The Evangelist's designation of God as "Father" can hardly be ignored as an important literary and theological construct, considering that his use of pathr is more than double that of any of the Synoptic Gospels individually. Yet, upon closer examination, the Gospel's emphasis on the Father is part of a wider theological theme of entry into a spiritual "family" through belief. Natural blood relationships are used dualistically by the author to demonstrate the preeminence of spiritual relationships over natural ones.

Father and Son

In the Johannine Prologue, the author introduces us to a theological description of life as part of a divine relationship. Jn 1:12 describes the possibility of becoming tekna qeou (children of God) through belief in "the name" (identity) of the Word; one like "a father's only son"(monogenouV para patroV)-Jn 1:14. Thus, the Prologue immediately presents the reader with two types of familial relationships: a pre-existing one between the Father and the Son, and the possibility of human entry into that familial relationship.

In exploring the relationship between "the Father" (pathr) and "the Son" (uioV), we find that it is at once multi-dimensional yet singularly focused. The author utilizes forms of pathr more than three times as often as uioV, and uioV is not typically used without a related description of the relationship to pathr. The uioV seems predominantly to act as an agent of the pathr (Jn 3:35, 5:19,36, 10:18, 13:3, 14:10, 14:31, 15:9), is the one "sent" by the pathr (Jn 8:16, 20:21), and imitates the pathr (Jn 5:18-19). Thus, the uioV performs the work of God within the created order, alluding to the initial work of creation (Jn 1:3).

Although the role of the uioV is initially presented primarily as agent of the pathr, we begin to understand the depth of the relationship as the Gospel unfolds. The uioV exists in a focused relationship of love (Jn 5:20) and seems to function almost as an alter ego of the pathr (Jn 8:19, 10:30, 10:38, 14:11, 17:21). For the disciples, this revelation seems the most forceful in Jesus' so-called "farewell discourse." Phillip asks Jesus to "show us the Father and we will be satisfied"(cf. Jn 14:8). Jesus essentially answers that they have already seen the Father (seeing God connoting a significant theological event in Jewish thinking) through the person of Jesus (Jn 14:11). In Jesus, the disciples (and presumably the reader) discover the nature of the Father.

The Spiritual Family (Household)

As already stated, the Evangelist's primary goal is the bring the reader to belief, and through that belief, to engage the "power to become children of God" (cf. Jn 1:12). By implication, the believer becomes part of a divine family. While John's Gospel never uses the specific Greek word for family (patria), he does use the Greek word for what we would call a household (oikia). In the Greco-Roman world, this designation would include not only blood relatives, but also any other dependents, such as slaves, employees, clients and all those who sought the protection of the head of the household. Oikia can also be defined as "those who have the same fence" and thus includes those to whom common allegiance and protection is owed (see ABD II, 768 and Louw and Nida I, 113).

For the Evangelist, the believer is born into this spiritual family (Jn 3:3) and is not simply adopted, as one might find in Pauline theology (e.g., Gal. 4:5); although the word pathr can refer to either a father by blood or a father by adoption (Louw and Nida I, 113). Our re-birth is similar to that of Jesus'-"from above" (Schneiders, 14, 121). By keeping the commandments of Jesus, we enter into the loving relationship that already exists between the pathr and the uioV (Jn 14:21-23)..

Friendship with God

While becoming children of God seems significant enough, the author further develops the concept by adding to it the idea of friendship with God. John's Hellenistic readers would have found friendship with God as the ultimate goal of life (see Ford, 110). Friendship in Hellenistic thought is the highest of human relationships; a free association of sharing and mutuality motivated by love (Schneiders, 54 and Ford, 111). Since friendship is the one human relationship based on equality (Schneiders, 171) it also represents life in its fullest sense for the believer.

The Author's Literary Development of the Spiritual Family

The author employs a series of encounters to develop the reader's identity with the spiritual family. As already noted, the Prologue introduces the reader to the possibility of becoming "children of God." In John 2, the reader is introduced to the character of Jesus' mother who is his ultimate "blood" relative. The encounter seems terse as Jesus responds to her comment regarding the wine by stating, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come" (Jn 2:4). One might conclude that while his mother believes in Jesus' power, she perhaps is not fully in consonance with his will. The reading seems inconclusive regarding her full status as a believer.

