Jesus Emphasizes Worship of the Father Ahura Mazda
Matthew 4:10:
Context: During Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.
Verse: “Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
John 4:23-24:
Context: Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well.
Verses: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
John 5:19-23:
Context: Jesus explains his relationship with the Father.
Verses: “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.'”
John 14:28:
Context: Jesus comforts his disciples and speaks of his return to the Father.
Verse: “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
John 17:1-3:
Context: Jesus prays to the Father.
Verses: “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.'”
Matthew 6:9:
Context: Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray.
Verse: “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’”
Matthew 26:39:
Context: Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Verse: “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'”
John 20:17:
Context: After his resurrection, Jesus speaks to Mary Magdalene.
Verse: “Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Interpretation and Reflection
Emphasis on the Father:
In these passages, Jesus clearly directs worship and devotion to God the Father. He acknowledges the Father’s greater authority and emphasizes the importance of worshiping God in spirit and truth.
Role of the Son:
While Jesus acknowledges his unique relationship with the Father and his role in the divine plan, he consistently points back to the Father as the ultimate object of worship.
Prayer and Devotion:
Jesus’ model of prayer and his personal prayers consistently focus on the Father, providing a template for his followers to do the same.
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