Happy Friday! Today is February 24, 2023. In today’s ongoing culture shift, it seems like the family is the first to come under attack. The household of kinfolk is being redefined, misdefined, twisted, and contorted until we no longer know its definition. Of course, we know, classically, that it is the basic relational unit that shares the same bloodline, same household, same name, or same filial affiliation with one another. Today, however, let’s let Jesus laser in more about what a family is. It might surprise you. Read on …
Today's Reading:
Numbers 14,15,16; Mark 3
Scripture
“Who are my mother and my brothers?” He asked. Then He looked around 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 3:34)
Observation
His mother and brothers were concerned not only about His whereabouts but also His safety… and maybe even His sanity. He was causing trouble by casting out evil spirits and intimidating Pharisees by violating the Sabbath. Religious leaders pestered him for being a rebel, and now, adding fuel to their fire, He was followed by crowds calling Him the Messiah. This sounded an alarm, and his family came running to the rescue. They wanted Him home where He could be safe and “normal” again.
However, Jesus shifts into another gear to bring us a deeper understanding of “family.”
Application
Jesus defines family as those “who do God’s will!”
I know, I know … We all understand that the nuclear family includes a mother and father, and their direct offspring are called children. However, the line that splits eternity is not drawn around families. It is not “inclusive” to encompass all churches that call themselves “Christian.” Instead, the line of eternity cuts straight through the human heart. It runs right through families. It separates light from dark, saved from unsaved, obedient from obstinate. Jesus defines “family” as those who do… and not just “ascribe” to … but who actually DO God's will. In the long run, these are our forever family.
Prayer
Father, thank you for Your Word that refines and recalibrates my thinking each time I read it. I am like the man whose eyes You healed at Bethsaida (Mk. 8), and even though he was healed, he could only see, at first, men “as trees walking.” It wasn’t until a second laying-on of hands that he began to see more clearly. Please continue Your healing in my life because I often just see woody perennials in motion. Please lay Your hands on me a second time, a third, and even more until I can see the Kingdom of God with greater clarity and precision.
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