To say that our encounters with Jesus challenge us is an understatement. Jesus teaching, and the example he set for us in life, challenge us in many ways. Jesus challenges the priorities we set in life, he challenges our view and use of money, he challenges our need to be in control, and he challenges our understanding of love and forgiveness. For example when asked how often we should forgive someone, Jesus says not 7 times, not 70 times, but 70 x 70 times. Even then Jesus doesn’t mean we forgive someone 4,900 times, what he is saying is that we need to forgive one another all the time, but how we love and forgive this completely is a challenge. While just about every part of our lives is challenged by Jesus at some point in time, today I want us to focus on the challenge Jesus is to our understanding of family and relationships.
In Mark 3 Jesus challenges his own family on the priority of relationships. It is still very early in Jesus’ ministry and while he has been incredibly popular drawing crowds of people eager to hear his teaching and experience his healing touch, Jesus rise in popularity has not come without controversy. Jesus has claimed to forgive sin, which for many people was blasphemy because only God can forgive sin. Jesus has called tax collectors to follow him and he has been criticized for working and healing on the Sabbath. As all of this has taken place, Jesus’ biological family, his mother, brothers and sisters, have been watching. They have heard the criticism and have become increasingly concerned for Jesus’ well being and maybe their own. They honestly believe that Jesus has gone too far and they begin to think that maybe he has lost his mind. They think Jesus has gone crazy and needs to be stopped or at least controlled. That’s what they say in Mark 3:21.
When Jesus biological family comes to try and do an intervention and take Jesus home, they aren’t even able to get close to him. Jesus family is literally left on the outside looking in, and all they can do is send someone to Jesus asking him to come out to them. Their hope is to take Jesus away without a lot of commotion, but Jesus knows they want him to stop, so he doesn’t go out to them, instead he challenges them and the people around him with a question. Jesus asks who are my mother and brothers? The question Jesus raises is not a philosophical or a rhetorical one, I think Jesus is sincerely asking us to think about who our family is. Is our family those people we are connected to through blood and biology, or is our family those we are bonded to through faith and love? Jesus doesn’t wait for an answer, he answers his own question by not looking at Mary or his brothers and sisters who are outside the house but by looking at his followers inside and saying, here are my mother and brothers and sisters. With those words Jesus not only redefines family relationships but he challenges the priorities and responsibilities that we have with one another.
This redefinition of family was certainly a challenge for the people in Jesus day because the biological family was the cornerstone of Jewish faith. People were part of Israel because they were born into it; they were sons and daughters of Abraham, and much of the Jewish faith was practiced in the context of one’s family. The Feast of the Passover wasn’t celebrated in the synagogue or in the larger community; the Passover was celebrate at home with your family. 2 of the 10 commandments have to do with protecting the bonds of family, honor thy father and mother and do not commit adultery were laws given to protect and strengthen family relationships. Family values were the bedrock of Jewish faith tradition and today they remain the foundation of our faith and community, and while Jesus is not saying we shouldn’t value and honor our families, he does redefine the context or the scope of our families which in turn challenges our priorities and our preconceived ideas about who we are to care for and how we are to care for them.
So let’s look at the real challenge of Jesus’ teaching on families? When Jesus looks at his followers and says, here are my mother and brothers and sisters, he is not saying that we are just part of a warm and fuzzy fellowship. If all Jesus means is that we are to gther together in a loose fellowship without any real responsibility to one another, then this teaching is not a challenge, but I don’t think that’s what Jesus means. When Jesus looks at those gathered around him and says, you are my family, I believe he is radically redefining family relationships and the responsibilities that go along with those relationships. Jesus really wants us to care for one another like a family but that will require love and commitment and sacrifice. To see what this new family will look like, let’s look at John 19. I think it’s important to read John 19 and Mark 3 together because if we just read Mark we might think that Jesus really doesn’t care for his biological family, but that isn’t true because at the end of his life Jesus sees his mother and from the cross and he honors her by making sure that she is cared for. John 19:25-27.
