Being Welcomed Into The Family of God

By Travis Jones

As we consider how brokenness within our families affects and is affected by poverty, we now come to the point where we ask, what does God say about this? How does the Triune God seek to restore brokenness in the most basic of relationships in our lives?

Let’s first look at what God says regarding broken families in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). In Exodus 22, some of the instructions God gives to His people speak very clearly to how they ought to treat those coming from broken families. “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child,” (vv. 21-22). God consistently calls for His people to care for the sojourners, widows, and orphans. All three of these types of people are especially vulnerable and would have lacked any substantial familial support that was necessary for survival. God also says in Leviticus 25, “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you,” (v. 35). In this passage, brother did not necessarily mean biological brother, but simply a fellow Israelite. It is clear that whether directly related or not, God expected all His people to see themselves as family and to extend compassion and love to one another, while also opening up that familial love and support even to those outside of the bloodline.

Now let’s consider an instance in Jesus’ life. In Matthew 12, Jesus’ mother and brothers come looking for Him among the crowd. When He gets word of this, Jesus turns to the crowd and asks them, “‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’” (v. 48). He uses this as a crucial teaching moment regarding families and how the Kingdom of God affects them. Jesus says, “‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother,’” (vv. 49-50).

Jesus here is saying that the Kingdom of God offers a new family to all who enter into it, and we see this embodied in Acts as Luke emphasizes the togetherness of the church: “And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need,” (2:44-45). “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostle’s feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need,” (4:34-35).

God intended for His people to be a family, and for those familial relationships to provide healing, support, love, and provision. We experience God’s love together in relationship with one another, and we experience His provision through one another. The family of God not only heals the brokenness of our biological families, but provides for one another in times of need.

How have you seen the family of God come through for yourself or others in your life? Let us know by leaving a comment below!