The Concept of Family

The concept of “family” means so much to all of us, and rightly so because it is a concept rooted in the very nature of God. Within God there is a relationship between the Father and the Son. There is God the Father in fellowship with God the Son and certainly in this divine relationship we find the greatest family bond in all existence. By seeing Jesus the Son in his relationship with God the Father we can learn much about the direction we need to go in our families.
 
While all the gospels describe Jesus’ intimate relationship with the Father, the gospel of John gives us the most information which can guide us into greater bonds of meaning and power in our own family lives. If this is true of the gospel of John in general, it is particularly true of John 17 where we find Jesus pouring His heart out to His Father on the night before His death. In looking at Jesus there in communion with the Father, there are some obvious lessons for us:

1. Selflessness: “All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.” Jesus says to the Father in (17:10). In their relationship there was no selfishness, no possessiveness, no manipulation and no competition. Whatever the Father had, He wanted to share with His Son. Whatever the Son had, He wanted to share with His Father. There are many who want to pull the other down, but only a few desire to hold the other up. What a great model for today. In our family relationships we should never see another member as either a threat to us or a means to something we want. We should see our spouses, children, parents, brothers and sisters as people with whom we may share ourselves wholeheartedly. We should go to one another with the  attitude which says ,”All I have Is yours”. This we should do even if others do not reciprocate, but great family happens when this thinking spreads into every heart.