John 19:26-27
A couple of years ago, Ray and I, with the girls, went up in front of a judge. It was a special day for our family. Ray was adopting Shyanne and Shanequa. The girls would now have the Foss name. The Foss family got a little larger that day. They were adopted, grafted into the Foss family. It was a day of joy and celebration for our families. It is a day I will never forget. Ray was saying out loud that he would be there for them, that he would care for and protect them from harm.
In the scripture that I read from John, we see another adoption in the shadow of the cross. Jesus was making the beloved disciple part of the family. Even though all the others deserted Him, this one disciple, the beloved one, was there at the cross. This disciple was being adopted into the family. But why would Jesus do this in His last hours? His father was still alive…He had brothers and sisters that could take care of His mother. So what is the significance of this adoption at the cross? Well…some scholars believe that this adoption scene symbolizes the beginning of the creation of the new family of God.
At this pivotal time in His ministry…as He was completing His work on earth…Jesus wanted to have His ministry continue through His disciples…His extended family. As Jesus went through His ministry on earth, He spent a lot of time with these disciples. They ate together, slept together, prayed together and healed and cast out demons together to bring healing to those around them. He wanted the family of disciples to grow until there is not one left behind in the final days. This symbolic adoption was a sign of things to come as His disciples, past, present and future would bring about change and healing to the least, the lost and the forgotten.
So…who is able to become part of this family tree? What do we need to do in order to be considered for the adoption process? Mathew 12:46-50 gives us the answer to those questions. I like how the Amplified Bible phrases the scripture. It reads; “46Jesus was still speaking to the people when behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47[Someone said to Him, Listen! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You. 48But He replied to the man who told Him, Who is My mother, and who are My brothers? 49And stretching out His hand toward [not only the twelve disciples but all] His adherents, He said, Here are My mother and My brothers. 50For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother! All who were there…not just His disciples…He opened the adoption process to all who do the will of the father.
Being a disciple of Christ makes us all one family. We are joined together, graphed into, adopted into a royal priesthood and are co-heirs with Christ. We are “indoctrinated” into this family by our baptism when we become one with Christ and one with each other. There…at the cross…in His final moments…Jesus is connecting the dots of what His whole ministry was about. It doesn’t matter if you are Jew or Gentile to receive this coronation…It is through the blood of the Lamb slain, the final sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world that we receive forgiveness, mercy and that crown of life. We are one! We are brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers to each other. Each one with a gift to share…a call to follow…a road to follow, but in order to do so, we need our family’s help, our family that began at a cross.
Now, Jesus is the one who set the standard of who can become part of the family. He is the one who opened heaven’s gates to all who come in His name. So why is it so many times we try to put up a no vacancy sign in our church windows? Why is it that we let only a select few into our “special secret society’? Who are we to judge who is worthy? Why must we look at our differences and not at our similarities? Why must we shut the door on those who are searching to fill that empty spot in their hearts that only the Risen Lord can fill?
I was talking with a friend of mine the other day and she told me a horrible story. She has been searching to fill that empty spot in her heart and have been to a few different churches. At each church she was told that she was welcomed there but there were conditions to her welcome. She was not invited to share her gifts with the congregation but told thanks but no thanks. She has many gifts from God to offer, many talents to share. “You can come here but we are not interested in what God has gifted you with…you can come and bring us your tithe but you cannot give back, not share the gifts you have with us…no thanks, there is no room for you here.” She turned away in silence. How can we put a condition on a gift that God has given to share? How can we turn away someone who is searching for the everlasting arms of our Creator? How can we say you cannot be a true brother or sister here and take part in the work that Christ began so long ago? She’s still searching. I pray she finds a home for her homelessness.
We are all part of God’s design. We are designed to be a family, together, working out our salvation, helping each other along the way. Jesus started the adoption process at the cross on Golgotha’s hill. In the last moments of His life He wanted to ensure his ministry would go on…the ministry of adoption into the royal priesthood. Is there part’s of you today that still hold on to that exclusive crowd instead of the inclusive one? Are there things that you need to let go of in order to begin the healing process in the family? Do you still think that you are not worthy for the family business? I would ask today that you would leave them at the foot of the cross and be embraced by the loving arms of our Risen Lord, hearing him say “welcome home my brother, welcome home my sister, welcome home my mother. I have work for you to do and I will help you do it.”
AMEN
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