Jesus wasn’t concerned with defending a gospel. He was too busy revealing the Gospel—His Father’s always-good love. He lived miraculously, died selflessly, and rose powerfully, all so we might be restored back to our place in the family—as sons and daughters of God. All so we might have full access to our inheritance—the love nature of our Father.
If we don’t know our Dad, we are forced to live in the insecurity of slavery, under the weight of need, and we are compelled to defend a gospel. If we don’t know our Father’s love, then, like the older brother, we will find ourselves in direct opposition to our Dad. And you know what direct opposition looks like? Judgment. God, forgive us for judging when we were created to love. I don’t need to defend the faith to know who I am. Neither my identity nor my value is discovered in my beliefs; it’s discovered in my Father’s nature. It’s discovered in how He sees me—I am loved.