We have to build the love of our elder Brother—for each other.
Here the Laodicean bride says to Christ, “O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised” (verse 1).
The Bible does reveal that Christ is “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). He is the “elder Brother” of the people of God. But this verse in the Song of Songs reveals a major Laodicean problem: O that thou WERE as my brother, she says. Christ is not as this woman’s brother! She has a lukewarm love for Him, but she doesn’t have the depth of the God Family love. She has lost the understanding of the Father and the Brother. If you’ve lost that, you’ve lost everything!
Christ called her sister four times in Song of Songs chapters four and five. We really are God’s Family in embryo. What depth there is in this spiritually rich understanding!
In a good, strong physical family, brothers and sisters love each other. They talk intimately at times with each other about the family, they uphold each other, they fight for each other, they have reunions, and there is harmony among them. A sister and brother certainly should love each other and look after one another.
That also must be true within God’s spiritual Family. When we marry Jesus Christ, we are going to help the Father expand His Family! Brotherly and sisterly love will abound. That is exactly the love we need within the congregations in God’s Church today! As in a good physical family, when problems arise we have to look out for each other and help each other. My sister—my brother! We have to build the love of our elder Brother—for each other. We must love as Christ does. If we don’t look after each other, we are neglecting the very Body of Christ, of which He is the Head!
In Matthew 12:50, Christ says that “whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Hebrews 2:11 says that Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call the people of God brethren, or brothers. Christ is not ashamed to call you brother! He certainly looks after you. And the lesson is, we must follow His spectacular example. It’s all about family, and learning to love the way Christ does. We are brothers and sisters! If there are problems, we mustlook after our brothers and sisters.
The Bride of Christ should be saying, My Brother, my Husband! If you love Christ, the Head of the Body, as a brother, then you love all the members as brothers.
I have never seen the depth of God’s love in quite this way before! When you truly understand these verses, they are some of the most beautiful scriptures you have ever read! Here is some of the deepest love expressed in the Bible.
The people of God must love each other. When the love of God builds there, it enables those people to then go out and love those saints who are rebelling against God—who, right now, even hatethose who are faithful! And then that love extends even to the unconverted in the world, who also so often hate God’s people.
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