“Jesus Is My Brother” by Rick Sons

Most people will never know another human being on this earth for as long as they know their brother or sister. It makes no difference whether you and your siblings fought constantly while growing up, you lost touch as you got older, or remained incredibly close and connected from day one – your connection to your brother or sister will always come first. The sibling relationship is life’s longest-lasting relationship. For most of us, it is longer than our ties to our parents by a quarter of a century. It is longer than our relationship with our children, longer than a spouse, and with the exception of a few lucky men and women, longer than a best friend.

Children in the United States are more likely to grow up with their siblings than with their fathers. As I stated before, over the course of their life most children will spend more time with their siblings than they spend with anyone else, including their parents.

Here are some famous brothers from history.

The Wright Brothers

The Marx Brothers

Walt and Roy Disney

The Sons Brothers

Wait maybe that last picture is more infamous than famous. Bill and Bob are my younger brothers. We are very close and Bill and I even have a music ministry. I would like to take this time to introduce you to my Big Brother.

He is without fear; in fact, the sounds of His voice causes men to tremble. He is loving and compassionate. No matter what I do, He is there, He always has my back, and He forgives me. My Big Brother is generous and will give all He has, up to and including His life, so that I can be free from my sin and the sin of the world. People of the world look up to Him and kings and leaders of the world bow down to Him. My Big Brother sits at the right hand of God. My Big Brother’s name is Jesus.

You might think it is funny that I call Jesus my Big Brother but that is what He is.
Jesus is the first begotten in the Spirit and the only begotten in the flesh. The Bible clearly presents Jesus Christ as being one with the Father. Jesus set aside His rights as God and took on human flesh to dwell among us. A few passages also refer to Jesus as our Brother.

Hebrews 2:11 says, “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers.” The word translated “brothers” is the word used for blood relatives.

Romans 8:29 says, “Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

In Mark 3:34-35, Jesus declares that those who follow Him are His brothers: “He looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.’”

Jesus is our elder Brother and we, like Him, are in the image of God. There are some who believe that since Jesus is one with God and the Holy Spirit He is our Father, not our Brother. But as stated in Romans 8:29, Jesus is the firstborn Son of God among many brothers.

We know that Jesus is God’s Son, thus making Him God’s child. We are all the offspring of God in the sense we are products of the creative work of God. Acts 17:25 says that not all men are the children of God in a personal sense as a father with a son. Scripture teaches that God only dwells in those who have put their faith in Christ. Others who are God’s offspring by creation have been separated from Him because of sin. This is where my Big Brother came in. My generous Big Brother gave His life for me and His siblings so when a person turns to God by believing in Him, they are spiritually regenerated, born anew, and given new life. We are God’s children because God said so.

1 John 3:1-3 says, “The Father has loved us so much that we are called children of God. And we really are his children. The reason the people in the world do not know us is that they have not known him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and we have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him, because we will see him as he really is. Christ is pure, and all who have this hope in Christ keep themselves pure like Christ.”

I feel that many of us have a difficult time having a true relationship with Jesus because we see Him as more of an authority or a father than as what He really is – our brother. Think about it. Growing up, didn’t you tell your brother things you didn’t tell your father? Who did you go to for advice when you did something you knew you would be punished for? As I grew up, there were times when I felt I needed to protect Bill and Bob from the people and dangers of the world or even our school. That is what big brothers do. Younger children are comforted by knowing that they have an older brother watching over them. Many times you will hear children say, “My brother is bigger than your brother!” Younger siblings are proud and look up to their older brothers. Fellow believers, you are my brothers and sisters too. If you have not yet met my Big Brother or know what He can do, just call His name because He is always there. Then you will see the biggest brother on the block!