The anecdote about the strict earthly father actually illustrates the problem perfectly. Jesus himself anticipated exactly this objection: "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?" (Luke 11:11). He invokes ordinary fatherhood to argue that even evil men know how to give good things to their children (Luke 11:13), and then contrasts that with the Heavenly Father who surpasses them all, being "kind to the ungrateful and the wicked" (Luke 6:35).
The tough-love father who kicks his kid out with two months notice is precisely the kind of flawed, conditional fatherhood Jesus uses as a floor, not a ceiling "if you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts..." The Good Father exceeds even the decent ones.
And here's the contrast Jesus draws implicitly: the Hebrews complained about their food and longed for the fish they had in Egypt (Num 11:5). They were, in effect, children asking for a fish. And what did YHWH give them? Fiery serpents that killed many of them (Num 21:6).
Jesus asks what father would give a serpent to a child asking for a fish. Yahweh literally did. The distinction isn't special pleading, it's Jesus's own logic carried to its conclusion.
kp / Καλέβιος ☧
npub1v9…0tqnj
2026-07-24 00:53:28 UTC
in reply to nevent1q…72s8
Author Public Key
npub1v9vm3606g9dhrdemxkhx35q3m2kza5l3xzezgdjggs9fxsgyp5wqt0tqnjPublished at
2026-07-24 00:53:28 UTCEvent JSON
{
"id": "eeac110ed96dc7f178aa65efb493bf11b82f98979ae0bd60890e8dbaf5f8c331",
"pubkey": "6159b8e9fa415b71b73b35ae68d011daac2ed3f130b2243648440a9341040d1c",
"created_at": 1784854408,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [
[
"e",
"4682db82cca1f7d525d39ef5e2cecb382fbf5589c5bd8582b0a4090668da50ae",
"wss://relay.primal.net/",
"root",
"6159b8e9fa415b71b73b35ae68d011daac2ed3f130b2243648440a9341040d1c"
],
[
"e",
"bcfe41684d44ae9f20a3673e3d7158c1e12d9a78511c359998bee0ff606bb782",
"wss://relay.damus.io/",
"reply",
"e4e847f9b3e29e930b3f05218767828f8ddd5ac177f5ad46a6616f52e5c37d6d"
],
[
"p",
"6159b8e9fa415b71b73b35ae68d011daac2ed3f130b2243648440a9341040d1c",
"wss://relay.primal.net/"
],
[
"p",
"e4e847f9b3e29e930b3f05218767828f8ddd5ac177f5ad46a6616f52e5c37d6d"
]
],
"content": "The anecdote about the strict earthly father actually illustrates the problem perfectly. Jesus himself anticipated exactly this objection: \"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?\" (Luke 11:11). He invokes ordinary fatherhood to argue that even evil men know how to give good things to their children (Luke 11:13), and then contrasts that with the Heavenly Father who surpasses them all, being \"kind to the ungrateful and the wicked\" (Luke 6:35).\n\nThe tough-love father who kicks his kid out with two months notice is precisely the kind of flawed, conditional fatherhood Jesus uses as a floor, not a ceiling \"if you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts...\" The Good Father exceeds even the decent ones.\n\nAnd here's the contrast Jesus draws implicitly: the Hebrews complained about their food and longed for the fish they had in Egypt (Num 11:5). They were, in effect, children asking for a fish. And what did YHWH give them? Fiery serpents that killed many of them (Num 21:6).\n\nJesus asks what father would give a serpent to a child asking for a fish. Yahweh literally did. The distinction isn't special pleading, it's Jesus's own logic carried to its conclusion.",
"sig": "b2cbc1ab9c11f033a203a1d33e6ec8f9c916b5dcfc637027e6adb1faeb93d2474f0097e528a2b16ef259967a0246104300e2f7179e56766206872ef498d514df"
}