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Christmas is a time for family, isn’t it? With Christmas Eve and Christmas Day a few days in the rearview, you’ve probably already spent time with extended family at holiday parties. For many people, that makes Christmas a wonderful time of year! They love getting together with family; catching up and reminiscing about the past; stuffing their faces at the table with people who look a lot like them.
For others, family time can lead to anxiety. Family get-togethers at Christmas sometimes trigger what can be called the “Black Sheep Effect.” Maybe a relative did something that’s caused a rift in the family. Because of their actions, it’s hard to claim them as “one of the family.” Or maybe YOU feel like the black sheep of the family, as the relatives dote on everyone else. “Yes, Brian became a senior partner, flew to the moon, and cured the common cold this year.” And you’re like, “Well…I binge watched an entire season of a show on Netflix in 1 day.” If you don’t feel like you measure up to the rest of the family, you might feel like you don’t really belong.
That may or may not be the case in your family. But today, we’re going to look at our relationship in a different family–God’s family. This week, we’ve focused on Jesus’ family. We peeked into the stable to find Mary and Joseph staring in wonder at the newborn baby in the manger– their son and Savior.
In today’s gospel, we see that family again, but 12 years later. Jesus is no longer a baby, but a pre-teen boy, living in perfect obedience to his heavenly Father, and to his earthly parents. Have you ever thought how hard it must have been to be Jesus’ brother or sister? You think it’s hard being related to Brian, the lawyer/astronaut/doctor? Try being related to the perfect Savior of the world! How could you possibly measure up? Especially when God’s standard is, “Be holy.” If perfect holiness is required to be Jesus brother, then we’re definitely the black sheep, right?
Because unlike Jesus, we fail miserably to live in perfect obedience to God’s will. When we examine our lives in the mirror of God’s law, our ugly failures are exposed, commandment after commandment broken, day after day. If we try to measure up to God’s standard of perfection, we’re like a toddler trying to get on the biggest roller coaster. We fall miserably short of the mark. If holiness is required to be part of God’s family, then we can’t even be the black sheep, because the black sheep is at least part of the family! We’re homeless beggars, stuck outside, looking in the window, longing to be a part of the family gathered at the table, but knowing that our sins keep the door locked to us.
So how can the writer to the Hebrews say, “Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” How can the perfect son of God even look at us, let alone claim us as his family? We can only be called sons and daughters, because of the Son; because Jesus became One of Us, to Be One with Us.
What does that mean, that Jesus became “one of us”? It means that the Christ child was not God playing the role of a human, like life was a musical. God wasn’t dressing up like a human, like Halloween. In every way, Jesus was true man, as well as true God. Jesus was “made like his brothers in every way.” A true human being, with flesh and blood, who felt pain and emotion, just like us. It means that Immanuel wasn’t just “God with us,” he became one of us!
We hear about Jesus’ birth as true man every year. But do we ever stop to truly ponder the unfathomable love shown to us by that baby in the manger? Why is it amazing? The all-powerful God of the universe, “for whom and through whom everything exists,” became a helpless, dependent baby. The hands of God which placed the sun and moon at creation, now reach from a cradle to be held by his mother. The God without beginning or end trades in his immortality to take on human flesh that bleeds, hungers, thirsts, and grows weary. The God whose feet walked in the perfect joy of Heaven, now walks the streets of earth, surrounded by death, suffering, sin and destruction. The all-powerful, all-knowing becomes a boy who has to “grow in wisdom and in stature.” It’s mind boggling! Why does he do it? What about us would lead the Son of God to set aside everything to become nothing?
It wasn’t anything about us. As the Psalmist writes, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” That act of grace was his Father’s will! From the beginning, Christ knew his mission, to carry out his Father’s will! We see Jesus’ laser focus on that goal as he sits in the temple as a boy, growing in the wisdom of God, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Christ knew what it would take to save the world…and that was his one focus.
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity, 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.”
To make us one with God, Jesus had to become one of us. By perfectly obeying his Father’s will, every second of his earthly life, he lived the holiness God requires, that we fail to live. He was holy for us, because we can’t be holy! As Hebrews says, “[God made] the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.” Jesus didn’t sidestep any of the suffering that humans face on earth. He was like his brothers in EVERY WAY…except one. He faced that suffering, but he never sinned.
Having lived a perfect life of obedience, he then sacrificed himself on the cross, to pay the price for our sins, “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.” Jesus made the necessary sacrifice. He paid the price to atone, to make us one with God! Jesus unlocked the door to Heaven, and brought us into his family. He shed his blood, so we could be blood relatives.
That’s the best news you can possibly hear! News we’re reminded of during Christmas when we gather around the manger, on Good Friday when we gather around the cross, and at Easter, when we gather around the empty tomb. But Christ’s perfect obedience as true man gives us profound comfort every day!
When I was a freshman in high school my sister was a senior. As a nervous, slightly awkward teenager, this was a great help for me. She had already experienced all of the challenges I was facing, so I knew I could go to her for help and advice. Our bond really grew that year, because I depended on her. I knew I could trust her, because she understood what I was going through.
We have even greater comfort with Jesus! No matter what challenges you’re facing, Jesus has faced them too. If you’re suffering from pain of body, Jesus did too. If your heart is heavy with grief over the death of a loved one, Jesus’ heart was too. If you’re confronted by enemies, betrayed by friends, or confronted with the reality of your own mortality, Jesus was too. If you’re saddened by the suffering, sickness, terror, and sinfulness of the world around you, remember Jesus was too. When you hear the tempting whispers of Satan to steal, to lie, to lust, to hurt, to doubt…remember Jesus did too. Only, unlike us who so often fall, Jesus never fell! If Jesus, our brother has already faced and defeated all of our troubles, and taken care of our souls, our greatest need, what is there to fear?
When we do fall into temptation, Satan shouts, “See! There it is. You can’t belong to God’s family anymore because you aren’t perfect!” But Jesus calmly speaks to us in his Word, “Brother. Sister. Don’t be afraid. My perfection is yours!”
That doesn’t mean Satan is going to give up trying to tempt you. But when he does, we can take refuge in our brother Jesus, because he faced those same temptations, and perfectly kept his Father’s will! Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Jesus loves you so much that he stands ready to come to your aid against temptation. We know that we have a rock and refuge to go to in prayer when we’re struggling with temptations. We have the Word of God as our shield and sword to fight against Satan. We study and cherish that Word, because it strengthens our faith for the fight. We can depend on Jesus. We can trust in him. Because he’s been there. He understands. He cares!
I’ve noticed in the last couple years that a lot of believers pass away around Christmas. My own grandma two years ago. Two of our own members this year, just a few days before Christmas Day. Christmas is a tough time to lose a loved one. But it’s also an incredibly comforting time to lose a loved one. Because we have visual proof, from that baby in the manger, the boy in the temple, the man on the cross, that they’re in Heaven, because Jesus became one of us, to free us from slavery of the fear of death. In any situation of our lives, we can trust in him, because he understands. Because he’s been there. Because he became one of us, so we can be one with God. As you leave, marvel at this thought once more. The almighty creator God of the universe calls you his family. And we can call him our brother!