Should we call Jesus “Father”?

I was recently asked if we should call Jesus Father, I’d never considered the question, and had only thought of the attribute “Father” as applicable to God the Father. But after searching with the help of my Bible App., the only reference I found which referred to Jesus as “Father”, was in Isaiah 9:6, a verse that’s often quoted at Christmas time, and though I had read it numerous times, I never understood the application/relevance of what I was reading in the portion speaking of Him as Eternal Father:

For a child will be born to us,
a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God,
Eternal Father,
Prince of Peace.

Yes.

He is referred to as Father, but to understand why, it helps to consider the context of the title, at least within the whole verse. This verse delivers substantial contrasts, not in terms of the number of contrasts, but in the terms of intensity of the contrasts:

“A child will be born to us”

So this child was born from the womb of a chosen mortal women, one who was flesh and blood, such as every other mortal woman. And like every other woman, she was a sinner, just like you and I. I’m not speaking in terms of comparing the social impact of her and others sins, or of ours; and I’m not speaking of comparing the depth of depravity of her or our, or any one else’s sins. I’m speaking of the fact that as we’re told in Romans 3:23 “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;“. Now, there’s a difference in being termed a sinner and someone who has sinned, just to clarify that a little bit; Mary wasn’t living in sin, she wasn’t practicing sin, but she had sinned, and it’s likely she was going to sin again, and Mary acknowledged this, she stated it, as we’re told In Luke 1:46-47
And Mary said:

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour….

So here, Mary’s statement acknowledges that she also was a sinner in need of a saviour, quite simply, she was stained with sin, just like every man and woman is.

So the first contrast I see, is a woman who needs a saviour, giving birth to a child born without possibility of ever sinning, a child who is to be the only Saviour of many.

This child, this “son”, wasn’t just a human being, although He was mortal in body, His spirit was eternal, but not in the term that “eternal” is used in regard to other men of flesh and blood. Our spirits have a beginning and never stop existing, but the Spirit of Christ Jesus existed always: He has no beginning or end, He said, “Before Abraham was I AM”.

Contrasts:

1. Unto us a child is born:

This child was born from a mortal created woman, but He, in comparison to all created beings, is not created, but is The Creator, laying in a manger; and the essence of this child; the I AM. He is Mighty God, Creator of all things, equal and One with God the Father. Genetically descended from the first man Adam, but He didn’t bear the sinful image of Adam, as Adam’s son Seth did, but Jesus bore the image of the holiness of God the Father: we’re told in Colossians 1:15, He “… is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”, then in John 10:30 “I and the Father are One“. So He’s not just equal with the Father by way of a concept or a nice idea; This child born of woman, is in reality, truly God: We’re told in John 5:18,

For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”

John 5:18

2. Wonderful Counsellor:

Born of woman, but wonderful counsellor, holding the power to give life to men, no other man can do this, but we can buy counsel from Christ Jesus, His words are eternal life:
In John 6:68 “Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.“.
Then in Revelation 3:18, He invites us to search and buy counsel from Him: He said “I counsel you to buy of me gold purified by fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be made manifest; and eye-salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.“.
His counsel is the way of life.

3. Jesus the only begotten Son being God the Eternal Father.

So we’re brought to consider that although He was born of a woman, He is the everlasting Father?
His flesh wasn’t God the Father, it was the man Christ Jesus, so God the Father didn’t suffer on the cross, but Jesus did suffer, and from the 6th-9th hour, He was forsaken by God the Father. He experienced separation from God the Father, even though He was still One with the Father in Heaven, as we read in: John 17:24
“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I AM, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”. Here He was in the presence of the disciples, they could see and touch Him, but He said that they may “be with Me where I AM“, Jesus being God can not be contained within a mortal body, or within all His creation; In 2 Chronicles 2:5-7, Solomon wrote “Now the house which I am about to build will be great, for greater is our God than all the gods. But who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him?“.

Considering further, the term Father, there is a distinction of difference here. We’re told that Jesus is Mighty God, then we’re told He’s the “Eternal Father”, or as some translations put it “Father of eternity“, but the term “Father” isn’t used in the same tense as Matthew 6:9, where we’re instructed to pray “our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name...”, or as in Matthew 5:48, Matthew 6:26, Matthew 6:32 and others… where we read of God our “heavenly Father“.
The difference relating to Christ Jesus, is expressing that Jesus is the Father of, or, to phrase it differently, the cause of, the eternal destiny of the Saint’s, in the term of Him being the means of salvation for the Saints. So this aspect of our eternal salvation in Christ, will never be forgotten, ever. He is going to be Eternally known as the Author of, and Father of, the Saints salvation, so He’s the Eternal Father, or Father of Eternity; as Hebrews 2:10 tells us, “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.“.

4. Prince of Peace:

And so, as being the author of the Saints salvation, the Father of eternal life, He is the prince of peace: Ephesians 2:14-17 says, “For he is our peace, who has made both one (that is both Jews and Gentiles), and has broken down the middle wall of enclosure, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might create the two into one new man, making peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having in Himself put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED THE GOOD NEWS OF PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY (that is, the Gentiles who were alienated from God, enemies in mind and evil deeds), AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; (they are the Jews)”.

5. And the government will rest on His shoulders:

So we’re told in verse 7: “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,“. It seems that this statement expresses eternal growth in the number of subjects within His government, a government which will always be one of peace, there will be no more wars or death. The Saints will be recipients and instruments of righteousness in Him, in this eternal government of peace. The angels and Saints who are in His presence, are already recipients of this very government, His will is done in heaven, and we pray that it is done on earth, but it won’t be fully, until the new heavens and earth are created, when death is thrown into the lake of fire, that His will is done both fully on earth as it is in heaven. The government rests on the righteous shoulder of this child who was born to us, to redeem and save the lost sheep who had turned our own way, and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He’s the Eternal Father of the elect, so:

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;
who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will affliction,
or turmoil,
or persecution,
or famine,
or nakedness,
or peril,
or sword?
Just as it is written,
“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE COUNTED AS SHEEP FOR the SLAUGHTER.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death,
nor life,
nor angels,
nor rulers,
nor things present,
nor things to come,
nor powers,
nor height,
nor depth,
nor any other created thing,
will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:33-39

If you’re not presently reconciled to God, then consider 1 Peter 2:25, you need to be able to say this is true of yourself before your last breath, which can be anywhere from youth, it’s as simple as repentance and belief through faith in Christ Jesus:

For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1 Peter 2:25

And when this is known to be true, you can say in full knowledge of the truth:

For a child has been born to us,
a son has been given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name is called Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God,
Eternal Father,
Prince of Peace.