We Are Family 5/13/2014

"While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.  Someone said to Him, 'Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.' But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, 'Who is My mother and who are My brothers?'  And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, 'Behold My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.'” Matthew 12:46-50

Jesus' fame had now grown so much that wherever he went, a crowd gathered.  It is easy to imagine how controversial some of the things he said were because they still are today.  In this case, his adversaries challenged him at nearly every word, even accusing him of being possessed by Satan, yet the crowds still came.  This caused his own family to think that he had literally lost his mind (Mark 3:21) so they went to retrieve him.

Beloved, do members of your blood family think you have lost your mind because of your faith in Christ?  Just as there were those who stood against Jesus and his teaching, there are those who stand against us for our adherence to it.  Today, however, you are encouraged to take heart.  Jesus famously said,  “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you," John 15:18.  In other words, we are in good company.

Further, this common love of our common Savior and our common performance of his word makes us a family whose bond is stronger than blood.  Jesus triumphantly declared that all who believe are in fact, his family.  And if we are his family, we are most assuredly children of the living God.

This is not to say that our blood families are to be disregarded.  There are ample Scriptures that address the fact that we are to honor mother and father and love brothers and sisters.  We are even to love our enemies.  We are uniquely positioned to invite them into the family and have an obligation to do so.  It is, however, of primary importance that we seek, obtain and maintain membership ourselves in the spiritual family.  Let us earnestly desire to be counted among the Savior's brothers, sisters and mothers.

One,

Lee