文：Edwin Yip; 譯：Julia Lee
According to the Gospel of John, Jesus is a one-of-a-kind Son to God the Father (John 1:14, 18; and 3:16, 18). This means their relationship is unique. What can we, as sons and daughters of the same Heavenly Father, albeit of a different kind, learn from that relationship?
First of all, it is important to remember humans, as created beings, cannot fully comprehend the creator. Figures of speech help us gain a deeper understanding into something that we may otherwise never comprehend. “Jesus uses images that are both similar to and different from God, and it is our role to discern what the image does or does not say about God.”
For example, although Jesus calls God his Father, we know that he was not born in the same way that sons are born from human fathers. Jesus co-existed with the Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:5, 24). Furthermore, does God really have a gender?
So what does it mean for Jesus to call God his Father? By doing so, Jesus identifies God in relational terms, since no one is a father in isolation (to become a father, one must have a child or children). In John’s Gospel, there are three dimensions to God’s identity as the Father.
He is a source of life
He loves his children
He is worthy of honour and obedience
We know that God sustains all life; Jesus calls himself the bread of life.
God demonstrated his love for us by sending his only Son Jesus to die on the cross. On the surface, it may be hard to grasp how a loving Father will send his Son to die, but God loves the world (us) just as much as his Son.
Jesus was not coerced into this mission. He chose to sacrifice himself out of love for the Father and for us. Jesus’ submission to the Father’s will is an exemplar of how we should obey, out of love and respect.
Ponder this:
If God was a “Mother” and Jesus a “Daughter,”
does that change how we relate to them?
Author’s comment:
Is she a source of life? Does she love her children?
Is she worthy of honour and obedience?
根據約翰福音1:14, 18; 3:16, 18的記載，耶穌是父神獨一無二的兒子。這意味著祂們的關係是獨特的。我們跟耶穌同是天父的兒女，雖然類型不同，但我們可以從耶穌與父神的關係學到甚麼呢？
首先，要知道這重點，就是被造的人類是無法完全認識創造主。對於我們永遠無法理解的事物，用一些比喻可能會幫助我們加深認知。「耶穌利用各種比喻教訓我們，所用的比喻有些與上帝相似，又有些與上帝不相似。而我們就要去分辨這些比喻，究竟道出了關於上帝的甚麼，或者沒有明確說出關於上帝的甚麼。」
例如：雖然耶穌稱呼上帝為祂的父，但我們知道耶穌並不是像人類的孩子那樣，經由父親所生；而是在創世之前，祂已與父神並存。還有，上帝真的有性別嗎？
祂是生命的源頭
祂愛祂的孩子
祂配得尊貴和順服
我們知道上帝托住萬有；耶穌稱祂自己為生命的糧。
上帝差祂的獨生兒子耶穌來死在十架上，這就顯明祂對我們的愛。表面上，這好像很難去理解為何一位慈愛的父親會差祂的兒子去死，但上帝愛世人 (我們) 就像愛祂的兒子一樣。
耶穌並沒有被威迫去完成這使命。祂因為愛父神和我們，因此選擇犧牲自己。耶穌順服上帝的旨意，就是讓我們知道應如何因為愛和尊重而去順服上帝的典範。
請思考：
如果上帝是「母親」而耶穌是「女兒」，這會改變我們與祂們的關係嗎？
筆者提問：
母親是生命的源頭嗎？她愛她的孩子嗎？她配得尊貴和順服嗎？