Who is Your Father?

Who Is Your Father?

Judica – 3/22/2026

John 8:46-59

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our reading from the holy Gospel according to St. John in the 8^th chapter with special emphasis on verse forty-nine which reads as follows:

                “ Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Who is your father?” That is not a question we ask very often, at least not directly. We might ask about family, background, where someone comes from, but not in this sort of straight-forward manner. It even seems rude. But this is a question at the center of the conflict in our Gospel reading today.

Jesus is speaking to the Jews, to those who pride themselves on their lineage, and they insist: “Abraham is our father.” Their patrimony, that is their inheritance as being descendants of Abraham, was the basis of their identity. It was their confidence. It is the basis of their claim to righteousness before God. And Jesus did not let that stand. He pressed the issue and sharpened the question. In so doing, He exposed what truly makes someone a child of Abraham and what does not. Even more, He also presses the same question upon you: who is your father?

The False Confidence of Patrimony

The people in John 8 are not pagans; they are not unbelieving outsiders. They are religious. They know the Scriptures. They can trace their lineage all the way back to Abraham. But our Lord is not impressed by these things. He says, “If Abraham were your father, you would do what Abraham did.” What makes someone a follower of God, a child of the Father is not heritage, but faith. Instead of listening to Christ, they sought to kill Him.

The Pharisees here claim Abraham as their father. They love the heritage. They embrace the traditions. They celebrate the rituals. But they reject the One that Abraham believed would come; they reject Jesus the Christ.

Their rejection of Christ exposes something important, and uncomfortable: it is possible to have all the outward marks of religion and still not belong to God. You can know the Scriptures, attend worship services, self-identify as a Christian, and even have a long personal or family history in the Christian Church, but still lack the one thing needful: faith in Christ. Just like the Pharisees of old, they may have all the outward trapping of Christianity, but not have faith in Christ. Instead, they have a false faith, a misplaced trust, an embrace of things that are adjacent to Christ but are not Him. Being a child of God like Abraham is not about heritage or bloodline or association with this or that congregation. No, it is about

faith in Christ.

We see this very phenomenon in our midst, as Lutherans. There is a sort of person whose understanding of the Christian faith is a dead thing. It delights in personal taste, familiarity, and family connections. It sees congregational membership more like a club or a family legacy than a bold confession of Christ and Him crucified. It resists striving for reverence, excellence, or the clarity of a bold and precise confession of the doctrine of the Scriptures. It replaces respect and due praise of God for human interests. And I am not talking about who you might think. This sort of Lutheran is alive and well in congregations just like this one all over our Synod. When we are tempted to put taste, sentimentality, or familiarity ahead of doctrine, reverence, or recovery of the Lutheran confession, we have fallen into this trap. When we delight in things because they are common among American churches in general and bristle under things that are too peculiarly Lutheran, we have fallen into this trap. And this is no matter of safeguarding some sect: it is the contention of our Lutheran Confessions that to be Lutheran is simply to be unashamedly, entirely, brazenly biblical. To confess the faith as a Lutheran is not about heritage, pedigree, or adaptation. It is about Christ, His gifts, and His salvation, as revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures and defended in our Lutheran Confessions.

Abraham’s True Identity: Faith in the Promise

To understand what Jesus is saying, we have to go back to Abraham himself back to  our Old Testament lesson in Genesis 22. There, God tested Abraham in a way that seems almost unbearable: “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love… and offer him.” This is not just any command. This strikes directly at the promise that Abraham believed in and that was first given to Adam and Eve in Eden that a Savior would be sent to redeem us. Further, Isaac is the child through whom God had said all nations would be blessed. And now God told Abraham to sacrifice him. What did Abraham do? He obeyed. Even more, he believed God. When Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb?” Abraham answered: “God will provide for Himself the lamb.” That was not a guess; it reveals faith. You see, Abraham trusts that God will keep His promise that Isaac will be the one by which the nations are blessed. He believed the promise given to Adam and Eve. And Abraham trusted that God will keep His promise even if it means raising Isaac from the dead.  

At the last moment, God intervened. Isaac was spared. A ram was provided as a substitute. And Abraham named the place: “The Lord will provide.” This is what it means to be a descendant of Abraham. Not his genealogy. Not his obedience in isolation. But his faith in the promise of God, his trust that the Lord will provide what is needed.

Abraham Believed, They Rejected

Jesus said: “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” Abraham, stood on Mount Moriah, looking at the ram caught in the thicket. He saw more than just that moment. He saw ahead to the greater fulfillment; He saw Christ. The true Lamb. The true sacrifice. The true provision of God. And he rejoiced. The ram died instead of Isaac. Christ died instead of sinners, yes, even you.

And now that same Christ stands before his descendants and what do they do? They do not rejoice. They reject Him. They argue with Him. They accuse Him. They take up stones to kill Him. This is Jesus’s point: You claim Abraham as your father, but you do not share his faith. Because Abraham believed in Me and you do not.

4. The Law: Who Is Your Father?

Who is your father? This question is not one of biology, but one of faith. Do you trust in the familiarity of your congregation, a family pedigree of membership, or fond remembrance of certain hymns? Do you look to your knowledge of Scripture, understanding of doctrine, or your charitable acts for security before God? If so, you must repent. Like Abraham, we must rely on the gift of faith. As good as these things are, they are not Christ and they do not save. And so it is necessary for us to keep them in their proper place. It is easy to go through the motions of religion, to have our attention and devotion divided away from Christ, away from His truth, and toward other things. This, sadly, can creep upon us unawares.  It is easy to say, “I belong here. I’ve always been part of this. This is my identity.”

But Jesus cuts through all of that. If you reject Him, if you do not trust Him, then whatever else you claim, Abraham is not your father. And more than that: apart from faith in Christ, God is not your Father.

Faith Makes You a Child of Abraham

Who is your father? If you believe in Christ, then Abraham is your father. This is not by blood, but by faith. In faith, you share what defined him: trust in the promise of God fulfilled in His Son. And more than that, God Himself is your Father. Through Christ, you are adopted and brought into the very family of God. There you are given a new identity, not based on your works to earn it, but earned for you in the work of Christ on the cross.

Conclusion

The people in John 8 picked up stones to throw at Jesus. They rejected Him. They refused to believe. But you are here, hearing His Word. And that Word does what it says. It creates faith. It forgives sins. It delivers Christ to you. It makes you, not by nature but by grace, a child of Abraham and a child of God. 

So when the question comes, “Who is your father?” Do not answer with pride. Do not answer with credentials. Answer with faith. “The God who provided the Lamb, He is my Father.And Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is my Lord.”

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

 The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] John 8:49 English Standard Version. All further quotations from the Holy Scriptures are from the ESV.