Abba, Father: The Heart of the Gospel

By Nathan Shaw

When Mark wrote his gospel, he framed Jesus’ mission carefully and deliberately. The mission was planned, prophesied and prepared. To be more specific: The Father planned it, Isaiah prophesied it, and John the Baptist prepared the way. Mark starts straight in by quoting Isaiah 40:3: “I [God] will send My messenger [John the Baptist] ahead of You [Jesus], who will prepare Your way—a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him’” (Mark 1:2-3). Isaiah was an undisputed heavyweight prophetic voice from Israel’s past. John the Baptist was a highly reputed contemporary prophetic voice: “The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him” (Mark 1:5).

As significant as Isaiah and John the Baptist were, the real framing came when the Father Himself stepped into the narrative. After Jesus was baptized by John, the heavens opened dramatically, the Spirit descended visibly, and the Father spoke audibly: “You are my Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). The language is intimate and focused. It expresses the beauty and depth of covenant and overflows with spontaneous delight. Mark uses the voice of Isaiah and the voice of John the Baptist to set the stage for the voice of the Father. The relationship between the Father and the Son forms the backdrop for everything that follows.

Another profound glimpse of the relationship between the Father and the Son is given toward the end of Mark. Jesus was distressed and troubled because He knew He was about to endure the agony of the cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He cried out to His Father in desperation: “Abba, Father, everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.” (Mark 14:36). “Abba” is Aramaic for “Father.” It was a word that expressed close covenant relationship. The Aramaic word “Abba,” combined with the Greek word for “Father,” reveals a deeply intimate heart cry.

Jesus was about to complete His earthly mission, but it wasn’t easy. He wanted the cup of suffering to be taken from Him and He knew His Father could do that for Him. Although Jesus wanted the cup of suffering taken from Him, He wanted what the Father wanted even more. As He cried out, “Abba, Father,” His heart was shifted and aligned to complete the mission. It was a mission birthed and completed in the overflow of intimate relationship between the Father and the Son.

Consider the overall picture: One gospel; two intimate glimpses of relationship between the Father and the Son; two frames that hold up the wider narrative. Frame one: the Father’s affirmation of Jesus at His baptism (Mark 1:11). Frame two: Jesus’ heart cry to His Father in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:36). The framing lifts the whole gospel into a higher dimension. If you read Mark from this vantage point, you will read it in a new way.

Notice the significance of low places. The Jordan River—the place where Jesus was baptized—is a low place, geographically. Being immersed beneath the waters of baptism took Jesus to a different type of low place—one of spiritual surrender. The distress Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane was a low place, experientially. When He cried out, “Abba, Father,” He was face down on the ground (Mark 14:35). Low places are often doors to heavenly places and heavenly dimensions.

Mark outlines three dimensions of understanding the gospel (Mark 1:1-11). The first dimension involves hearing the prophetic voices of the past. These biblical voices are powerful and significant. By themselves, they lead to profound transformation and change. The second dimension involves hearing the prophetic voices of today. John the Baptist was a voice of one crying out in his generation, but God has prophetic voices that cry out in every generation. When the prophetic voices of the past are accentuated with the prophetic voices of the present, another dimension of transformation and change is discovered.

Although the first two dimensions are very powerful, they are designed to prepare us for the third: hearing the voice of the Father from heaven. The Father’s voice awakens dimensions of covenant, desire and intimacy that go beyond anything we can express in earthly terms. Discovering this dimension doesn’t require us to hear an audible voice. John 15:26 explicitly states that the Spirit is sent “from the Father.” The Spirit makes the Father’s voice known to us in many different ways.

God is raising up voices in our generation who will frame the gospel the same way Mark framed it for his generation. The Father will speak to them and through them. He will affirm, “You are My beloved son,” “You are My beloved daughter,” “With you I am well pleased.” They will cry out, “Abba, Father,” because "Abba, Father," is the spontaneous cry of all those who know His delight. The gospel will be preached with greater authority than ever before, and the results will go beyond anything we have yet seen. God always saves the best for last. 

© 2026 Nathan Shaw.

Related Video:

Related Articles:
The Identity Generation
The Mercy Seat: A Prophetic Story

Related Book:

Passion & Fire tells the story of a powerful move of the Spirit in Vanuatu during which the face of Jesus appeared on a dormitory wall. Those who experienced this life-changing encounter could only describe it as being immersed in a supernatural river of fiery love. This river is so powerful, it ignites a level of passion that goes way beyond normal human experience.
 
God is a consuming fire. But that's not the end of the story; He invites us into passionate relationship with Himself! Rather than a one-off encounter, this is a reality that every Christian can experience in their Christian walk. Passion is not ignited through human effort. To the contrary, it is ignited when we know the extent of God's passionate, supernatural love for us.
 
Passion & Fire examines the legacy of passion recorded in the Bible but also awakens that passion through stories, visions and teachings. Those who struggle to experience closeness with God will be particularly helped by the section on overcoming obstacles to intimacy.

Available from Amazon, Blackwall's, and Walmart

Back to Articles