The Moral Basis
The governing principle of Jesus' life was God's will. "My food is that I
should do the will of Him that has sent Me, and that I should finish His
work", John 4: 34.
Jesus' own words clearly set out the moral character of those He is
pleased to call His brethren:
- "Stretching out His hand to His disciples, He said, Behold My mother and My brethren; for whosoever shall do the will of My Father who is in the
heavens, he is My brother, and sister and mother", Matthew 12: 46-50.
- "Looking around in a circuit at those who were sitting around Him, He
says, Behold My mother and My brethren: for whosoever shall do the will of
God, he is My brother, and sister, and mother", Mark 3: 31-35.
- "But He answering said to them, My mother and My brethren are those who hear the word of God and do it", Luke 8: 19-21.
The context of His remarks is instructive:
- Matthew places Jesus' remarks after His reference to "the sign of
Jonas the prophet".
- Thus His brethren come to light in the acceptance of that sign and the repentance for which it calls, and it is thus that they do the will of His Father who is in the heavens.
- Mark records Jesus' remarks after the Pharisees' blasphemous charge:
"By the prince of demons He cast out demons".
- Jesus' brethren come to light as delivered from the domination of the strong man, now liberated to do the will of God.
- Luke places Jesus' remarks after the parable of the sower and the lamp
on the stand.
- Here they answer to those "who in an honest and good heart,
having heard the word keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience" and to
the lamp shedding light on all around.
The "will" (used in Matthew and Mark) involves accumulated knowledge and
experience with God, while the "word" (Luke) stresses alertness to the
current expression of God's mind. Both are equally important.
- Luke constantly emphasizes doing or putting into practice: e.g.,
- "Every one that … hears My words and does them", 6: 46-49
- "And to my bondman, Do this, and he does it", 7: 1-10
- "All things which Jesus began both to do and to teach", Acts 1: 1.
John sets out the intrinsic moral side in Jesus to which all who would be
called "My brethren" must answer in practice.
- "The Son can do nothing of Himself save whatever He sees the Father
doing: for whatever things He does, these things also the Son does in like
manner", John 5: 19.
- "I do nothing of Myself, but as the Father has taught Me I speak these
things … I do always the things that are pleasing to Him",
John 8: 28-29.
In contrast are "the scribes and the Pharisees" who "have set themselves
down in Moses' seat: all things therefore, whatever they may tell you, do
and keep. But do not after their works, for they say and do not",
Matt. 23: 1-3 – or 'do not practise what they preach'.
Gideon says, "They were my brethren, the sons of my mother", Judges
8: 19. This suggests the subjective formation which is characteristic of
the moral side of our relationship to Christ.
This positive subjective response to what is of God, as inwrought by the Spirit, must come first.
- The Lord will not own us as His brethren in any other connection if the moral side is absent.
- This has always been the divine order: "I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who shall do all My will", Acts 13: 22.
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The Suffering Position
If we are formed morally like Jesus, we will inevitably suffer.
- "Blessed are ye when they may reproach and persecute you, and say every wicked thing against you, lying, for My sake", Matthew 5: 11.
- "And all indeed who desire to live piously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted", 2 Timothy 3: 12.
At the sessional judgment of the nations by the Son of man in Matthew
25: 31-46, He will own those who have suffered as His brethren:
- "Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it to Me", 25: 40.
Those who suffer for Him are already in His heart – Acts 9: 4-5 – but, in the day of judgment, such will be publicly acknowledged by the King as "My brethren".
- For the present moment – 2 Cor. 4: 16-17 – we can treasure the knowledge of His approval in our hearts.
- Paul desired to know "Him … and the fellowship of His sufferings", Philippians 3: 10.
- Peter also speaks of us sharing "in the sufferings of Christ",
1 Peter 4: 13.
- Paul joyfully adds that "if we endure", i.e., go through suffering
patiently, "we shall also reign together", 2 Timothy 2: 12. Thus the greatest Sufferer will publicly own us as "My brethren".
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The Realm of Privilege
The Lord Jesus delights to own us as His brethren morally and in suffering.
- But His greatest joy is in being able to claim us as His own in the realm of privilege before the Father, based on His own supreme sufferings sustained by all that He is morally.
It is in the resurrection sphere and in view of ascension that He claims
us as His brethren on the highest and most dignified level:
- "Go to My brethren and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God", John 20: 17.
What a privilege to be thus associated with Him! God is "bringing many sons to glory" in relation to His own Son.
- "For both He that sanctifies and those sanctified are all of one; for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare Thy name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly will I sing Thy praises", Hebrews 2: 10-12.
He, who is preeminently and uniquely the Son, identifies us with
Himself in sonship, introducing us into the Father's presence as "My
brethren". He is not ashamed of us in that glorious position.
Further, He praises the Father in the assembly, in the midst of those He calls "My brethren".
- What pleasure and satisfaction for the Father and the Son – what joy for us eternally!
- And it is to be entered into in the present time as we, in spirit and by the Spirit's power, are transported to Christ's own realm – resurrection and ascension – in the service of God.
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