Christ Our Brother

Introduction

Continuation from the previous text

Last week, we saw the author establish the premise that he is now developing. That premise is that God, who makes all things for his purposes, desires to save a people and raise them up to glory. In his wisdom and purposes, it was appropriate and fitting that this glorification and salvation of many people be accomplished through their Saviour completing a process of suffering on their behalf. This is the foundational truth of the Gospel, and as the author continues to reveal his high view of Christ to us, it is important that it is understood how the Son of God accomplished this since this is what makes the Gospel necessary for salvation and why his readers cannot consider a return to Judaism withoutt rejecting God’s will for his people.

Solidarity in Sanctification

This first phrase that we see in our text today is surprising considering how the author has spent his time in the last chapter and a half. Afterall, the entirety of chapter 1 was devoted to showing how the Son of God has brought about a fuller revelation of God than either peophets or angels ever did in OT times. The Son is clearly viewed as equal in nature to God the Father and seen as co-creator and sharing in the transcendant glory of the Father.

To sanctify simply means to be made holy. Historically, when Protestants talk about sanctification, we are speaking of the process by which the Holy Spirit makes us holier and holier in our hearts, thoughts, and actions as we grow in grace until we reach glory. The author of Hebrews, however, is using the term more broadly to signify cleansing from sin. This will become clear later on in chapter 9 where the author will refer to the sacrificial system and the need to be purified from sin. So it is clear that, in the perfect suffering of the founder of salvation, bringing many sons to glory involves cleansing those being saved from their sins.

Now we read that he who sanctifies, that is the Son Jesus, and those who are sanctified, that is the many sons brought to glory, all have one source. What is this source?

There are two main options. The source either refers to God or to human nature. If it refers to God, than the author is pointing out that both the Son and those the Son came to save have God as their source, and that since it is through God and because of God that all things exist, it is God’s plan that is being carried out, and while the Son was sent by the Father just as human beings were created in his image.

The second option is that this one source refers to a shared human nature with the Son becoming man. In this case, their shared nature is the foundation of their brotherhood.

The first option is most likely because, as we will see from verses 12-14, Jesus becoming human doesn’t make us his brothers, but quite the opposite. It is because he considered us brothers that he took on his human nature. The logic goes like this:

First, God desires to bring many sons to glory.

God achieves this through the perfect suffering of their Saviour.

Why? Because the Saviour and those being saved are both sent to this end by the will of God.

So the Saviour views those he saves as his close family.

Therefore, he takes on human flesh to destroy the power of death through his suffering.

Our Brother in Flesh and Blood

Christ’s willingness to call human beings his brothers and sisters is backed up by three quotations from the OT.

Psalm 22:22 The first of these is fairly obvious. David, speaking as the proto-Messiah, identifies himself with his “brothers”, that is, fellow Israelites who willing worship with him in the Lord’s Temple. The author of Hebrews takes this passage and applies it to Christ. Just as David saw his fellow Israelites as his brothers in the covenant, Christ has also condescended to be a brother to all people who devote themselves to worship the true God. This connection is strengthed by the fact that Psalm 22 is a Psalm where David cries to God for deliverance, the end of this deliverence being a fellowship with his fellow worshippers. This is exactly what Christ’s resurrection, his deliverence from death, acheived for those who believe. That which is declared to them is, of course, the message of the Gospel which binds us to him in this fraturnal love.

The second and third quotations are from Isaiah 8. In verse 16, Isaiah gives his prophecies to his disciples and trusts that, through their preservation of his words, God’s will would be known. Here, the author of Hebrews has Jesus associate with the person of Isaiah. While the passage itself is not about Christ, the author of Hebrews us showing a common theme of a spokeperson for God delivering his message to those he trusts so that it’s purposes would come to pass. We’ve already seen him speak of this back in verse three where the gospel was spoken at first by the Lord and then attested by his disciples. The point here is Christ treating his disciples as his good friends, his brothers, by including them in his work.

Third, again from Isaiah 8:18, where Isaiah points to himself and his children, whom he had with his prophetess wife in Isaiah 7 as a sign of God’s salvation and redemption. Even though this verse follows the previous quotation, the author of Hebrews separates them by saying and again, meaning he is making a separate point with this last quotation. Here again, Christ is put in the shoes of Isaiah who, along with his children, were signs of God’s salvation. Jesus, along with his disciples and those who believe, are also a sign to the world of God’s salvation. The switch from talking about brothers to children is not surprising as close friendships were often referred to by all kinds of familial names. Notice how John will refer to his readers both as brothers and as little children and how Jesus calls believers his sisters, brothers, and mothers. The point isn’t to distinguish between these relationships, but instead to see the closeness of them.

The point in all of these quotations is Christ’s willingness to associate so closely and intimately with those he loves. They are his disciples, brothers, and children. They are those whom he has set his love upon simply because they are the work of his Father’s hands and, while Christ is the eternally begotton of the Father, we are those who were created to one day rule over all things with him.

