Mark 3:31-35
“Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.””
Mark 3:31-35 NIV
Familial bonds tend to be far stronger than the bonds we have with any other people. In all but the most dysfunctional families, family members stick together and stand up for one another. Children look out for parents, and parents guard the interests of their children. In married relationships, husbands and wives share secrets between themselves that no one else on earth is privy to. Brothers and sisters put up with more from their siblings than they do from outsiders. Family members also tend to be willing to do things for their families that they would not do for even their closest friends.
Given this reality, we might expect that the earthly family of Jesus would have a place in His heart far above the place He grants any of His other followers. Yet the New Testament shows us that this is not the case. In fact, Jesus does not define His family as those closest to Him by blood. Instead, only those who do the will of God can be called His true family.
Our biological families are clearly important to us. We share deep bonds, a common history, a common gene pool. But there comes a time when we leave home. As we move through life, our families of choice often become the people we spend most of our lives with. This doesn’t take anything away from our birth families, it simply acknowledges the reality of life.
As we see in these verses, clearly the crowd thought that blood relationships took priority with Jesus. But he defined the most important relationship as being a familial relationship with the Father, and therefore with Him. Such relationship is inseparable from obeying God’s will, that is, God’s Word.
Jesus family can be found where the Words of Jesus and the will of God are cherished and obeyed. This is not said to slight those with whom we have biological family ties. However, it is a reminder that our family relationship in the Spirit of God is stronger than even our ties to our physical families. Jesus family is the forever family of people who love Him, obey Him and allow His Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and empower them. When a person becomes a true follower of Jesus, they are called to a whole new world, including to a new set of relationships and final loyalties.
Christ told us that whoever does the will of God is My brother, My sister, My mother. But what is the will of God? What is the will of our heavenly Father? Well I believe it is God's will that all people are saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. It is God's will that in everything we give thanks and glory to the God of our salvation, through Christ the Lord. It is God's will that we come to a knowledge of the truth and that we believe in Him and Jesus Christ, Whom He had sent by faith and it is God's will that having trusted in Christ for salvation that we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord which is our spiritual worship.
For some of you, following Jesus has been, and will be, relationally costly, but take comfort, In place of broken family relations, ostracism and persecution, is the close and intimate relation to the Son of God. And there is a loving word for those whose families reject the faith. Your family is much, much larger than that.
Yes, if you are a saint of God, we are His family. That is, of course, if we are obedient to Him. That’s the lesson for us today. As our text tells us. For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother!!!”
Father thank You for this day and the breath of life we have today in Your Son Jesus. Lord open the floodgates of heaven and rain down Your abundant blessings upon my friend and family today. Lord how amazing to realize that by grace through faith in You we have become a member of Your Holy heavenly family and that in You we have the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Lord thank You for this amazing relationship that we have in You and we pray that by Your grace we may present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to You for Your praise and glory. Lord use my friend to be the salt and light of Your Word for all today. Daddy we love You amen. Be a blessing. Love ya !
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