Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (He 12:2). Amen.
I have seen the commercial on TV a few times now. You may have as well. I won’t mention the car company because you may not be a Chevy fan. (There is a free plug for them.) But real people and not paid actors announce that we are eligible to receive the employee discount on a new vehicle. If you are in the market for a 2019 model (or 2020 by now), that might be a nice incentive (as long as you don’t have to punch in and put it together). Near the end, a number of them shout, “Welcome to the family.”
There is a bigger, even better family, that we belong to. All because of Jesus whose birth we continue to celebrate during this Christmas season. Jesus is your Brother who comes for his family and who cares for his family. We read from …
Hebrews 2:10-18
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, who is here with us and there for us,
We speak of “brothers” in different ways:
As a fact—by birth and by blood. That doesn’t require much explanation. Think of the picture that a proud mom and dad take of their boys sitting by some festive Christmas decoration and post to social media for everyone to comment on their cuteness.
As a figure—by experience or expertise. Those in the military refer to each other as “a band of brothers” or “brothers in arms.” Pastors sometimes talk about “brothers in the ministry.” Perhaps it the same in other professions because they share something in common.
Whether or not you feel a closeness like that to another makes no difference. We get the concept of a brother. Even more so when we look at Jesus.
Jesus Is Your Brother
1. Who comes for his family (10-13)
2. Who cares for his family (14-18)
1. Who comes for his family (10-13)
I read that the second most popular hobby in the United States is genealogy—shaking your family tree. (In case you are curious, the first is gardening. You know my feelings on number one.) As we trust in Jesus, it is not for amusement about our ancestors, but for encouragement. Jesus is your Brother who comes for his family.
The author of the letter to the Hebrews contends what we confess: that God created the heavens and the earth (Ge 1,2). Or in his words: “for whom and through whom everything exists” (He 2:10). All that is seen and unseen is for his glory and by his authority (Ro 11:36). And when all was said and done, his evaluation, as well as his conclusion, was that it was “very good” (Ge 1:31)—perfect.
But it may not have lasted long because the devil would not leave it alone. He dangled the lie that God was not good in front of Adam and Eve and they decided that it was true—in spite of how loving the Lord had been to them. When they ate the forbidden fruit, they were no longer connected to him, but separated from him. Or outside of the family, not inside. And that is not the right place to be.
That is not what God wanted. He was not powerless, but purposeful. He did not pretend that sin did not exist, but planned to get rid of it. And it was all his doing. It was right what he did. “It was fitting that God … should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering” (He 2:10). That is Jesus—the source of our rescue. He did not explain to us the way to heaven. He became for us the Way to heaven (Jn 14:6). Jesus, our Brother, is the only path to the Father.
But that didn’t come without pain. It was through agony that Jesus accomplished God’s objective “in bringing many sons to glory” (He 2:10)—to his side in our eternal home. God made Jesus perfect. Really, he brought Jesus to the goal of saving us. We might compare it to the person who resolves to race in a 5K in the new year. That one has to set up a training program to reach that end—how much to lift and how far to run.
As our brother, Jesus lived for us. We have not, cannot, keep the law continually, but he did constantly. For example, he observed the 4th commandment for us completely. Luke reported that the twelve-year-old Jesus “went down to Nazareth with them [that is, Mary and Joseph] and was obedient to them” (Lk 2:51). That kept on in his teens and twenties—all through his life. Like Samuel grew “in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men” so did Jesus (1 Sa 2:26; Lk 2:52). He did all for us. He gives that perfection to us.
As our brother, Jesus died for us. The Infant in the manger becomes our Substitute on the cross. And when he cried out on Good Friday, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30), he made us holy—set free and far from sin.
That is why Jesus became one of us. “Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family” (He 2:11). And he is not embarrassed to mention that. “So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers” (He 2:10). He claims us as his own. The writer to the Hebrew Christians backs that up with some quotes from the Old Testament.
“I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises” (He 2:12; Ps 22:22). That is why Jesus, the suffering Savior (Is 53), came—to make his Father’s love known (Jn 1:18). He shares good news with God’s children and joins them in honoring him.
“I will put my trust in him” (He 2:13; Is 8:17). Jesus’ life was one of confidence—all the way to the cross. When he paid for our sin, he proclaimed: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Lk 23:46).
