Whose Son Are You?

My family means so much to me. I can’t imagine life without them. My happiest and most memorable moments are those shared with family. And while friends are important, too, friends can come and go, but family remains forever. And all this reminiscing got me thinking about that other family of mine, my spiritual family.  In reality, the entire world is divided into only two great families: the family of God and the family of Satan, and each group is vying to increase the number of their relatives.  

Jesus called his heavenly father, Abba, which literally means “daddy.” He was the Son of Abba. But there was someone else who called himself the Son of Abba, and that was Barabbas, bar meaning son and abba, already covered above.  It’s interesting to note that Abba was used only by family members to denote intimacy with their father as well as to address and acknowledged the head of their household.

We all know the story of how Pilate offered the people a choice between these two “sons of abba.” All four gospels talk about it.  And no two sons could be more opposite, nor their fathers, either. It’s amazing how children reflect their parents.  Qualities, prejudices, shortcomings, strengths, are all mirrored in the lives of offspring.  And so, we will eventually come to resemble our spiritual father.  The Bible tells us how Jesus, the very creator of the universe, was full of love and compassion, was gentle and kind.  Barabbas, on the other hand, is noted as a rebel, a thief and a murdered, just like his spiritual father, Satan, who is a rebel against God and who comes only to “steal, kill, and destroy.” What a contrast! And all the more amazing is how many in the crowd chose the wrong son of abba. And nothing’s changed.  People are still doing it. 

The Bible says we will know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:16) then goes on to say that “every good tree will bring forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit” (Matthew 7:17). The meaning is obvious.  And in a similar manner, as the world becomes more confusing and malevolent, not only will we be able to distinguish the sons of God from the sons of Satan, but we will be pressured more and more to answer the question for ourselves, “whose son (or daughter) are you”?

Until next week,

Sylvia