Jesus’ True Family ...

Many people are intrigued with their ancestry and even build traditions upon it. For example, one might listen to music, celebrate traditions and/or eat food from their ancestral culture. However, in some cases, after having DNA tested, a person may find out that their ancestral roots are radically different than they thought; hence, a shift in how they celebrate their ancestry results. In Mark 3:31-35, Jesus teaches about something far more consequential than ancestral DNA. In this passage, He teaches about our spiritual family which has both past and future implications. The paragraphs below will present both why this spiritual family is of profound importance and how you, too, can belong to it.  

Today’s passage, Mark 3:31-35, paints a scene for us. Here, Jesus was inside a packed house and teaching to a crowd of people that were sitting shoulder to shoulder. This teaching was so dynamic that the crowd was hanging on every word that Jesus spoke. Then, someone suddenly interrupted and stated the following to Jesus: “…Your mother and brothers are outside, seeking you” (Matthew 3:32). Of course, everyone expected that Jesus would stop and see what his family needed. After all, in their culture, family came first. However, Jesus did not move. Instead, as we learn in verse 33, He shocked the crowd by asking a question that made everyone uncomfortable: “Who are my mother and brothers?” Then, he shocks the crowd even more by answering His own question this way “….For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35). Obviously, Jesus’ response to the above question is profound. In this statement, while not negating that a person’s DNA makes them a member of a biological family, He is stating that being included in God's spiritual family is of greater importance. 

So, what does it mean to do the will of God? The answer is “….repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15) – that is that Jesus, God's perfect Son, lived the sinless life we should have lived (1 Peter 2:22), died the death that we deserved to die for our sins (Peter 2:24), and rose from the dead to defeat death on our behalf (Luke 24:6; 2 Timothy 1:10). When we trust in Him as Lord and Savior, God forgives us and adopts us into His spiritual family (John 1:12-13). Moreover, this adoption into His spiritual family guarantees eternal life with Him rather than eternal separation from Him (John 3:16)!

Now, you may be thinking that you are not worthy to be adopted into Jesus’ family. After all, you may not have a stellar career, a big house or a fancy car. You may not have a theological degree and your life may be a mess. You may have comitted egregious sins in your past and harmed many others in the process. However, because of Christ's sacrifice (as detailed above), none of that matters if you repent and believe in the gospel. Let’s consider the following examples from scripture as evidence for this. Jesus called four lowly fishermen (Andrew, Peter, James and John) to be his disciples (Matthew 4:18-22). He also called Matthew, an egregiously sinful tax collector to follow Him (Matthew 9:9). Furthermore, as Mark 3:22-30 teaches, he condemned the scribes, the religious and intellectual elite of this time, for their hard hearts and opposition to His teaching. Finally, as this passage demonstrates, Jesus’ own biological family was, on the outside looking in when He was teaching His true followers. Friend, there is no doubt, as Holy Scripture clearly teaches, how to join Christ’s spiritual family. You must do the will of God by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you have not yet done so, will you accept Him today?

To learn more about following God's will, click here.

To listen to the entire sermon this posting is based on, click on this link.

To watch this entire sermon, click on the Youtube video below: