Friday: The New Community Based on Divine Blood
WEEK 8
FRIDAY
THE NEW COMMUNITY BASED ON DIVINE BLOOD
Philippians 2:6-11
We must look further into the application of the incompatible principle that a blood relationship does not confer special privileges beyond the fact that the family grows up together. After that the person stands in society on his or her own, no longer bolstered by special privileges conferred by family. This was true of the brothers of Jesus. They were there seeking for the Holy Spirit too.
That fact is important. In one place it is said, “For even his brothers did not believe in him” (John 7:5 RSV). But they had been won by the facts, especially the fact of the resurrection. The reticence of Scripture is seen in the fact that Scripture tells of their unbelief but did not report their belief. If people had written this, they would have put that out in big headlines: “Brothers of Jesus become his followers.” But the Scripture brings it out only in an incidental way, saying that his brothers were there seeking the Spirit.
While being a blood relation to Jesus didn’t give special privileges, neither did it bring special disabilities. The way was open for them, too, on their own merits. James, Jesus’ brother, became head of the council in Jerusalem: “When Barnabas and Paul also fell silent, James responded: ‘Fellow believers, listen to me’” (Acts 15:13). That sounds authoritarian and dictatorial, but only for the moment; for he says later, “The Holy Spirit has led us to the decision” (v. 28). That was the highest kind of collective guidance. James was under the guidance of the Spirit instead of their being under the guidance of James. They listened to him as he listened to the Spirit and no more. If James was emancipated from any thought of superiority based on blood, the rest of the disciples were emancipated from any inferiority based on a lack of blood relationship. There was a new heredity in their veins; they belonged to the One Blood. And that new heredity was open to all, James and his brothers included. They were all leveled up. Why think in terms of human heredity when a new divine heredity was open? They had had a blood transfusion from the Son of God. What else?
O Lord, I thank you that my bad blood can be canceled by your good blood. I can be directly descended from you. What else? Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I feel the blood of the new heredity coursing in my veins; I belong to a new line.