Christ our Elder Brother Closer Than a Brother There is a friend who closer than a
brother.—Proverbs 18:24 Tim
Alexander In Psalm 69, King David prophetically
speaks of Jesus’ experience at his first advent. The verses tell of God’s
servant who is hated without cause, who is wrongly accused, and who is persecuted in spite
of his own righteousness. He states in verse 4 that he restored that which he had not
taken away, that which was taken away by another man. This is a prophecy that describes
how Jesus, as the second Adam, would restore mankind’s human life that had been taken
away by the sin of the first Adam. In verse 9, through the words of David,
Jesus says, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up” (KJV). During his life here on earth, Jesus was
consumed by the zeal he had for God’s house. In this context, God’s house was
the temple. Jesus had an all-consuming zeal for the temple and all that it
represented. At twelve years of age, Jesus demonstrated this zeal while his parents were
returning from the feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. For three days, Jesus remained in
the temple, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking
questions.” He was there, in God’s house, developing and exercising his
knowledge and understanding of God’s word. When asked by his mother the reason for
this, his response was, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must
be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49, RSV). Cleansing the
Temple The next recorded occasion during which
Jesus demonstrated his zeal for God’s house is again connected with the Passover and
is recorded in John 2:13. On this occasion, Jesus finds within the temple merchandizing
profit seekers, contaminating the sincere worship of God with irreverent and chaotic
commerce. The zeal within Jesus’ heart for the temple compelled him to drive them all
out. Jesus was here demonstrating his consuming desire to protect, to purify, and to keep
the temple holy. For the disciples, witnessing this event brought to their memories those
same words of David from Psalm 69 (see John 2:19). In both of these instances, the object of
Jesus’ zeal was God’s literal house, the temple. Now, though, after Jesus’
death and resurrection, the object of Jesus’ zeal is no longer that temple. Now the
object of his zeal is the church, the spiritual temple of the living God: “For ye are
the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them;
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16). That same
consuming desire to protect, to purify, and to make holy is now directed toward each of
his footstep followers, each of the members of his own body down throughout the Gospel age
and especially at the end of that age, the harvest. What a beautiful picture this brings to
our minds, that of an elder brother watching over, teaching, and lending support, having
already laid down an example of righteousness and sacrifice. Many Scriptures variously
describe this role that Jesus plays in our lives; and each of them gives us another
perspective on this tender, supportive relationship that we have with our Lord. Our Instructor One of the primary roles of Jesus in our
lives today is that of teacher. As our elder brother, Jesus teaches us many things by way
of instruction and by way of example. The value and compelling nature of Jesus’ words
while he was here on earth is evident by the response that all classes of men had to those
words. Soldiers who were
commissioned to take Jesus into custody were so impressed with the teachings they
heard that they allowed themselves to fail at their duty. The explanation of their conduct
was simply that, “No man ever spoke like this man!” (John 7:46, RSV). Nicodemus, who himself was considered a
great teacher in Israel, put his own reputation at risk by approaching Jesus at night.
Upon contact with Jesus, Nicodemus immediately acknowledged that Jesus was not only a
teacher, but was a teacher come from God. Authentic godliness in a teacher was a condition
that would have been greatly coveted by the Pharisees at the time (John 3:2). After a lesson from Jesus that was
particularly difficult to comprehend, many of the disciples began to falter and “walk
no more with him” (John 6:66). Then Jesus, in an effort to evaluate and strengthen
Peter’s commitment, said to him, “Will you also go away?” Peter’s
response indicated his appreciation of Jesus’ role as teacher: “Lord, to whom
shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” Not only was Peter acknowledging
Jesus as his teacher and master, but also as the one teacher whose words actually lead to
life. From the testimonies of a soldier, a
Pharisee, and an apostle, we can readily see the impact of Jesus’ words on those
lives around him. Jesus’ words constrained those soldiers to make a stand for what
was morally right. Nicodemus was led to sincerely re-examine his own pattern, practice,
and way of thinking. Peter was compelled to take an unpopular course because he realized
the blessings of life associated with it. Do Jesus’ words have those same effects on
us? His words have the same weight and force today as they did then; Jesus is still
speaking those words to each of us. Teaching by
Example Matthew 7:28,29 is a lovely instance of
Jesus teaching not only by instruction, but also by example: “When Jesus ended these
sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as one having
authority, and not as the scribes.” Why did Jesus’ words
have authority? Why did they carry so much weight? It was because he had
personal experience with the power of the truth he was teaching. Jesus was teaching
God’s word, and the power of that word was working in his own life. Those who were
listening to Jesus not only heard the truth being taught, but they saw it and felt it
emanating from Jesus’ every gesture, action, and reaction. They saw the fruits of the
spirit in every aspect of Jesus’ life. From our own personal interaction with
our Lord—through Scripture, through prayer, and through experiences—we can just
as clearly see that same strength and authority. That is the kind of elder brother we
have, and he has offered to be our constant companion. Two important principles are mentioned in
connection with Jesus’ teachings and how we come to know the truth: “If any
man’s will is to do his [God’s] will, he shall know whether the teaching is from
God or whether I am speaking on my own authority” (John 7:17, RSV). Jesus is saying that true devotion of heart,
a full consecration to do the will of God, is one of the most important steps toward
knowing what is really truth and comprehending the full meaning of Jesus’ words.
