Monday 22 December 2008

Not ashamed to call us brethren

For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, - Hebrews 2v11

I always have a hard time even talking about this. It almost seems to verge on blasphemous pride. It is a truth so incomprehensible that it makes me uncomfortable to talk about it, but this passage says that because He that sanctifies (Jesus) and those who are sanctified (us) he is not embarrassed to call us His brethren.

I have a hard time getting my head around that. I know all of the theological reasons, the truths, and the proofs, but it is astounding to me. We have a family who come to our Kids Klub and Sunday School. They have two daughters, Sally and Annabelle. Sally is nine, a lovely, vivacious, and talented little girl. Annabelle is seven, beautiful, but autistic. Being autistic, sometimes Annabelle does things in public that might be embarrassing. You might expect Sally to be ashamed of her little sister. But Sally is far from that. She is so happy that Annabelle is her little sister, nothing could make her ashamed.

I know that all human illustrations are imperfect, but isn’t this something like Jesus not being ashamed to call us brethren. He sees beyond our weakness and frailty to see us like children of God. Since He is the Son of God that makes us His brethren. Despite some of the embarrassing things we do He still recognises us as part of his family.

What is really tragic is that we can be more ashamed of Him than He is of us. What a terrible indictment on us. He is not ashamed to call us brethren, but how often are we ashamed to name His as ours.

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