Unlimited: Who Is My Family? | Good News Unlimited
Unlimited: Who is My Family?
Mar 7, 2024 2361
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).
Jesus’ mother and brothers still think he has gone stark raving mad, and they’ve come from Nazareth to take him back home where they can keep him quiet.
But they can’t get into the house where Jesus is to get him, because the house is crowded full of people listening to him teach.
This is a dramatic scene. The response of Jesus to the message that his mother and brothers are waiting outside to take him home is very surprising.
He ignores them.
He asks, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
Then he looks around him and says that these are all his mother and his brothers, and that whoever does the will of God is his family.
Why did Jesus respond like this?
Jesus’ family didn’t understand his mission at all. Jesus was introducing a more important concept of family than just our physical family: the family of God.
Jesus is saying that no matter how vitally important our physical family may be, the family of God is just as real, and even more important.
– Eliezer Gonzalez
Eli’s Reflection: Have you ever been misunderstood by your family, or perhaps your friends, for your decision to put Jesus first? I’m sure it was difficult. How did you cope? Remember what Jesus says. He calls YOU his family. How does this encourage you?