Later in the same chapter, we find Jesus cleansing the temple, his "Father's house" (cf. Jn 2:16). The author notes the Old Testament citation and attributes the allusion to Jesus' zeal for the "house" of God. We are told that Jesus' mother and brothers went with him as far as Capernaum (Jn 2:12), but they are then dropped from the narrative. Jesus' natural family is not specifically identified as being disciples.

In chapter 3, we find the account of Jesus' discussion with Nicodemus and Jesus' instruction regarding the necessity to be born "from above"(Jn 3:3). This birth seems juxtaposed with the natural relatives of Jesus that we have been introduced to thus far, and juxtaposed against natural birth generally (Jn 3:4).

The episode with Jesus' brothers in chapter 7 builds the author's case that natural family relationships are discounted in favor of the spiritual family advocated by the Evangelist. Jesus' brothers encourage him to go to Judea ".for no one who wants to be known acts in secret" (cf. Jn 7:4). Despite his brothers' knowledge of Jesus' actions, the reader is told that ".not even his brothers believed in him" (cf. Jn 7:5) and the reader is left to conclude about the brothers' possible motives, including treachery. Since Jesus says "The world cannot hate you." (cf. Jn 7:7) and since the world loves its own (Jn 15:18) we know that the natural brothers of Jesus are set against Jesus and his disciples.

Again, Jesus' encounter with "the Jews" in chapter 8 again seems to discount the importance of blood relationships. The Jews place great significance on their blood relationship with Abraham. (Jn 8:39). Jesus notes that the true children of Abraham would be imitating his deeds (Jn 8:39) and declares his superiority to Abraham (Jn 8:58). Thus, a person's actions coupled with their understanding of Jesus' identity (Jn 8:42) are the essential elements of belief, rather than a person's lineage. The Jews reject this claim, fail to understand who Jesus is and attempt to stone him (Jn.8:59).

After Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, he tells his disciples that he is going to prepare a place for them in the household (oikia) of his Father (Jn 14:2-3), assumedly predicated upon their belief (Jn 14:1). This house is differentiated from the temple "house" mentioned earlier as it is a household "above," where the Father is present and where Jesus is going.

In fulfillment of their relationship, the disciples are declared Jesus' friends in Jn 15:12-15. Jesus notes the significant growth in their relationship by stating that "I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing" (cf. Jn 15:15). The Greek word translated "servant" in the NRSV is "doulouV" and could also be translated as a slave or bondservant, (Louw & Nida I, 741) indicating a shift from the most lowly position in society to that of equality with Jesus. Ironically, as friends of Jesus the disciples will share in Jesus' role as doulouV as demonstrated in the washing of the feet (see TDNT II, 277-278). The disciples have come to a knowledge of who Jesus is through his actions and now "know what the master is doing."

Finally, the Evangelist presents a re-definition or re-creation of the family in Chapter 19 in the encounter between Jesus, Jesus' mother and the beloved disciple. Jesus' mother is now portrayed as a true disciple and the beloved disciple (a representative or symbolic character; see Schneiders, 57) remains faithful. Jesus, the one through whom the world was created (Jn 1:3), is now declaring faithful disciples as the children of Jesus' mother and Jesus' motherhood now encompasses faithful disciples. Faithful disciples now have first share in Jesus' Sonship. God is their Father (Jn 20:17), Jesus' mother is their mother (Jn 19:25-27). After the resurrection, they are called Jesus' brothers (Jn 20:17, also see Schneiders, 54).

In summary, for the author of John's Gospel, the relationship of the believer to God, Jesus and to other believers represents entry into a divine relationship closer than and superior to natural blood relationships. Underlying this description of a spiritual family is the author's message that friendship with God, the ultimate in relationships, is possible for those who believe in the name of Jesus.