The Family of God: A Family Like No Other
Hebrews 2:5-18
St. John’s United Church of Christ
Greeley, Colorado
July 21, 2024
Rev. Juvenal Cervantes
When you think of the word “family,” what comes to mind. Immediately we think of people. It’s your immediate family, your extended family, maybe for some of us it is family members who have passed away. And here’s the thing: when I say family we all think of something different. Because we all have different family members and we have different takes, different perspectives, different positions or roles in the family. We all have different ideas about family.
Even from culture to culture, or era from era, families have changed. How about this, in our own life, many of us have lived long enough to know this: our own family is going to change; those who come and go and relationship change.
When we think of families, a lot of us rejoice and celebrate and praise God. Some of us, all of us, to some varying degree, have been hurt, at time, by family members. Because we are not perfect children, siblings, parents, ourselves. And today we’re going to look at the fact that Jesus invites us into a more excellent family. This idea of family is complex and confusing. Jesus invites us to a better family.
I invite you to reflect on Hebrews chapter two. To put this in context, Hebrews, chapter one presents Christ as the embodiment of God. Some theologians call this claim “nose-bleed theology; high elevation Christology.” Jesus is the exact representation of God. The writer of Hebrews goes into length telling us that Jesus is better than any prophet that has come along, better than any religious leader that’s come down the pike or will come down the pike, because he is not a religious leader. Jesus is God.
Hebrews, chapter one gives us citations or footnotes, telling us that Jesus is better than angels. There was an obsession with angels at that time. Angels are messengers, and Jesus is a better than messenger because He is the message.
Then in the beginning of chapter two is says, “we need to pay close attention” meaning, “to be furiously obsessed with Jesus. “Furiously obsessed with what I shared in chapter one. We see the first “Therefore.”
Theologian NT Wright: “How can you live with the thought that the hurricane has become human. That the fire has become flesh. That life itself came to life and walked in our midst. Christianity either means that or it means nothing at all. It is either the more devastating disclosure of the deepest reality in the world, or it’s a sham, its nonsense, a bit of deceitful playacting. Most of us, unable to cope with either of these things, condemn ourselves to live in the shallow world in-between.”
The writer of Hebrews would say to this, “that ‘s what I’m saying.” E.T. Wright says, “If all of this is true, how can we relegate such a savior to become our personal assistant, a spiritual concierge? Like, we come to Him when we need something, give him an hour on Sunday and live like he’s not Lord of all!
There is only one normal way to live the Christian life: it’s all in, it’s all out. When we behold him, when we see him, when we fixate on him, we see who he is and that demands everything.
It is an exclusive claim, isn’t it? Our culture tells us, there is not truth; all truth is subjective. You have your truth, I have mine, let’s just all get along; don’t make any truth claims, because that’s exclusive.
Watch this: anyone who says “All truth is subjective” that is a major truth claim. You’re saying all of you are wrong and you are the one that is setting the truth. And you’re ignoring the one who said, “I am the truth, the way and the life. No one comes to the father but through me.” You say he’s wrong.
The writer of Hebrews says, “Jesus is truth because… He is God, and He is better because He is man.” He is the God-man. He is better than angels, better than prophets, better than any other leader, he is savior.
Now, we in our families we pass on some values, some beliefs, from generations to generations, for good or bad. And what he is going to show us here in Hebrews 2:5-18 that our new family is better, it is a better culture to live in, we have a better sibling in Jesus and a better inheritance.
A better family culture (Hebrews 2:5-8)
For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.
“Subjection” means “under direction.” It is about a new kingdom, “the world to come.” Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God so it is now advancing in the world through those who live for Him. He makes this point by highlighting a great passage in Psalm 8.
It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?
The word “him” is referring to us, other translations use the word “mankind, men and women and boys and girls.” This passage in Psalm 8 speaks of the honor and dignity of human beings. And there is a better culture in the family of God because is permeated by God’s love for us. It is a family of grace and it says, “God cares for us.”
Obviously, it is not an occasion for us to say, “Of course, it is about us, because we’re awesome, we’re at the top of all things, giving us dominion of all things.” However, not so awesome.
What the writer is saying is that we’re just specks in the universe. “Like tiny me, us?” that’s the point of the psalm, “You brought attention to me?”
God cares for his people by showing up himself. When I share with you that I visited a patient in the hospital, I’m saying that I showed up, I cared about that individual and prayed for him. My friends, God shows up, in your life and mine, in this new family. We have a culture or care and love and he’s calling us to do the same. Look at verse seven: we also have dignity and honor in the family.