Now what’s important to remember here is that Jesus does have other brothers who could care for Mary once he is gone. As the oldest son, it would be Jesus responsibility to care for his mother and in his absence if there was no other son, the mother would need someone to take care of her. But Jesus has other brothers who could take on this responsibility after he is gone so Jesus doesn’t have to do this; Jesus didn’t have to make sure that Mary was cared for by John, but he does, and by creating this new family Jesus once again shows us that real family is not defined by blood but by the bonds of faith and love – but these bonds of faith and love have to mean something. The challenge in Jesus teaching about the family comes when we begin to look around at our brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers in the faith and start asking ourselves, what will it mean for me to love and care for these members of my family?
Think about the consequence of this new family of faith. In our biological families we care for one another in some pretty powerful and sacrificial ways. I have seen biological families come together for days and weeks when someone is sick or dying. I have seen children take time off of work to be with a sick parent. I have seen parents give all kinds of money to their children and grandchildren in hopes of helping them through difficult times. I have seen parents sacrifice for their children and at times grown children sacrifice for their parents. We do that for biological family, but are we willing to do it for one another in the church? That’s the real challenge! When Jesus says we are family he is saying we have the responsibility to care for one another.
Look again at John 19:27, John took Mary into his home; he physically took care of her. He became financially responsible for her. He watched out and protected her. Jesus redefining and creating a new family had practical and difficult consequences, and the redefinition of family today is a challenge when we think about some of these consequences. How far are we willing to go in caring for one another? How far does God call us to go in these new family relationships? Well, look at Acts 2:44-45 & Acts 4:32. This new family of faith, called the church, took seriously this call to care for one another and I believe that this is the call and the vision God gives us of what it means to be a family.
Now let me be honest and say that I don’t know what this practically looks like in our society or in our church today. I don’t know it will mean to care for one another in the church the same way we care for one another in our families, but my hope is that we will at least begin to take this call of Jesus seriously. Maybe the work starts by simply asking God if there are people we need to make part of our family. If there are, what will this look like? And are we willing to sacrifice for the brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters that we see around us?
While this is clearly a challenge, let me also say it is clearly a need. Because biological families today are scattered across the nation, there may be those aging parents who need to have the love and support of children and grandchildren from the church. There may be children that need the love and support of a grandparent in the faith because extended family is far away. Are we willing to invite one another into our homes and into our lives and are we willing to invest ourselves in relationships that will nurture, support and offer real family support and love to one another? And are we willing to back up our commitment with our resources? I think this is where things get really challenging. Within our families we might be willing to loan or give money to a brother, sister, parent or child, but what about our brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we as willing to physically and practically help those in need around us?
When I first became a Christian and was confronted with some of these ideas about what it means to be brothers and sisters in Christ, a friend of mine needed money to be able to stay in school. I thought a lot about it and finally decided that if we were all part of God’s family I could not hold on to my money when he was in need, so I wrote him a check for all the money I had in my account. While on the one hand I was thankful because he refused to cash the check, on the other hand I really did believe that God was calling me to help him in this way. When we begin to think through the consequences of what Jesus says about family, we realize this is a very challenging teaching that has consequences on how we set our priorities, spend our time and use our money.
Let me also say that being part of God’s family not only calls us to reach out in sacrificial love to help others but at times it calls us to humble ourselves to accept the help of others. I am always amazed how reluctant we are to ask for help. We say we don’t want to be a burden, but when we don’t allow others to help us, we are denying them the opportunity to be blessed by God. I was reminded of that this week when I heard a woman say that she asked a friend from the church if she would run a simple errand for her. Her friend said, thank you for letting me do this for you. I’ve been thinking a lot about you and I wanted to be able to help. For family relationships to be created, we not only have to be willing to reach out in sacrificial love, but we also need to humble ourselves and accept real love and practical support and help from one another.
