March 11th, 2023

This week is the Third Sunday in Lent within the ‘A’ series, and these writings continue to look at the Gospel according to Matthew. Also, these writings are very close to finishing what is usually called the Sermon on the Mount. There has been a very special progression from ‘God’ to ‘Father’ within this sermon, and it may be helpful to see the reason for such a progression and to look where that progression is leading.

Before that is done, the last part of the sermon will be translated which contains the last mention of God as ‘Father’. This time the word will not be put in bold print; can you still find it? It is interesting that Jesus brings up this last use of ‘Father’ when the topic is essentially name-calling. What follows is Matthew 7:13-23 in a somewhat-literal translation:

Come into through the narrow gate, because wide the gate and broad the way the leading away into the destruction, and many are the ones going in through it. Because straight the gate and made-narrow the way, the leading away into the life, and few are the ones finding it.

Beware from the false prophets, who come to you in clothes of sheep, now within are wolves, greedy. From the fruits of them, you will know them. Not do they gather from thorns, grapes or from thistles, figs? Thus, every tree good, fruits good makes, now the corrupt tree, fruits evil makes. Not is able a tree good, fruits evil to bear, nor tree a corrupt, fruits good to bear. Every tree not making fruit good is cut down and into fire is thrown. Then indeed, from the fruits of them you will know them.

Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but on the contrary, the one doing the will of the Father of me, the one in the heavens. Many will say to me in that the day, ‘Lord, Lord, not in your name we prophesied, and in your name demons we threw out, and in your name powers many we did?' And then I will confess to them that ‘Never I knew you; depart from me the ones working the lawlessness.’

To help see the bigger picture, what follows are sections of the so-called Sermon on the Mount that show the use of the special title, ‘Father’. This ‘fatherly’ progression complements the progression within the so-called Beatitudes at the beginning of the sermon, that Jesus begins with calling a certain group of people ‘blessed’, but then, to the last group he says, ‘Blessed are you… (see Matthew 5:11).’ The progression is therefore basically from ‘these’ to ‘you’, and then, on the basis of what is below, basically continues from ‘you’ to ‘me’.

What is given below are the uses of Father and their references. Regarding these uses, it should be noted that the middle use and the final use are the different ones, so these are given in bold print. And with this translation, when the ‘you’ refers to a singular person (as opposed to a group), that is also noted below.

1.         5:16     … glorify the Father of you, the in the heavens.
2.         5:45     … become sons of the Father of you, the in heavens.
3.         5:48     … as the Father of you, the heavenly, perfect is.
4.         6:1       … have with the Father of you, the in the heavens.
5.         6:4       … and the Father of you [singular], the seeing in the secret….
6.         6:6       … pray to the Father of you [singular], the in the secret….
7.         6:6       … and the Father of you [singular], the seeing in the secret….
8.         6:8       … for the Father of you….
9.         6:9       Father of us, the in the heavens….
10.       6:14     … and to you the Father of you, the heavenly….
11.       6:15     … neither the Father of you will forgive the trespasses of you.
12.       6:18     … to the Father of you [singular], the in the hidden….
13.       6:18     … and the Father of you [singular], the seeing in the hidden….
14.       6:26     … and the Father of you, the heavenly, feeds them….
15.       6:32     … for knows, the Father of you, the heavenly….
16.       7:11     … how much more, the Father of you, the in the heavens….
17.       7:21     … the will of the Father of me, the in the heavens.

What is interesting is that even the change from the plural to the singular ‘you’ is not exactly duplicated on both sides of the center, but they are in similar places. And hopefully the progression is still somewhat obvious.
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With such an abundant use here of such a rare Old Testament title for God, it seems that Jesus wants to give the idea of the preciousness of such a title. It should also be said that he seems to give himself as the key to understanding such an important title. One must continue to stay with him through the rest of the account, through the highs and lows that are to come to him. Better than that—he stays with us (see Matthew 28:20)!