I T Was Now Winter, and Jesus Was in Jerusalem at the Time of Hanukkah

◼ t was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time I of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. 23He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. 24The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. 26But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30The Father and I are one.” 31Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. 32Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?” 33They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10:22-33 (NLT) The ’50s Father The 30-minute sitcom ran each week on network television for six years during the mid-1950s. It had been a successful syndicated ra- dio show prior to that. Showing on NBC and then CBS, it rose to #6 in the Nielsen ratings. The show featured the Anderson family of generic “Springfield,” a town somewhere in the Midwest. Dad (an insurance agent) and Mom (a stay-at-home housewife) were played by Robert Young and Jane Wyatt, respectively, as the wise parents of three pre-teen and teenage kids. It portrayed an idealized, even idyl- lic American heartland. The typical story line had one of the kids get- ting into some kind of problem, and at the end of the show the all- knowing father would dispense sage wisdom and guidance to solve the problem neatly before the final commercial. The name of the show? Father Knows Best. It’s a title that would be absolutely unacceptable in American society today, 60 years later. No TV studio in our times would produce such a show, no network would show it, no sponsors would buy air time (for fear of protests or boycotts), and probably no actors or actresses would risk career suicide in blue-state Hollywood by performing in it. The only “Father Knows Best” that could ever appear today would be in a parody or mocking form, with the father a bumbling incompetent or a backward Archie Bunker-type reactionary and women functioning as the strong and wise ones. Crisis of Manhood We are in a time of confusion about what it means to be a man. We may even call it a “crisis of manhood,” so altered has our thinking become about the masculine role in society and the family. We see terrible role models of men. At one end of the spectrum are men going to an abusive extreme: mistreating women for their own pleasure, glorifying violence (as happens in pro football and in Holly- wood action movies), grouping in gangs to protect urban turf, selling illegal drugs, acting out their anger with random shootings. And we see at the other end men who can’t commit to relationships, struggle to find themselves, walk away from their children, yield to tempta- tions to alcohol and drugs, and avoid responsibility for their actions. Young people get confusing messages about sexuality. Many—both boys and girls—have no clue what a man is supposed to be. In his book “Seven Men,” Christian author Eric Metaxas puts it this way: 2 We’ve ended up with two very distorted ideas about manhood. The first false idea about manhood is the idea of being macho … of using strength to be domineering and to bully … The second false choice is to be emasculated, … to pretend that there is no real difference between men and women.1 Thus, for example, we have the historic “Boy Scouts” timidly with- drawing the word “boy” from their name in order to avoid criticism. How did this come about? At its core, the problem is actually simple (though it’s been building for a long time). Western society had been male-dominated and paternalistic—too much so. Picture a heavy pendulum that has been pushed to one extreme. The reaction of feminists, starting with gaining women’s suffrage a century ago, and then continuing through the expansion of freedom and rights and equality of women, resulted in the pendulum starting to swing. But humans have repeatedly shown their difficulty in stopping a moving pendulum once it reaches a healthy middle position. When the push- ing of the heavy pendulum of cultural values begins, it tends to build momentum and go far past the mid-point, to the other extreme. That’s where we find ourselves today: our confusion and our crisis result from an inability to stop the weight of the pendulum from going too far. Role Model Needed! While I am intentionally speaking to men today, I want to also speak to women. I believe both genders long to have clear answers and God’s perspective on how our Creator has made us and how He wants us to live. I have no desire to turn back the clock from the wonderful freedoms and opportunities that women have in educa- tion and careers and personal growth; but there are so many problems that have likewise been released as Pandora’s box has been opened. Millions today are confused about what it is supposed to mean to be a woman and a man. How can we become heroic and noble and fulfill our purpose unless we have good examples and clear teaching and standards? 3 Metaxas goes on to say, Young men who spend their time watching violent movies and playing violent video games aren’t very easily going to become the men they were meant to be. They will drift. They will lose out on the very reason they were brought into this world: to be great, to be he- roes themselves.2 Some of us remember the actor John Wayne, who played the classic western hero. Metaxas says about “The Duke”: “he usually played roles in which his size and strength were used to protect the weak. He was the good guy. He was always strong and tough, but never a bully.”3 Those are some of the classic qualities of being a man that are good and desirable. Our society desperately needs men like that. Some social critics and strident feminists have blamed the problems of society on “toxic masculinity.” A few radicals have even claimed that all males are “toxic” simply by virtue of their Y chromosomes. These critics misunderstand the human condition. Of course many men have acted in a “toxic” way. So have many women. Our real problem is “toxic sinfulness,” which we all deal with and which Christ came to liberate and wean us from. To the extent that anyone, man or woman, gives in to their sinful and selfish impulses, they can be “toxic” to others and themselves in one form or another. We’re all capable of evil. And we’re also capable of good. The an- swer is not to eliminate all males, or to shackle them by societal shame or legislation; it is to help men find what it means to be a noble and righteous man. The greatest role model of all for men is not John Wayne; it’s Jesus of Nazareth. He was the greatest man who ever lived. He had the perfect combination of strength and tenderness. We’ve never seen a more ideal combination of all the virtues. He was tough and uncom- promising when he confronted His enemies—who were abusing their role as the supposed shepherds of God’s flock. But His anger and His strength were never focused on His own protection and self- interest; He was only concerned for the victims of abuse and injus- 4 tice. He was totally other-focused and compassionate. He ultimately was tough enough to endure the unbelievable pain of crucifixion without flinching. He ultimately was courageous enough to sacrifice His own life for you and me. He was never greedy or lustful, never used His power for His own benefit or pleasure. Every hero down through history has been a pale imitation of His unparalleled great- ness. What woman in her right mind would not feel comfortable and secure under the care of a man like Him? What child would not feel drawn with complete trust to Him? The Fatherhood of God On this Father’s Day it is appropriate for pastors to talk about two themes. One of them is, obviously, gaining a clear biblical perspective on what a father is to be—a male, human father serving in a spe- cific capacity with human children and a human family. That is why, in this time of a “crisis of manhood,” it is worthwhile to establish Jesus as the ultimate role model for all men and to seek to know and follow His example. The other appropriate theme for today is to reflect upon the Father- hood of God. He is the Perfect Parent. He incorporates all the best qualities typically associated both with the ideal of maleness and fe- maleness.

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