“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry , “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).

Abba.

Daddy.

That’s what Abba literally means.

That Christians called God “Father” was shocking enough. What creatures dare call God their father? Gods are supposed to be feared, revered, honored. God is called Lord, Master, King, Mighty One, Exalted One. But, you don’t call God Father! Who do you think you are?!?!

And yet, not only do Christians call God, Father, but we have the audacity to call him Daddy – abba.

Why, that’s just scandalous!

We take God being our loving Father and daddy for granted because that’s the way we’ve always known him. But this was not always the case. It’s only because of what Jesus accomplished for us through the cross and the empty tomb that we – who are sinners deserving of God’s wrath and judgment – have become sons and daughters of God. We have been adopted into God’s family.

The late Tim Keller writes, “The only person who dares wake up a king at 3am for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access.”

Abba.

Daddy.

That’s good news!

“So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen” (John 20:3-7).

Verse 6b-7 says, “He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.”

The Greek literally says, “The napkin which was upon his head was not with the linen cloth lying but was by itself neatly folded up.”

So, why am I even bringing this up? What difference does any of this make?

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Was that important? Absolutely! 

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. 

Now, if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m finished.”

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because….the folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back!”

“Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them…The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:5, 7).

In an episode on the classic Andy Griffith show, Barney told Andy he should just let Opie, “decide for himself” how he wanted to live. That was, after all, part of growing up.

Andy had these words of wisdom.

“No, I’m afraid it don’t work that way. You can’t let a young’n decide for himself. He’ll grab the first flashy thing with shiny ribbons on it. Then, when he finds out there’s a hook in it, it’s too late. Wrong ideas come packaged with so much glitter that it’s hard to convince ’em that other things might be better in the long-run. All a parent can do is say “wait” and “trust me” and try to keep temptation away.”

That, my friends, is what the Bible calls wisdom.

What Barney said might sound good, but is terrible advice.

Solomon told his son, “Get wisdom…The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.”

Wisdom doesn’t just come to you. It’s something you need to pursue, something you need to work hard at.

So, my friends, “Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get wisdom.”