Mind of a Christian - Chapter 2

Jesus as our Brother

I process a lot of things in an analytical / calculated way. It's no surprise that a lot of my passions in the Christian faith manifest in studying scripture and doing things like exegesis. But, it's also important for me to not get so caught up in the weeds of academia, as to lose sight of the centrality of Christianity being a relationship with God.

So, let's consider an important relational dynamic: seeing Jesus as our brother. At first impressions, I feel like the idea of Jesus being my brother, and the brother of all believers is not wrong, but part of me pushes back on it.

Maybe I feel like it's too good to be true. Maybe I want to make sure that it's scripturally sound, before being comfortable in accepting and pursuing it as true. Maybe you had similar questions or curiosities that you want to sort out before seeing Jesus as our brother.

Let's go through things that I've recently been drawn to, which can lead us to embracing this.

I recently came across Hebrews 2:10-12, which says in the TLV,

For it was fitting for God—for whom and through whom all things exist—in leading many sons to glory, to perfect through sufferings the initiator of their salvation. For both He who sanctifies and those being sanctified are all from one—so He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,

"I will proclaim Your name
to My brothers and sisters.
In the midst of the congregation
I will sing praise to You."

That second half is taken from Psalm 22, written and first narrated by King David, but later taken up by Jesus when He said, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me". The author of Hebrews also identifies Jesus as the ultimate narrator in this psalm.

It's a small selection in the Bible to point to, when asserting the fact that Jesus sees us as His brothers and sisters; and I'm sure there's other places in the Bible to support it (share your favorites in the comments!), but as I'm typing this, it's sufficient enough for me.

So what does it mean for Jesus to be our brother? It will overlap a lot with the other dynamics He has with us, like Him being our friend and our high priest - I'll bookmark the thought for another time - but for now, let's engage with the though.

To me, Jesus being my brother means that He's someone I can trust to be vulnerable with. Not only will He listen to me, but He yearns to listen, because He cares for me. With Jesus as my brother, I think of Him as someone who celebrates with me in my accomplishments, even if it's something as normal or mundane as cooking dinner. He's also someone who sits with me and mourns with me when I'm going through a depressive phase and crying in my bed.

And finally (at least for now), as my brother, Jesus understands what I'm going through and stands up for me, even when I mess up and I'm in the wrong. He does this so that I can be with Him as someone who is loved and accepted in the sight of God. In fact, Hebrews 2 goes on to draw out this implication. Here's Hebrews 2:17-18:

Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in all things, so He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in matters relating to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. Because He Himself suffered when put to the test, He is able to help those being tested.

--------------------------------

Even after having read the whole Bible, I feel like this concept is new to me - maybe not as a new thought, but rather, a new priority to think about and focus on. I feel like I can start putting down my defenses, and start embracing Jesus as my God, my King, and my Brother. I'm excited in how this will shape me.