Matthew 12:46-50 ESV While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Family is different than any other relationship? There is a special bond that only family has. It is a shared heritage and history. In today’s passage Jesus tells us that as Christians, we should have that kind of bond with each other.
When it comes to family, we do not have to agree with them to love them. My father was on the opposite side of the political spectrum from me. So we stayed away from political discussions when we were together, but we did get together regularly and enjoyed each other’s company.
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful testimony to the world if Christians could love each other despite significant differences in doctrine and theology? We may disagree about the details, but we are all part of the body of Christ. There is only one God and we all worship Him.
Families tend to resemble each other because they come from the same genetic patterns. It is easy to tell that my brothers and I are truly brothers. We share certain physical traits and they came from our physical father. As spiritual brothers and sisters Christians should share certain spiritual traits that come from our spiritual Father.
Jesus was the human representation of God. The Bible says God is conforming Christians into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). As each of us grows more to be like Jesus we should become more like each other. Godly men and women from different denominations and theologies should be exhibiting qualities like peace, love, and joy. Lack of those qualities is a reason for concern and should be a motivator to examine one’s heart.
Finally, Jesus points out that being in God’s family means doing God’s will. Jesus’ biological family was there to stop Him from ministering (Mark 3:21). While other places in the gospels show that Jesus was a dutiful son (Luke 2:51, John 2:3-5, John 19:26-27) here He ignores His mother and brothers because they were working against God’s plan. It is important to make sure that our thoughts and actions are in accord with God’s will for those who do His will are part of His family.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for calling me to be Your child. Transform my heart so that I will be conformed to the image of Jesus. Give me a heart that loves my brothers and sisters in the faith, even when we disagree.
2 Replies to “Matthew 12:46-50”
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Thanks Tom. Amen. I had never noticed that “His own” was referring to His family. Reading this morning Mark 3:21, I also followed the notation to Mark 6:3 and see that it was His family. I never cease to be amazed at how much I’ve missed. I guess I had always taken it that “His own” was the folks in His own village. This really makes the point.
Mark 6:3 probably does refer to the villagers but may include Jesus’ brothers as well. It does indicate that Jesus lived a fairly normal life for His first 30 or so years.
Mark 3:21 states that Jesus’ family thought He was insane. I can see where His brothers might not understand but I never understood Mary not believing. After all, she went through the virgin birth, had angelic visitation, and witness the first miracle of turning water into wine. Perhaps she was concerned about Jesus’ health.