We Are Family

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Matthew 12:46-50
46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47 Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” 48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 50 “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

There have been a few times that someone has referred to themselves or Christians as a whole as “brothers of Christ”. I don’t know about you, but this always makes me feel uncomfortable. I understand the concept, but to think of ourselves as related to Jesus, Savior of the World, is a little crazy, don’t you think?


If you believe what the bible tells us, however, we know that everyone is related somehow as descendants of Adam, but Jesus reveals a second and much more important factor of our relation to Jesus. While our normal thought processes take us to think of bloodlines, family trees, and inheritance, Jesus is talking about our unity of Spirit with Him and with each other. Our bloodline comes from His blood poured out to save us. Our family tree is the cross. Our inheritance is eternity with the Father. Think about what Jesus prays to the Father in John 17 about the relationship between Him, God the Father, and us as His followers and believers:

15 “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Jesus tells us that in following God’s will and being obedient to His commandments, that is how we express our love to Him and ultimately grow in our relationship with Him. Think about a child and its parents. How good is their relationship if the child constantly disobeys its parents? How hard is it for the parents to be loving and patient and kind to the child if day after day it is disobedient and rebellious? We see an example of this in the relationship between Israel and God in the Old Testament. He calls them rebellious, disobedient, and stiff-necked. Will a parent continue to bless their disobedient, stubborn, and rebellious child? I point this out because too often we blame God for not blessing us or we get angry with Him because He doesn’t give us what we want, but do we ever give Him what He wants and deserves? Do we honor and glorify Him?

In Jesus’ prayer above, we see that His purpose for us is to live in this world even though we are not of this world. His purpose is that we would spread His Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. His purpose is that we would be united as brothers and sisters not only in Christ but with Christ! I think that is a game changer for most of us. Not only is He our Lord and Savior, but also our brother and friend. How do you feel about being Jesus’ brother? How does that change the dynamic of your relationship with Him and ultimately the Father?

I couldn’t use this title with the post without giving you the original song. Here it is:


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