When I was in primary school in Ghana, I had to live with a loving and caring family away from my parents. One day, all the children assembled for a special family meeting. The first part involved all of us sharing individual experiences. But next, when only blood children were required to be present, I was politely excluded. Then the stark reality hit me: I was not a child of the house. Despite their love for me, the family required that I should be excused because I was only living with them; I was not a legal part of their family.
This incident reminds me of John 1:11-12. The Son of God came to His own people and they rejected Him. Those who received Him then, and receive Him now, are given the right to become Gods children. When we are adopted into His family, the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:16).
Jesus doesn't exclude anybody who is adopted by the Father. Rather, He welcomes us as a permanent part of His family. As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name (John 1:12).
Insight:
The gospel of John was written to testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31). From the onset, John presents Jesus as the Logos, the self-existent, pre-existent, omnipotent, eternal, creator God who spoke everything into existence (1:1-5). John also presents Jesus as God IncarnateGod in the flesh (vv. 9-14). The eternal God entered the world He created and became human like us in order to live with us (vv.11,14; Matt. 1:23). The New Testament also affirms Christs humanity (Gal. 4:4; 1 Tim. 3:16, Heb. 2:14-17). Sim Kay Tee