And His Name Shall Be Called: Everlasting Father
Isaiah 9:6; Genesis 17:1-6 (ESV) - Pastor Tim Kroeker
Hebrews 12:2:
“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God”
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Around 700 BC the Old Testament prophet Isaiah wrote about a coming king. He wouldn’t be just any ordinary king. He would sit on the throne of his father David, and of his kingdom there would be no end. His name would be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. This Advent season we’re considering each of these five names ascribed to the most consequential person who ever lived, Jesus.
The next of these names that we’ll consider this third week of Advent is “Everlasting Father.” This is perhaps the most confusing of the names given to Jesus. Reading the Bible through our New Testament glasses we might think Isaiah is blurring the lines between the first and second persons of the Trinity. However, when 8th century Jews heard this name, they wouldn’t have thought about God, but about a man. In Genesis 17 we read the expansion of God’s covenant that he made with Abraham. Abraham would become the father of many nations and many kings would be among his offspring. From the patriarchs Abraham, his son Isaac, and then Jacob, from his son Judah, to David, Solomon, and the many kings of Judah that would follow, Jesus is the final and definitive father, the fulfillment of God’s covenantal promises.
As Everlasting Father, Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith. He is our protector and provider. His role is not limited by aging or death. He’s everything we could ever want a father to be.