Saviour and Friend

Now, let us dwell on this truth for a moment, that Christ calls us his brothers, sisters, mothers, and friends. He counts us as his close companions, those whom he has set his love and affection on.

Yesturday at men’s meeting, we looked at biblical friendship and we saw that close friendship has three aspects: first, association and having something in common. Second, loyalty and faithfulness to the other person. Third, affection: a sincere care and concern for the other person and their good based on a choice to consider the other person as you consider yourself.

Christ shows true friendship, the most close and loving friendship, to sinners in these ways:

He associates with us. Having our source in God, Christ finds common ground with us and, as we’ll explore next week, takes on human flesh to find close association with us. God’s plan to raise us up to glory begins with God stooping down to our level, embracing our weakness and pain, and joining us by offering us friendship.

He also is loyal and faithful to our good, and this was established at the Last Supper as a lasting remembrance when we take the cup of the new covenant. This covenant was Christ’s promise to be faithful, a promise he made good on when he embraced suffering and death to perfection. Now we stand with the promise that he will never leave or forsake us, and that he is with us always to the very end of the age. We can trust him to make good on his promises as he is the very definition of loyal and faithful.

Finally, he is affectionate. Christ’s friendship towards sinners is full of feeling and heartfelt love. Christ unites himself to us and us to him such that later in chapter 4 the author of Hebrews calls his Throne the Throne of Grace where we experience compassion, grace, and help in time of need. Throughout his earthly ministry, Christ showed himself to be full of care, concern, and affection for those who followed him with simple faith. Even the rich young ruler was looked at with love by the Saviour, and John felt confident to refer to himself as the disciple Jesus loved. Christ feels for sinners, he sympathizes with them, he heals them, and gives them relief from the tyranny of sin in his arms. Christ’s affection and care is deeper than we can possibly know, and certainly more intense and potent than any merely human affection.

So, saying that Jesus is the best friend we could have is not just some shallow saying to put on a t-shirt to sing in a song. His friendship is solidly based in the three attributes of a close friend in ways that no one else could possibly acheive, and he does it all for sinners. If you’ve ever doubted that Christ’s intentions towards you are friendly, see the proof in his actions. He came to this world in peace, the prince of peace, to make peace with many and bring them to glory. This shows us the glory of God because it is his love that drives this friendship. John 3:16 tells us that God’s love compelled him to send the Son into the world. This love invites us into friendship with God, to be treated as a brother or sister of Christ, to have his affection and faithfulness towards us. All this he did while we were still sinners.

Conclusion

Of course, the question is: what is your response? The Gospel is an invitation into friendship with Christ, and obedient discipleship is the appropriate response. Christ calls you to a friendship with himself and, through him, a friendship with God the Father. This relationship is so close it is familial: Christ is called our brother, and through him we obtain a position as Sons of God the Father. His kindness is shown to us to bring us to repentance. Repentance is necessary because to continue in sin is to assume a posture of hostility towards God. Sin and unbelief are war with God, and when God has shown us his friendship and we resond with hostility it becomes clear where we stand with him.

On the other hand, to surrender to Christ, to follow him, submit to him, walk as he walked, love and he loved, and to live by faith is a response that shows our cooperation with his friendship. Baptism is a declaration of our trust in his love and our acceptence of and commitment to it. The Lord’s Table is continuation of our celebration of his friendship. Obedience is our walking in friendship with God, growing in our own loyalty and affection towards God through Jesus Christ our Lord as we are being raised up to glory as Sons of God. It is not enough that we simply call Christ our Lord and friend, like in any friendship our loyalty and affection for him comes out in our behaviour.

So today, I want to leave you with this reflection on the love of Christ, a love that compelled him to associate with us, faithfully secure us, and view us with affection and care. This is not a shallow, fleeting, and meaningless love, but one that is purposeful, deep, and self-sacrificing.

I also want to leave you with the question, are you walking in the friendship of Christ? Are you fighting sin in your life out of affection and faith in Christ? Are you seeking to know him more who lowered himself to befriend you? Are you loving those he loves and befriending his people, the church, and the least of those in it? This isn’t meant to invoke guilt necessarily, but to push you to embrace such a Saviour who showed such friendship for sinners like you and me.

Next week we will see how far Christ carried this good will for us: by partaking of flesh and blood and then offering that flesh and blood for our souls, to destroy the work of death and the devil. All this was meant to convince the Hebrews not to lose their faith, for where else will you find such a Saviour and such a friend? A return to Judaism would be an abandonment of the one who alone can raise us up to glory, and who did so much so that it would be possible. This remains true for us, whatever our case may be. Whatever harship you are going through, whatever sin you’ve committed, whatever lie you’ve believed, whatever mess your life is in, find friendship in the one who is not ashamed to call you his brother or sister.