We are family

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
Pointing to 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.”
(Matthew 12:46–50)

Jesus often says surprising and extraordinary things. You can point to any number of instances across the four gospels where he does this again and again. I was struck by this particular example in one of my daily readings recently.
 
Jesus is teaching to a large crowd as was often the case. In this instance, his mother and brothers arrive wanting to speak to him. Matthew doesn’t tell us why they went, although elsewhere we know they struggled to fully understand Jesus’ identity as the messiah (see Mark 3:21).
 
When Jesus’ family arrives, the message comes to him and it seems like a perfectly reasonable request: “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak with you.” But then Jesus turns it on its head, pointing to his disciples and declaring them to be his mother and brothers.
 
What is Jesus doing here? The perfectly obedient Son of God seems to be violating the fifth commandment to honour your father and mother!
 
Yet I don’t think Jesus is disrespecting his mother or dissing his brothers. Rather than putting down his family, he is lifting up those who follow him. His mother does not have less honour, but his disciples have much more than they ever thought possible.
 
More extraordinary than seemingly breaking the fifth commandment, Jesus is calling his followers his family. Those who are walking with him, doing his Father’s will, are called his brothers and sisters. This is not an accolade for the best of the best, those who perfectly obey the Father’s will. After all, the disciples gathered around him did a pretty poor job of that from time to time! No, this is an accolade for everyone who truly follows Jesus. To be his disciple is to be part of his family.
 
This also includes us. Isn’t that extraordinary? The Lord and King over all creation calls us his brothers and sisters. The sovereign almighty God invites us into his family. Why not take some time today to stop and think this over? Why not pause and know just how extraordinary this truth truly is?
 
A prayer - Lord Jesus, thank you that you call us not only to be your disciples, but to be your family. Thank you that you are not afraid to call us your brothers and sisters, even when we fail to follow you as we should. Help us to know this extraordinary truth and rejoice in it day by day. Amen.
 
Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash