This my my 26th entry in my 30-part series on the word “let” in the Bible.

A short scripture yet pulsating with meaning. Brotherly love is more than just “loving your neighbor as yourself,” and it certainly means far more than loving the other children of our parents. It refers to the love we are to express to other believers, who make up a Greater Family in God’s eyes.

There is a special love that the Lord has for His children, whom the Lord calls His family, and that love is accessible by us to convey to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus refers to that family relationship in Matthew 12:46-50:

“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.”

Jesus is speaking of a greater, higher, and eternal reality here; in His sight, the family of God forms a higher level of family than any natural family. Many of us, this author included, have natural family members that are also fellow members of the Body of Christ, and that is a double blessing (e.g., my daughter is also my sister in Christ). But the greater blessing is that all of us believers are brothers and sisters in Christ. Being natural family members is great but temporal; being joined in Christ is eternal.

But wait, aren’t some other Christians difficult to love like that? Of course they are, and that is where we come to Him to not just find but to express that love. Think of how much you love that certain family member that brings you such joy. That’s how the Lord feels about all His children. Our call is to tap into that love (which is unlike our own natural preferences) and let it flow through us to others. It’s not a matter of mental gymnastics, but a leaning in and connecting with Jesus so closely that His love becomes what we manifest. Do they “deserve” it? Of course not, but neither do we. God loves us because of who He is; we love others because of who He is and how He loves.

Last thought: Some cultures and families put natural family relationships above their Christian family to a high degree, saving most of their love and activities for those that share their last name. Close-knit families are a blessing, but we need to make sure that the knitting isn’t so tight that it excludes the members of our Greater Family. There’s a lot of Greater Family love and joy out there!