ABBA

Today in my lectures on Mark an Interesting translation point was brought up, which got me thinking: Abba: is translated for us in Mark as Father (Mark 14:35), but commentaries often denote it as more like the term "Daddy" but in fact the true meaning of Abba is really neither. Abba as Father Abba as Father is really not a good translation, it is far too formal and does not speak sufficiently of the intimacy of relationship that Abba does. Abba as Daddy Daddy is a very child like term and though "Abba" is used by children in relation to their fathers in Israel but unlike in english the term is not confined by age, It is used after childhood from Adult to Adult. Even though you may see the term Daddy as an endearing outworking of Luke 18:17 "You will never get into God's kingdom unless you enter it like a child!" that is not appropriate for this context, as Abba denotes the understanding of the depth and fullness of the relationship that would be impossible for a child to have. This is key a the end of Mark in the garden of Gethsemane

So it seems we dont really have a term in english for Abba, I think it might say alot about western (or at least English) family relationships that there is not a word for a close relationship in adulthood with your Parents. (Dad dosent quite hit the spot either by the way...any other ideas welcome) This definition is how I think were called to be as we mature as christians. Often Maturing as Christians can unfortunatly mean that we become stale, un enthusiatic, and we have the ability to turn the incredible into the ordinary, but when we mature in our understanding of the character of God then this is definatly a helpful aspect of Maturing. For us to understand the depth of relationship and the incredible Grace poured out through the cross should continually amaze us. To have an Abba relationship is to know that we dont know how much it cost but that we catch a wisp of the sacrifice it took, to know in the heart and not the head.