Under the bed bother (Hebrews 2)

Have you ever had a brother die for you?

I grew up in a family of four; Mom, Dad, and my younger sister. I have to admit my sister and I didn’t get along to well. I am very glad we do now. But during those growing up years I had another sibling I was closer too. Wait a minute you say, I thought you said family of four. I did and we only had four in the “family,” but not in the family. My best friend growing up was the closet person I had to brother. We did everything together. And for a while he ever lived at our house.

In my bedroom I had my bed put up on bookcases, kind of like having a bunk bed but with out the lower bunk. It gave me way more space in my little room and a great little cave for video games, hanging out, and putting a mattress in when my “brother” needed to move in. Our friendship just got stronger in those months he spent living with us. We are still brothers and friends today even though we don’t see each other that often. I guess that is kind of like brothers too.

Warning: Transition! Stay with me.

I remember thinking for a long time, I wish I had more feeling attached to the act of Jesus dying for me. I have been a Christian sense I turned 13. I always felt like I should get hit harder when I read the story of Jesus’ death. If I really love Jesus then I should feel sad when I read about his suffering. But it just never really hit me until I read Hebrews chapter 2 while I was a youth pastor in Denver.

Hebrews 2 tells us Jesus is like our bother. He calls us brother. He took on flesh and blood because we have flesh and blood. He really became human, made a little lower than the angels as we are, and suffering with temptation as we do. When I read the word brother I thought on my friend, the one who had slept on that mattress under my bed. The friend I love as a brother. Then I thought about him giving his life for me on the cross. Suffering the whipping, the agony of Gethsemane, the crown of thorns, and the ragged breath on the cross. It hit me then.

My brother dying for me.

I don’t know if this hits home for you or not. I hope it does, because the brother connection doesn’t stop at the cross. Jesus being our brother means it’s our brother who is on the throne in heaven now. Our brother is the one standing up for us in the face of accusation. He is our high priest and he is our advocate. He is our brother, he knows what its like to suffer from temptation. Far more than we do actually, why would the devil turn up the heat on us if we give in and fall on something easy. Jesus never gave in he just kept fighting, so the heat of temptation was turned up even hotter for him. He knows what we go through.

He is our brother.

I pray today you would sense a deeper connection with Jesus Christ today. Take him in to your family. See him sitting with you at the dinner table, opening presents Christmas morning, hanging out at camp fires with you in the back yard.

He’s there, he’s our brother.