“For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters…” (Hebrews 2:11)
The older I get, the more I realize how important family is. In fact, the more I read the Bible, the more I see how family is part of God’s purposes for our world. God’s plans for family began on the first pages of Scripture with our first human parents, Adam and Eve. They were part of the first family unit. God had welcomed them into his family, where they lived in harmony and their home in Eden. God their Father watched over them and provided for them, preparing them to extend his family through the earth. Yet, there was a sudden change for the worst, as Adam and Eve broke ties by betraying the One who made them.
Since then, the birth of dysfunctional families have filled our human history. Many individuals have come from broken homes, traumatic childhoods, and overall have missed out on being raised by a father and mother who loved and cared for one another. This has caused many people to grow up without a sense of belonging, safety, and security. And this has patterned its way into our every day relationships, causing a growing mistrust and cynicism of others.
But praise God the Father, because he and his Son have different plans for our world. Jesus, the Son is about family—God’s family! And the Hebrews writer wants us to know that this Son is on a mission to restore his Father’s family that’s been separated since the days of Eden. Through the Son voluntarily putting himself in our place of condemnation and punishment, taking death in our place, Jesus has “brought many sons and daughters to glory” (2:10).
So, you may have come from a dysfunctional family, but Jesus has made it possible for you to have a new family. You may have been raised without a deep sense of belonging, but Jesus has signed your adoption papers with his life, so now you belong to the family of God! Because of Jesus, your older brother, you are deeply loved by the Father, and he calls you his “beloved” (Eph. 5:1).
This love that we receive from the Father and the Son fills us up, and allows us to share that love to others. As God’s children, we can look to forgive and reconcile with the broken families we came from. As God’s children, a husband can grow in cherishing and loving his wife and children. As God’s children, a wife can grow in caring and loving her husband and children. We are part of God’s plans to redeem family!