Family
Read Matthew 12:22-50.
Even our enemies can sometimes give us direction. Jesus' opposition has been accusing him of using the power of the devil (Beelzebul) to drive out demons and defeat evil, and that launches Jesus into talking about a whole range of "good vs. evil" sorts of things. He's beginning to draw lines in the sand and call people clearly to follow him—no turning back, no turning back.
Then, in case his teaching has fallen on deaf ears, he uses a very simple illustration, one everyone there ought to be able to understand. Like a good preacher, he uses his own family to describe what things are really like. His mother and brothers arrive and wait outside to see him. (Mark tells us they came to "take charge" of him because they believe he's out of his mind, but when they arrive, the crowd is so large they can't get in.) We don't know how long they waited, but Jesus doesn't let them in right away. He doesn't say, "Hey, can everyone move aside so the woman who gave me birth can get through the door?" He knows they are there, but instead he just keeps teaching.
Even when someone close by makes a point to say, "Hey, Jesus, Mary and your brothers are outside. Shouldn't you acknowledge them?", Jesus says, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" (12:48). Then he points to everyone gathered around him. "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (12:50).
And the story stops there. Don't you wish it went on? I'd like to know exactly what Mary's response was when she got wind of Jesus' teaching here. "What the...? What does he mean, 'Who is my mother?' I didn't go through all that I went through for him to deny me, oh no I didn't! I'll show him who is mother is. You're not too big for me to take you over my knee, Jesus!" Okay, maybe that's a bit of an over-reaction. We don't know what Mary said. But Jesus' point remains the same: those who do the will of God, those who live out what God calls us to live out, are part of a family larger than blood. We are bound together by the Spirit of Jesus.
Even our enemies can sometimes give us direction. Jesus' opposition has been accusing him of using the power of the devil (Beelzebul) to drive out demons and defeat evil, and that launches Jesus into talking about a whole range of "good vs. evil" sorts of things. He's beginning to draw lines in the sand and call people clearly to follow him—no turning back, no turning back.
Then, in case his teaching has fallen on deaf ears, he uses a very simple illustration, one everyone there ought to be able to understand. Like a good preacher, he uses his own family to describe what things are really like. His mother and brothers arrive and wait outside to see him. (Mark tells us they came to "take charge" of him because they believe he's out of his mind, but when they arrive, the crowd is so large they can't get in.) We don't know how long they waited, but Jesus doesn't let them in right away. He doesn't say, "Hey, can everyone move aside so the woman who gave me birth can get through the door?" He knows they are there, but instead he just keeps teaching.
Even when someone close by makes a point to say, "Hey, Jesus, Mary and your brothers are outside. Shouldn't you acknowledge them?", Jesus says, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" (12:48). Then he points to everyone gathered around him. "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (12:50).
And the story stops there. Don't you wish it went on? I'd like to know exactly what Mary's response was when she got wind of Jesus' teaching here. "What the...? What does he mean, 'Who is my mother?' I didn't go through all that I went through for him to deny me, oh no I didn't! I'll show him who is mother is. You're not too big for me to take you over my knee, Jesus!" Okay, maybe that's a bit of an over-reaction. We don't know what Mary said. But Jesus' point remains the same: those who do the will of God, those who live out what God calls us to live out, are part of a family larger than blood. We are bound together by the Spirit of Jesus.
This may not have been the best "mother's day" Mary ever experienced, and she might have been a bit miffed at what Jesus said, but I'm confident that over time she understood what he was saying. Especially as she stood at the foot of the cross, I'm certain she knew. Everything she went through as his mother was so that his family could be expanded—bound together by a commitment to do the will of God the Father. Family is defined by our participation in the workings of God more than shared DNA.
Want to be part of Jesus' family? Do God's will, as best as you now how. Feed the hungry, care for the orphan, embrace the stranger, heal the sick, visit the prisoner...love people the way Jesus loves them. And call them to walk with him, to allow him to change their lives. Then you will be Jesus' brother or sister.
Want to be part of Jesus' family? Do God's will, as best as you now how. Feed the hungry, care for the orphan, embrace the stranger, heal the sick, visit the prisoner...love people the way Jesus loves them. And call them to walk with him, to allow him to change their lives. Then you will be Jesus' brother or sister.
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