READING: Deuteronomy 10-14, Psalm 5, Luke 8
I suspect that the words were jarring to Mary and Jesus’ brothers when they heard them. They had been seeking Jesus, fearing that He had lost his senses (Mark 3:21) and wasn’t taking care of Himself. He was teaching a crowd when his family members arrived, and the crowd prevented them from getting to Jesus. When the crowd told Him that His family was outside looking for Him, His eventual response was a statement about obedience: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do the word of God” (Luke 8:21). Mark’s Gospel (3:33) tells us that He preceded that statement with a question about “Who are my mother and my brothers?”—and I doubt that question made His family feel any more secure about His overall well-being.
Nevertheless, Jesus was making a statement to His family, to His audience, and to us. Being in the family of God is what matters most, and that position is not based on family names or blood lines. Rather, it’s based on having a personal relationship with Christ as Lord that’s marked by obedience to the Word of God. Those who are in the family do what God commands. For Jesus’ earthly family, that truth meant that they, too, must see Him not as their son or brother—but as their Lord. Likewise, we who carry His name today must show our faith and trust by the way we live and the choices we make. Family members walk in the footsteps of the Master.
PRAYER: “Lord, help me to walk as You want me to walk. Thank You for allowing me to be part of Your family.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Deuteronomy 15-18, Psalm 115, Luke 9