disconnected “god,” in order to reveal the One he knew as Father.

To Christ, God was Father. He was Abba, the closest friend, lover, and source of life. However, he wasn’t satisfied with keeping his abounding relationship an exclusive secret—he wanted all of his creation to know and share in his relationship with him. So, as a man, just like us, he entered into our world and our darkness. He came into the illusion of forsakenness, blowing it up with his knowledge of the One he would introduce as Abba. By entering the pain of delusion concerning the Father’s goodness, Jesus Christ—with his Dad in glad attendance—silenced the evil one’s whisper once and for all.

This comes from the chapter "The Cross: Settling the Issue" from my latest book, "Fascinated." To get your copy and broaden your understanding of the Father, click here.