Most people’s mental image of Jesus shows a man who was generally alone and rather aloof. This impression has emerged from the Church’s repeated focus on Jesus’ divinity over and above his humanity.
But what about Jesus’ personal life.
Jesus' family (his mother and brothers) were actively involved in his ministry on a number of occasions. In John 7, his brothers gave him advise on how to conduct his mission. Initially Jesus declined their advise, but on reflection he followed it. Soon after Jesus’ death, his brother James became one of the leaders of Christian Church. He can’t have appeared from nowhere. It seems that Jesus shared his ministry with his family.
Jesus also had friends. John 11 and 12 show us that Lazarus and his two sisters were close friends of Jesus. It is very likely that Jesus routinely stayed with them whenever he was visiting Jerusalem.
It matters that we appreciate Jesus’ ordinary human side because that was the idea of his incarnation: God became one of us.
It also matters because Jesus wants to be a part of our personal life. He extends an invitation to each of us to be his sibling or his friend. (Mark 3:35, John 15:14)
Jesus does not wish to be our ‘Lord’ he wishes to be our brother or our friend.
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