The Old Testament is not afraid to use maternal and feminine image of God. Isaiah reassured the exiles that God had not abandoned them. God would restore them and give new life to the people - suffering was merely temporary. The language that Isaiah used is remarkable. God is likened to a mother and the people of Israel a nursing infant or the children of God's womb. There cannot be any relationship more loving and tender as that. We should keep this image in mind when we are tempted to think of God as harsh or when we think we are being 'punished' for our failings. God is both our Father and Mother.

Many in the crowd were offended because Jesus was doing things reserved for God alone. But how could he do otherwise? As the Father, so the Son - and the Father certainly healed on the Sabbath and gave life. Jesus made it very clear that he was the mirror image of the Father and that to receive him was to receive the Father himself. What does that mean for us? When we live and walk in the Spirit of Christ we become in a lesser way a mirror of Jesus. We show the same compassion, mercy, and concern for the well-being of others. When others encounter us, they should have some sense of encountering the one who dwells within us. Our primary mission is to make Jesus present to the world.