Who Was the Father of Jesus?
By Jonathan Mitchell
Now we realize that, from the Biblical record, the obvious answer to this question is that God was the Father of Jesus. Let us consider what is on offer in Lu. 1, where the agent Gabriel was sent from God to Mary in order to give her the announcement of her upcoming pregnancy:
30. And so the agent (messenger) said to her, "Stop fearing (or: Do not continue being afraid), Mary (Miriam), for you see, you find (or: found) Grace and joyful Favor at God's side (or: in the presence of, and with, God).
31. "And now, see and consider. You will proceed in yourself receiving together and conceiving within the midst of [your] womb, and then you will proceed giving birth to a Son, and you will continue calling His name, Jesus [Gr., Iesous; = Yeshua; cf Gal. 4:4].
32. "This One will proceed in being great (or: a great One; very important), and He will continue being called 'Son of [the] Most High' (or: a son from [the] Highest One; [the] Most High's Son; [cf Gen. 14:18]), and [the] LORD (= Yahweh) will proceed giving to Him the throne of David, His father (= forefather; ancestor), [cf 2 Sam. 7:11, 13; Ps. 132:11; Isa. 9:6-7; 16:5; Jer. 23:5; Phil. 2:10; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 3:7]
Gabriel clearly indicates that "[the] Most High" will be the Father of Mary's Son. Then, three verses later, he affirms this, again:
35. Then, giving a decided response, the agent (messenger) says to her, "A set-apart (or: holy) Breath-effect (or: a consecrated wind; or: sacred spirit and attitude; [The] Holy Spirit) will continue coming upon you, and an inherent power (ability; means of influence; normal property and potentiality; or: [the] Power) from (or: which pertains to; or: which has the qualities and characteristics of; or: which is) [the] Most High will continue casting a shadow upon you. For that reason, also, the Set-apart One (or: holy thing) being progressively generated and born will continue being called God's Son (or: a son of God; 'Son of God'; a son from God).
[cf 4Q246 2:1; Gen. 1:2; Mat. 14:33; Mk. 1:1; Jn. 1:24; 20:31; Acts 8:34; Rom. 1:4]
To Whom does this title, "[the] Most High" belong? We find it used, in Mk. 5:7, by the man with an unpruned spirit (or: uncleansed attitude) when upon coming out from among the tombs he addresses Jesus as
"Son of the Most High God."
The phrase is also used in Acts 7:48, where Stephen is lecturing the high priest, rehearsing Israel's history, and he comes to speak of David, and so, beginning with vs. 46, he lays out the following:
47. "However, Solomon built (constructed) a house for Him.
48. "Nevertheless, the Most High is not continuously settling down to perpetually dwell in houses made by hands - just as the prophet continues saying,
49.'The heaven (or: sky; atmosphere) [is] a throne for (or: to) Me, and the earth (or: land) [is] a footstool for My feet. What kind (or: sort) of house will you folks proceed constructing for Me,' [the] LORD (= Yahweh) continues saying, 'or what is [the] place of My stopping down to rest? [cf 1 Chron. 28:2; Ps. 132:7; Heb. 1:13; 10:13]
50."'Did not My hand make all these things? (or: My hand forms and constructs all these, does it not?)' [Isa. 66:1-2]
So, speaking of "the Most High," Stephen connects this title to Yahweh, citing 1 Chron. 28:2 and Isa. 66. The Hebrew texts of both of these OT contexts use the Name Yahweh. But now, Heb. 7:
1. For you see, this Melchizedek, a King of Salem, a Priest of the Most High God (or: from God Most High) - the one meeting with Abraham, [who was] returning from the cutting down (or: smiting) of the kings, and was speaking words of well-being to (or: blessing) him,
2. to whom also Abraham divided, into parts, and distributed a tenth of all - being first, indeed, translated "King of eschatological deliverance and of the Way pointed out" (King of fairness and equity; King of Justice and Righteousness; King of Rightwised Relationships; also: = King of covenant living), and then also (or: afterwards) "King of Salem," which is "King of Peace and of Harmony, from the Joining." [cf Gen. 14:18-20]
As we see from the reference cited, this takes us back to the book of Genesis, where in 14:18, the same word, "most high," is used in the LXX. Also, in the LXX, we have Ps. 47:1-2,
"All you nations and ethnic multitudes, clap your hands; shout to God with a voice of rejoicing, because the LORD (= Yahweh, in the Heb. text) Most High is awesome!" (JM)
In Ps. 7:17b, LXX, we read,
"I will sing to the Name LORD (= Yahweh) Most High." (JM)
From Lu. 1:35, above, we see that
"A set-apart (or: holy) Breath-effect (or: [The] Holy Spirit), which is [the] Most High" is the means of Mary conceiving Jesus. In this present rendering, I chose the genitive of apposition as the option to indicate the idea of identity between "Holy Spirit" and "Most High."
From these witnesses, we suggest that it is appropriate to conclude that Yahweh was the Father of Jesus.
Jonathan
Return To Jonathan Mitchell's Page