“He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory
of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood” (verse 18). All
teachings that are indeed truth, without exception, honor God. All true teachings will be
consistent with God’s wisdom, power, justice, and love. These are important lessons
for anyone who is truly seeking to know the truth. The Light of Life Another aspect of our relationship with
our elder brother Jesus is that he is indeed the light of our lives. Jesus said that he is
the light of the world (John 8:12). This is a reference to the fact that the world, for
4,000 years, lay in the darkness of sin and death and it wasn’t until Jesus became a
man that the light of truth, grace, and salvation became a reality. That light shed on the
world is a wonderful blessing, but the light enjoyed by those who appreciate that light
and accept it as the guide for their lives is even greater. One of the curiosities of the context of
this verse is that it immediately follows the reference to the woman taken in
adultery.<$FNote that the account of the woman taken in adultery is of questionable
authenticity and is considered to be spurious by many scholars.> This juxtaposition
becomes meaningful to us in our relationship with our Lord during our lives. The
correction and chiding that the Lord gives us is as gentle and mild as it can be and still
turn us away from sin. He is there to cast light on our lives and show us the narrow way
more clearly, and spur us on with a helpful hand toward more perfect obedience to the
principles of righteousness and sacrifice. Jesus’ criticism of the scribes and
Pharisees in John 8 was not that they did not know the truth on the subject, it was that
they were primarily focused on the behavior of those around them and not on their own
development. They therefore missed entirely the power of Jesus’ teachings. The
scribes and Pharisees knew the truth, but they used it only to separate themselves from
others. They used the truth they knew to reassure themselves that they were better than
those around them. They were hypocrites. Jesus was teaching that he was the light of the
world; once he was gone, the light that the world would have would be that which would
shine through the members of his body. The privilege of his footstep followers is to have
that light from him in their lives, to keep their lamps trimmed and burning by allowing
the holy spirit to take hold of their lives, and as a result of that light to illuminate
the path of righteousness for those who walk around them. “For the commandment is a lamp and
the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life” (Proverbs
6:23, RSV). Perhaps connected with this
verse and others like it is the Jewish custom where, at the end of the Feast of the
Tabernacles, the books of the law are removed from the box in which they are kept and are
replaced with a lighted candle. This beautifully illustrates the fact that the words of
the perfect law of God truly are a light to guide one’s way. This gesture becomes
even more meaningful, however, when one remembers that the Jewish law, which effectively
bound all imperfect men like a fetter, was eventually replaced with the glorious light of
the gospel. Our Liberator Jesus is also our liberator. The apostle
Paul himself and many to whom he was writing were originally under that Jewish law which
was ceremonially removed from the box on the Feast of Tabernacles. The remainder of
mankind was merely under the law of sin and death inherited from father Adam. Paul
explains how Jesus has liberated us from both those laws “in order that the just
requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but
according to the spirit” (Romans 8:1-4, RSV).
He has freed us from the condemnation of the law for the purpose of allowing the
righteousness of the law to be fulfilled in us. The word “fulfilled” comes from
the Greek word that means to level up or fill in an empty space. The Jewish law was
perfect, yet it left an empty space. It was a promise of life, but a promise that could
never be realized by sinful men. Jesus’ sacrifice took away the
requirement of perfection in our lives, and his continued relationship with us assists us
in working toward righteousness by walking in the spirit, patterning our lives after the
principles of righteousness and grace. The liberation that Jesus thus provides us
is a genuine blessing in our daily lives. A daily relationship with him makes the
difference between a life that is filled with emptiness and frustration and one that is
filled with fulfillment and joy. The apostle Paul describes it beautifully: “To set
the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace”
(Romans 8:6, RSV). What does the human mind
and heart desire more than life and peace? Our Elder Brother Among the many roles that Jesus fills in
our lives, we have considered just a few. We have considered him as our teacher, our
example, our light, and our liberator; but he is also our friend. What better friend to
have than that found in an elder brother. An elder brother is a friend whose life comes
from the same source as your own, a friend who has been developed by the same kind of life
experience that is developing you, a friend with whom unassailable bonds have been formed
which will carry and sustain you through all of life’s hardest experiences. He is
also a friend whose correction is a faithful part of your love and respect for each other. That is just what Jesus is in our lives.
“To all who received him … he gave power to become the [fellow] children of
God” (John 1:12, RSV). Paul tells us
that Jesus is one “who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without
sin” (Hebrews 4:15, RSV). Jesus
promised that he would be with his disciples always, through every trying experience of
life, even unto the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Proverbs 27:6 says,
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (RSV).
Jesus is the friend that Proverbs 18:24
describes when it says there is a friend who sticks even closer than a natural brother. He
is our elder brother. He is the friend who has given his life for us. |