You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor,
He is saying we were made higher than angels, for a little while. Our trajectory is higher than angels. Now angels are higher than us in capability, service, but he made us higher than angels for a little while, until the consummation of all things.
Psalms eight says that human beings are central to God’s plan and we’re given dignity and honor and glory, created in God’s image. We have a role to play, a clear purpose in the family business.
putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control.
The writer is saying, “It does not look like we’re under control of much.”
Yet, when we look at the creation narrative in Genesis 1 and 2, God gives us our mandate, to care, to be co-regents, to be co-laborers, even co-creators, with him. He said, “You will be over all the animals, the fish in the sea, the animals in the sky. Man will be over all things, co-creators, be fruitful and multiply.” Even more, we are going to create beauty, and art, and music, and cities, and gardens, and all the things that God help us create. And families, relationships, and churches, we’re going to be stewards over all of this, cooperating with God and with each other.
He placed us as co-workers, look at this, Adam and Eve, and us, in the garden, now the whole world becomes our garden. God gives us all we need to worship Him; we’re reigning and ruling over all things and yet it doesn’t look like things are happening like that.
But it says, “Not yet, but this is the kingdom that I want for you.” Think about your family or relationship, we don’t always care for one another as we should. We don’t always honor one another with dignity. Why? Because after Genesis 2 comes Genesis 3: we are fallen people; we would rather serve ourselves. We rather steward everything for us, and not for others, and yet God, in Christ, gives us the power to live differently in the world. Currently it does not look like the kingdom is coming.
Now you and I watch the news and we see and experience things happening around us or in us and we begin to feel scared, young people say, “We freak out.” We don’t have to freak out, because we know where we’re heading, we see the trajectory.
Jesus said the kingdom will not come through worldly power, it will not come through dominance or force or violence. It will come instead, look at the beatitudes, the sermon on the mount, instead it is going to come through people who are merciful, who are poor in spirit, who are humble, who are kind, and loving, he lays it out for us, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, that’s how the kingdom is.
Too often we adopt the world’s mindset, “It is going to come through power, it is going to come through dominance, when we’re louder and stronger and more powerful than everybody and Jesus shows us differently.
N.T. Wright talks about the inauguration of the Kingdom: God taking charge will not come by human force and power. It won’t be by sending in tanks and guns. It will be by sending in the merciful, the poor in spirit, the humble, the loving people of God.” And he says, “By the time the people that have the guns and tanks, the meek and the merciful have already set up orphanages for kids, and care for people who need food and those who are poor find shelter and those who are isolated find family, that’s how the kingdom comes.
Isn’t this the kind of family you want to live in? Verse 6, where everybody cares for each other. Verse 7, we honor each other with dignity. We have a divine role to play, verse 8. This is the kind of family we want to live in.
Think of your own family. Every problem in your family, your staff team, your extended family, every problem is because we don’t live like this. We don’t care for one another as we can, we don’t honor each other with dignity. We don’t have a role to play that’s significant, perhaps. We don’t flourish.
So, this is how God’s kingdom looks like. And Jesus is the pioneer, this is what the bible says over and over again. You want to see what this life looks like? See Jesus. The Bible writers insist, “Be furiously obsesses with him.”
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.
Verse 8 says we don’t yet see everything as God intended, but, look at verse 9: but we see him.
A better sibling (Hebrews 2:11-13)
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
He becomes he substitute. Look at this death defeats death. This is why the gospel is not good advice, it is good news. Good advice is you have to do this, this and this. Good news, is something that has already happened, on our behalf.
PP: Verse 10, For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist,
Sounds like Colossians 1:16. All things were made by him.
Verse 10:
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
It is not saying that Jesus becomes perfect by suffering, our salvation becomes perfect by Jesus’s suffering. Jesus becomes the founder, the word is “archetype,” the pathway, the pioneer, the way maker.
In Romas 8:29 it says that “we might be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” He is the first installment, the new human.
PP: 11, For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,
A better inheritance (Hebrews 2:14-18)
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.
Sanctification is glory begun; glorification is glory completed. (FF Bruce). Some of our family members have brough us shame or we have brough shame to us. In an honor/shame culture, this is huge and Christ says, I am no ashamed to call you brother. So, he goes to a passage in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 8: And I will tell your name to my brothers in the midst of the congregation, I will sing your praise and I will put my trust in him and again I and the children God has given me.
A better inheritance (Hebrews 2:14-18)
God’s willingness to come among His people, not being ashamed. He condescended to us in this new family.
Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
My friends, in Christ, we have a new family and a new culture. Christ is our sibling that does wonders for us like taking our sins upon him. Through Christ we are forgiven and we have an inheritance like no other. This is the word of the Lord for you and for me. Rejoice.