So in this encounter with Jesus, not only is Jesus biological family challenged, but so is the new family Jesus creates. That we are brothers and sisters in Christ and members of God’s family is a blessing, but the responsibilities that go along with being part of this new family present some serious challenge for us. Jesus redefinition of family challenges our priorities but it also provides us with opportunities to experience more of God’s love and power and grace. So let us truly be the family of God.
In Mark 3 Jesus challenges his own family on the priority of relationships. It is still very early in Jesus’ ministry and while he has been incredibly popular drawing crowds of people eager to hear his teaching and experience his healing touch, Jesus rise in popularity has not come without controversy. Jesus has claimed to forgive sin, which for many people was blasphemy because only God can forgive sin. Jesus has called tax collectors to follow him and he has been criticized for working and healing on the Sabbath. As all of this has taken place, Jesus’ biological family, his mother, brothers and sisters, have been watching. They have heard the criticism and have become increasingly concerned for Jesus’ well being and maybe their own. They honestly believe that Jesus has gone too far and they begin to think that maybe he has lost his mind. They think Jesus has gone crazy and needs to be stopped or at least controlled. That’s what they say in Mark 3:21.
When Jesus biological family comes to try and do an intervention and take Jesus home, they aren’t even able to get close to him. Jesus family is literally left on the outside looking in, and all they can do is send someone to Jesus asking him to come out to them. Their hope is to take Jesus away without a lot of commotion, but Jesus knows they want him to stop, so he doesn’t go out to them, instead he challenges them and the people around him with a question. Jesus asks who are my mother and brothers? The question Jesus raises is not a philosophical or a rhetorical one, I think Jesus is sincerely asking us to think about who our family is. Is our family those people we are connected to through blood and biology, or is our family those we are bonded to through faith and love? Jesus doesn’t wait for an answer, he answers his own question by not looking at Mary or his brothers and sisters who are outside the house but by looking at his followers inside and saying, here are my mother and brothers and sisters. With those words Jesus not only redefines family relationships but he challenges the priorities and responsibilities that we have with one another.
This redefinition of family was certainly a challenge for the people in Jesus day because the biological family was the cornerstone of Jewish faith. People were part of Israel because they were born into it; they were sons and daughters of Abraham, and much of the Jewish faith was practiced in the context of one’s family. The Feast of the Passover wasn’t celebrated in the synagogue or in the larger community; the Passover was celebrate at home with your family. 2 of the 10 commandments have to do with protecting the bonds of family, honor thy father and mother and do not commit adultery were laws given to protect and strengthen family relationships. Family values were the bedrock of Jewish faith tradition and today they remain the foundation of our faith and community, and while Jesus is not saying we shouldn’t value and honor our families, he does redefine the context or the scope of our families which in turn challenges our priorities and our preconceived ideas about who we are to care for and how we are to care for them.
So let’s look at the real challenge of Jesus’ teaching on families? When Jesus looks at his followers and says, here are my mother and brothers and sisters, he is not saying that we are just part of a warm and fuzzy fellowship. If all Jesus means is that we are to gther together in a loose fellowship without any real responsibility to one another, then this teaching is not a challenge, but I don’t think that’s what Jesus means. When Jesus looks at those gathered around him and says, you are my family, I believe he is radically redefining family relationships and the responsibilities that go along with those relationships. Jesus really wants us to care for one another like a family but that will require love and commitment and sacrifice. To see what this new family will look like, let’s look at John 19. I think it’s important to read John 19 and Mark 3 together because if we just read Mark we might think that Jesus really doesn’t care for his biological family, but that isn’t true because at the end of his life Jesus sees his mother and from the cross and he honors her by making sure that she is cared for. John 19:25-27.
