…And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6, NASB)
Unrecognized. Unseen. Undiscovered. Nobody knows. Nobody sees. Nobody cares. As long as there is plenty of food, lots of cheer, a plethora of tinsel, and a cornucopia of gifts, everyone’s happy. Jesus? Who’s that?
I wonder sometimes if that’s not true of us who are believers as well. Too caught up in the seasonal cookie-baking, tree-trimming, bargain-hunting, gift-wrapping, and card-writing to think of Jesus.
I confess that’s happened to me, too. And recently I realized there was one particular facet of our Lord Jesus that I had not paid much attention to—especially at Christmastime. It’s our Savior’s title from Isaiah 9:6—”Eternal Father.” Eternal Father? Isn’t Jesus the Son?
The key to the solution is that these titles do not focus primarily on the Child’s deity, but on His function. “Wonderful Counselor” indicates Jesus’ sovereign design—He’s the Planning One. “Mighty God” stands for God who fights as a warrior: Jesus fought for our redemption—He’s the Fighting One. “Prince of Peace” depicts Jesus as the One whose reign alone brings peace—He’s the Ruling One. Since these are primarily functional titles, then so is “Eternal Father”—He’s the Fatherly One.
And that means, as Paul declared, nothing—absolutely nothing—can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35–39). This Child is the Eternal Fatherly One, our Savior, who loves us and gave Himself for us. Everyone else’s fatherhood is self-tainted, but His fatherhood is self-sacrificial. Every other father is inadequate. Not this One. Everyone else’s fatherhood is temporary; His is eternal. This Child is fatherly to us, and fatherly to us forever. His love for us will never end. Never! Ever!
And that’s why we love Him.
I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.*
Don’t forget to worship Jesus this Christmas—the “Eternal Father” who
loves us.