Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.”
Hebrews 2:11-13
Whether we like it or not, we all have family. Whether we like them or not, they are still family. They can bless us with loving and close-knit friendship that we want to jump up and down with a happiness that only a few people know. They can also deeply disappoint us so much that we just want to crawl into some hole in the ground and hope no one finds us.
In either case, it doesn’t matter. They’re still family. They can just frustrate the ever-living daylights out of us. They can make us want to run up to strangers and shout for joy. And through all the feelings of disappointment and excitement that are in between these extremes, the fact remains that they are family. That truth never changes.
The writer of this letter knows the truth of God’s family very well. They tell the Hebrews the unmovable truth that being part of a family has absolutely nothing to do with us and our choices.
We didn’t earn being in our family because we won some contest. Because we took the edge of a coin and scratched off the right numbers to win the family lottery. We didn’t graduate from the school of family with honors. We weren’t elected by a landslide vote into the family. No. not even close.
Being part of a family is because of what someone else did. It was their action. Their choice. We’re totally on the receiving side when we’re brought into a family. And we’re not the whole thing – we’re just a part of a family. We’re just a piece. We’re not the family by ourselves and the family isn’t complete without us. We’re a family only when we’re together. This is exactly what the writer’s saying here when it comes to the family of Jesus.
The one who makes people holy. So, what did the holy people do to earn their way into the holy family? The short answer is absolutely nothing. Someone else did all the work. Another person brought them into the holy family. They didn’t earn it or deserve it. It’s all a gift.
Those who are made holy. While someone else did the work and paid the price, all that wasn’t just thrown out and wasted. Oh no. It was received and made them holy. The receivers only did that – receive. They accepted what someone else did and it changed them, made them into a part of the family.
Now here’s the really mind-blowing part. Jesus not only welcomes us into his forever family, but he’s not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. He’s presently and actively calling us his brothers and sisters.
And when Jesus calls us his brothers and sisters, he’s not shy about it. He’s telling you and me that we’re his close relatives. As brothers and sisters, we share the same parentage. We share the same background. We share the same stories about our common past and heritage.
He not only tells us that we’re his brothers and sisters, but Jesus also tells the world the same amazing truth. He tells the rest of his family that we’re part of the family. And those other brothers and sisters are to welcome us to the family. They’re to make us feel at home. They’re to help up because we’re all part of the family.
Think about it this way. You’ve been invited to two parties. One with a bunch of total strangers and the other with family. And oh, by the way, you’ve been asked to bring an appetizer or something for everyone to eat.
For the strangers, you probably go to a discount store and buy something that’s cheap. You don’t think about it very much and you spend even less. When you arrive, you just drop it off and move on.
But for the family party, you go all out. You search your favorite recipes for something that you know will be a hit. Something that everyone will enjoy. You really don’t care how much it costs either. And when you arrive, you’re thrilled to share it with your family.
Jesus isn’t ashamed to call us his family. His brother and sister. Think about that for a minute. The God of the whole universe wants to sit next to us and treat us like family. He wants to talk with us like family. He wants to put his arms around us and welcome us like we’re family.
And why? Because we are family. Not because we stood in line just to fill out a family application form. To pay some family deposit. To be put on some family application list. Waiting to be interviewed to be admitted to the family. None of this made us family.
We become the family of God only through the payment God made for us in and through the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Period. That’s the only way we can become the children of God. He’s calling us right now. What’s stopping us from going to him? Running to him?
Noodling Questions
When you hear the word family, what’s your first thought? Describe why.
Do you think of yourself as one of Jesus’ family? Why/why not?
How can we encourage others in their coming to Jesus?
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