A Brotherhood with Jesus, a Brotherhood with Man

Today I'd like to talk to you primarily about a single word from the scripture..

And that word is "Brothers"

In Paul's letter to the Galatians, the author uses the word Brothers many times. It can be seen it as the very first word of Galatians 6.

Some translations, including the Good News translation, change this word to "friend", and although that is another wonderful word, in most translations you will see the word Brother is used most often.

Coincidentally, or not, one of my brothers, came to visit me the other day by surprise.

And even though I would always like to consider him a friend, much more than that, we are brothers. So friend or not, brothers we will remain.

Jesus said he considers us his friends, and that we are no longer slaves, but his friends. You can find that in the book of John.

But most importantly,

He also considers us his Brothers.

In Mark Chapter 3, Jesus is told that his mother and his brothers had come to see him.

Jesus responds, whoever does what God wants is my brother, my sister, my mother?

Was he denying that those who had come to see him were indeed biological relatives? Maybe...maybe not.

The bigger message is....we are all his brothers, and his sisters, his mother.

We are all relatives.

Jesus came, as a living, breathing, hurting human being, in the flesh; it could be said, for no other purpose.

He could have come as a ghost, as a giant beast with fiery wings, as wheels in the sky, or a glowing golden king seated on a golden throne in the town square.

He could have come as anything.

But he came as one of us.

And he called us his kin. He considered us family...and not just in an obscure way, but as a brother, a sister, a mother. Close family.

In the same way, and by example, Paul refers to his fellow man as brothers.

And he doesn't just do it with the ones who agree with him, the ones who are on the same page, and that he is happy with.

In calling them brothers, he recognizes that they are weak, and fragile, and susceptible to temptation just like he is. But they ARE HIS FAMILY. They may disappoint, or frustrate or even anger....but brothers are still brothers. He always holds out hope for his brothers.