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The Family of Jesus

Daily Reflection / Produced by The High Calling
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"Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!"

Matthew 12:50

Jesus lived in a culture that prized family above just about everything else. Some Jewish teachers even claimed that honoring one's father and mother was the most important of the Ten Commandments. Thus when Jesus' mother and brothers came to visit him while he was speaking, no doubt those who had gathered around Jesus would have expected him to welcome his family. Instead, he did a most shocking thing. He essentially redefined the sense of family, saying that "anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (v. 50). Literal kinship pales in comparison to the spiritual kinship based on obedience to God.

Even as this must have been most unsettling to Jesus' audience and family, it can be most encouraging to us. We have the opportunity to become Jesus' sisters and brothers. We can join the inner circle of his life. We do this by doing the will of our Heavenly Father, beginning with putting our trust in Jesus as our Savior. Only then are we able to walk in the good works that God has planned for our lives (Eph. 2:8-10).

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Are you living each day as a brother or sister of Jesus? Does your commitment to your family sometimes get in the way of your commitment to Jesus? When? What might it mean for you to put God's will first in your life?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, what an honor and privilege to be counted among your brothers and sisters! Thank you for this incredible gift.

Yet, even as I have been adopted into your family by grace through faith, help me to live each day as one of your siblings. May I seek to do the will of the Father in every context of my life. Help me to see my world through your eyes, so that I might understand what it means for me to follow the Father's will. Give me eyes to see people in need, opportunities for compassion, and ways to live out your justice.

Moreover, even as I love my family, may my commitment to you take first place in my life. Help my family and me to do the will of our Heavenly Father together, so that we might live as your brothers and sisters each day. Amen.