A good, earthly, physical father is one of the greatest blessings a person can have.
Some are so blessed; some are not. This has always been the case, and it is sometimes hard
to tell the good fathers from the poor ones.
Take Eli for example. He seemed like a good father. He was devoted to his temple
service, but spent more time training young candidates for the priesthood (e.g. Samuel) than he did in training his own sons for Good (cf. 1 Sam. 3:1-10). He saw his sons commit vile acts, but didn’t restrain them. He may have been strong in teaching the law of God, but he was weak in enforcing it in his own household. He received the chastening of the Lord, and tragedy in his family as a reminder that even those who perform religious service must understand the importance of life in the home (cf. 1 Sam. 3:11-14). There must be religion in the home!
On the other hand, there was Zebedee. He didn’t seem like much. So very little is said
about him. He doesn’t seem to have been a great worker for God. He was not a spokesman for
anyone or anything. He did not great deeds that are recorded. But Zebedee was a good father.
He trained his sons, James and John, in an honorable profession, taught them the joys of hard,
honest work, and gave them an opportunity in the business of fishing (cf. Matt. 4:21). Zebedee
gave his boys their chance to fulfill a spiritual destiny by standing aside when they received the summons from the Master, Jesus Christ (Matt. 4:22). He was not forgotten by his sons, by Jesus, or by history, for his name is constantly connected with his sons (e.g., cf. Luke 5:10).