“Here am I, and the children God has given me” (He 2:13; Is 8:18). He draws our attention to the detail that he has included us in the family of God.
Jesus is your Brother who comes for his family—for you and for me.
2. Who cares for his family (14-18)
That same source indicated that the second most visited category of websites (sadly behind pornography) is tracing your family line. As we turn to Jesus, it is not just a matter of information about our roots, but of salvation. Jesus is your Brother who cares for his family.
At Christmas we consider the importance and contemplate the significance of what happened in the little town of Bethlehem (Lk 2:6,7)—true God became true man, making his dwelling with us (Jn 1:14). He wasn’t a hologram, but a whole man. Or as the author puts it: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity” (He 2:14). I wonder if Mary looked as his fingernails the first night in the stable. That is what I always check when I am around a newborn. (It is odd, but also interesting how tiny they are.) Jesus was just like us—in the same manner.
And it wasn’t out of boredom or curiosity, but for benefit and reality. The reason: “so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (He 2:14,15). “To destroy” is in the sense of “to render inoperable.” You may not have noticed. (I am not trying to insult you.) During Advent, the lights on the trees up front were blue. Now they are white. We can flip a switch so that the one color doesn’t work. That is what Jesus did to the devil (1 Jn 3:8). He is ineffective.
Notice how it goes. The devil tempts us to sin and when we fall, he taunts us with death. That is the wage that sin pays and he is more than happy to see that we collect what is due (Ro 6:23). But remarkably, Jesus used the very thing that Satan held over us to nullify his reign of terror—death. Jesus died to release us from the devil’s grip. Because Jesus gave up his life and then came back to life, we have life—right now and forever. Death may still touch us, but it does not terrify us. Jesus won the victory and gives it to us (1 Co 15:57). Death doesn’t mark the end of life, but rather the entrance to life.
We are the objects of his concern and care. “For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants” (He 2:16). Jesus came for us, not angels. The angels announced his birth, but we are the beneficiaries of him becoming a human—we who have the same faith as Abraham (Ro 4:16). That is exactly what they expressed: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you” (Lk 2:11).
There is more to this necessity of Jesus identifying with us. “For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people” (He 2:17). Jesus is merciful—he understands our needs and meets them. He is faithful—he is dependable and reliable in fulfilling his Father’s will.
But this “high priest” figure. The readers in those days would be much more familiar with the reference than we are in these days. But we can still profit from the illustration. Every year on the great Day of Atonement, the high priest would take the blood of a goat and step behind the curtain in the temple into the most holy place. There he would sprinkle it on the top of the ark of the covenant (Lv 16:15ff.). It was a reminder that blood was necessary to take away sin (He 9:22). Jesus shed his own precious blood on Golgotha and satisfied God’s anger over our sin. That blood cleanses us too, removing the deepest stain and darkest spot (1 Jn 1:7). We are “at one” with God. “The LORD is gracious and compassionate” (Ps 111:4) as the psalmist had us sing.
One more bit of assistance. “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (He 2:18). My older brother could tell me what 6th grade was like because he had sat in the classroom the year before me. Jesus knows up close and personal what it feels like to have the devil come after him—again and again. Satan was relentless because he wanted Jesus to sin and slip so that the world would have no Savior. But Jesus never did sin (He 4:15). And now our Brother can stand by his family members when the devil comes with his deceits and deceptions. Jesus can comfort: “I know what it is like to have Satan whisper that it is better to go against God than to go with him. I have been there.” Along the way, Jesus either makes us firm when we stand against Satan or gives us forgiveness when we stumble into sin. Jesus is your brother who cares for his family—for you and for me.
The Chevy family doesn’t mean that much if you are not in the market for the latest truck or greatest automobile. That is what the advertising would have us conclude. For the last 7+ years, we have been a “family,” a church family. Thank you for your all of thoughtfulness and kindness, all of your generosity and sincerity. There is not an ending of a relationship, but a changing of one. Far or near, we call God our Father and Jesus our Brother. That is who he is because he came for his family and cares for his family. Through faith in him, we will see each other again—if not on earth then for eternity. Then Jesus, our Brother, bless us going forward with you—in the future as in the past. And it still is true: Merry Christmas. Amen.
Grace be with you all (He 13:25). Amen.
December 30, 2018
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