“saying: ‘I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.’ And again: ‘I will put My trust in Him.’ And again: ‘Here am I and the children whom God has given Me'” (Hebrews 2:12-13).
One of the great underlying elements of human existence involves the desire to belong to a family. While a Biblical “family” may be defined in several different ways, (1) there are some essential ingredients that help identify a healthy family structure. For instance, a “family” is a place where we belong. It is a place where we are valued, and a place where we can love and be loved by others.
While a callous and unsympathetic world may choose to mock and ridicule those who seek such things, God offers us such a relationship through Christ. Consider Jesus’ statement from the Gospel of Matthew…
“While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother'” (Matthew 12:46-50 ESV).
One Biblical commentator expands on this familial relationship between Christ and His people with the following observation…
“Jesus had taught that those who do the will of the Father in obedience to His word are His brothers and mother (Mt 12:50; Lk 8:21). He never directly referred to His disciples by the title of ‘brethren’ or ‘brothers’ until after His resurrection (Mt 28:10; Jn 20:17). Not until He had paid the price for their salvation, did they truly become His spiritual brothers and sisters. The use of the term demonstrates His full identification with mankind in order to provide complete redemption (Php 2:7–9).” (2)
Those who accept Jesus’ atoning death thus find entry into the family of God. You see, Galatians 3:26 tells us that “…in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” (NIV). Furthermore, the New Testament book of Romans declares, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14 NKJV).
Therefore, in the words of Hebrews 2:11, “Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. That is why he isn’t ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters” (CEV).
(1) See G3965 patria, defined as “family” in Ephesians 3:15 – https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3965/kjv/tr/0-1/
(2) MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Heb 2:12). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.