Like Father, Like Son

Nate Saint always lived life to the fullest. Born in 1923, he joined the army as a young adult before heading off to Wheaton College. Nate married Marjorie Farris in 1948. Together, they had 2 sons and one daughter. As a result of his passion for mission work, Nate and his family moved to Ecuador as missionaries and built their home there. Their home would serve as a guesthouse and a radio centre with other missionaries.

In January 1956, Nate, together with 4 other friends - Jim, Ed, Pete, and Roger - set out to reach a tribe of cannibals in order to share the love of God with them. The tribe was known as the Auca Indians. They were feared by other Ecuadorians because they would attack and kill intruders without provocation. Their initial contact with the tribe was positive as they were well received. However, shortly after that, the Auca Indians speared all 5 individuals to death and threw their bodies into the river. Nate Saint was the first to be speared. Major magazines and publications called their deaths a waste and questioned the need to put one’s life in danger for the sake of the gospel. Nate’s son was 5 years old when his father died.

Shortly after that incident which gained worldwide attention, Rachel Saint, Nate’s sister, decided to continue the work of the group together with a few other wives of the group. This would lead to the salvation of the whole tribe, the establishment of a church there, the baptism of the tribe's people (including the killers), and the translation of the Bible into the Auca Indian language.

After the death of Rachel Saint, the tribe asked Steve Saint (Nate’s son) to live with them. This resulted in Steve uprooting his family to live with the tribe for a year and a half. He ministered to the people there, learnt their way of life, and loved them as his own family - even those who speared his dad to death.

Steve and his father, Nate, shared many similarities. They both had a big heart for the lost. They both loved beyond themselves. They both went to the ends of the earth to preach the gospel. They were both not afraid of the challenges that came their way. In a nutshell, you could say: like father, like son.

In today’s passage, Jesus told His disciples - “if you have seen Me, you would have seen the Father; if you had known me, you would have known the Father.” Jesus was obviously not talking about the physical characteristics that He shared with His Father. Rather, He was referring to the heart and character of God. Once again, I would like to look at these verses through the lens of relationships.

What Jesus was essentially saying was this: if you have seen how I loved and the character I have, this is then a reflection of the Father’s love and character as well because I and the Father are one and the same. God’s heart for His people and the lost is reflected in how Jesus lived His life while He was on the earth. Like Father, like Son.

Jesus stopped and ministered to the woman at the well. The Father looked after the banished servant, Hagar, and blessed her. Jesus healed the blind, the leper, and Jairus’s daughter. The Father, through various prophets, healed and provided for the lowly in Israel and Judah. Jesus re-established Peter after his betrayal. The Father blessed and turned Jacob around - from thief to patriarch. Like Father, like Son.

By extension of this truth, this statement should then also be true - like the Father and Son, so is the Church. When Jesus talks about oneness with the Father, He also, by extension, is implying that all of His disciples were meant to reflect the image of the Trinity as they relate with each other and with the world - “a servant is no greater than his Master (John 13:16).” Why is that so? Because a true son/daughter will always share the characteristics of the Father. If we are really His children, we would love as He loved.

Reflection

• Ponder: What is one value that Jesus had that caused Him to stop and minister to various ones in Israel?
• Bring to mind three people in your circle of friends, colleagues, or family that you do not like. How can you love these three individuals like Jesus loved?

Application

As He is, so are we. The way we love each other must mirror the way Christ loved us.