Now what’s important to remember here is that Jesus does have other brothers who could care for Mary once he is gone. As the oldest son, it would be Jesus responsibility to care for his mother and in his absence if there was no other son, the mother would need someone to take care of her. But Jesus has other brothers who could take on this responsibility after he is gone so Jesus doesn’t have to do this; Jesus didn’t have to make sure that Mary was cared for by John, but he does, and by creating this new family Jesus once again shows us that real family is not defined by blood but by the bonds of faith and love – but these bonds of faith and love have to mean something. The challenge in Jesus teaching about the family comes when we begin to look around at our brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers in the faith and start asking ourselves, what will it mean for me to love and care for these members of my family?
Think about the consequence of this new family of faith. In our biological families we care for one another in some pretty powerful and sacrificial ways. I have seen biological families come together for days and weeks when someone is sick or dying. I have seen children take time off of work to be with a sick parent. I have seen parents give all kinds of money to their children and grandchildren in hopes of helping them through difficult times. I have seen parents sacrifice for their children and at times grown children sacrifice for their parents. We do that for biological family, but are we willing to do it for one another in the church? That’s the real challenge! When Jesus says we are family he is saying we have the responsibility to care for one another.
Look again at John 19:27, John took Mary into his home; he physically took care of her. He became financially responsible for her. He watched out and protected her. Jesus redefining and creating a new family had practical and difficult consequences, and the redefinition of family today is a challenge when we think about some of these consequences. How far are we willing to go in caring for one another? How far does God call us to go in these new family relationships? Well, look at Acts 2:44-45 & Acts 4:32. This new family of faith, called the church, took seriously this call to care for one another and I believe that this is the call and the vision God gives us of what it means to be a family.
Now let me be honest and say that I don’t know what this practically looks like in our society or in our church today. I don’t know it will mean to care for one another in the church the same way we care for one another in our families, but my hope is that we will at least begin to take this call of Jesus seriously. Maybe the work starts by simply asking God if there are people we need to make part of our family. If there are, what will this look like? And are we willing to sacrifice for the brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters that we see around us?
While this is clearly a challenge, let me also say it is clearly a need. Because biological families today are scattered across the nation, there may be those aging parents who need to have the love and support of children and grandchildren from the church. There may be children that need the love and support of a grandparent in the faith because extended family is far away. Are we willing to invite one another into our homes and into our lives and are we willing to invest ourselves in relationships that will nurture, support and offer real family support and love to one another? And are we willing to back up our commitment with our resources? I think this is where things get really challenging. Within our families we might be willing to loan or give money to a brother, sister, parent or child, but what about our brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we as willing to physically and practically help those in need around us?
When I first became a Christian and was confronted with some of these ideas about what it means to be brothers and sisters in Christ, a friend of mine needed money to be able to stay in school. I thought a lot about it and finally decided that if we were all part of God’s family I could not hold on to my money when he was in need, so I wrote him a check for all the money I had in my account. While on the one hand I was thankful because he refused to cash the check, on the other hand I really did believe that God was calling me to help him in this way. When we begin to think through the consequences of what Jesus says about family, we realize this is a very challenging teaching that has consequences on how we set our priorities, spend our time and use our money.
Let me also say that being part of God’s family not only calls us to reach out in sacrificial love to help others but at times it calls us to humble ourselves to accept the help of others. I am always amazed how reluctant we are to ask for help. We say we don’t want to be a burden, but when we don’t allow others to help us, we are denying them the opportunity to be blessed by God. I was reminded of that this week when I heard a woman say that she asked a friend from the church if she would run a simple errand for her. Her friend said, thank you for letting me do this for you. I’ve been thinking a lot about you and I wanted to be able to help. For family relationships to be created, we not only have to be willing to reach out in sacrificial love, but we also need to humble ourselves and accept real love and practical support and help from one another.
So in this encounter with Jesus, not only is Jesus biological family challenged, but so is the new family Jesus creates. That we are brothers and sisters in Christ and members of God’s family is a blessing, but the responsibilities that go along with being part of this new family present some serious challenge for us. Jesus redefinition of family challenges our priorities but it also provides us with opportunities to experience more of God’s love and power and grace. So let us truly be the family of God.
