Family! Gotta love ’em
I have two brothers and a sister, not to mention other challenging family members who generally disagree with my considered path which seldom offers the least resistance. Lately we’ve had some ‘family disagreements.’ Has that ever happened with you?
We’re all hard to convince on important points of life, so in general most of us just go about our own way until someone comes to us mentioning that your brother or your mother (or father or cousin) wants to see you.
What could be so important? Interruptions by brothers or family happen to all.
Perhaps you recall an incident like this mentioned in a couple of the Gospels about Jesus. When I first read of it, I thought that Jesus seemed rude to ignore His family members. Now, after many such interruptions of my own agenda by family members I’m not certain that ‘rude’ is the best description, though I’ll bet my family frequently thinks I’m rude.
Matthew 12:46-48 ESV
While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him,
“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
Jesus had been teaching and had had a rough day. (More about that later.)
Doesn’t it always seem like your brother or a family member shows up with an issue when you are busiest?
Mark 3:31-34 BSB
Continuing just a bit further in the same story as recorded by Mark:
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. They sent someone in to summon Him, and a crowd was sitting around Him. “Look,” He was told, “Your mother and brothers are outside, asking for You.”
But Jesus replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”
Looking at those seated in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
Jesus’ Brothers Before & After the Resurrection
We’ll visit the prior scenes and conclusion later, but moving ahead in our story here, authorities doubting the true identity of the Messiah ask:
Is not this the carpenter’s son?
Is not his mother called Mary?
And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? – Matthew 13:55
They mention Jesus’ sisters, question His wise teaching and mighty miracles and they even took offense to him.
Once again Jesus makes a seemingly disrespectful comment about his community and family.
“A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” – Matthew 13:57b
The world around Him is trying to disrespect the Lord, associating Him first to His brothers and sisters and mother. Have you ever experience that?
Later John would reveal something of Jesus’ brothers and others who had witnessed the Lord’s teachings and healings. Even Jesus’ own brothers (half-brothers, really) challenged Jesus:
“… If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” – John 7:4b
Then John observes,
For not even his brothers believed in him. John 7:5
After Jesus’s resurrection and fifty days of witness on earth, observe Jesus’ brothers at Pentecost. The brothers (and sisters) of Jesus had proof. They then lived lives of witness along with the Apostles, but at first they had no faith.
Acts 1:14
All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers [adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings].
True Brothers
Brothers in a larger sense are ones connected to you closely, ones united by family and life and circumstance.
[ctt title=”Even a prodigal brother may roam from the security and promise of those who were once inseparable.” tweet=”Are you a true brother to the Lord by your obedience to His will?” coverup=”zfRWy”]
Some won’t change even if the Lord appears
Some believed Jesus and they followed. He called these disciples brothers, even the many faithful who followed our Lord in addition to the Twelve. Yet looking back at Jesus’ day leading up to His half-brothers and mother beckoning the Lord from His teaching, we see the importance of His work.
Let’s trace back the Lord’s teaching of the day He was interrupted by family.
Matthew 12:
46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.
- 43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none… and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
- 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
- 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
- 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks… 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
- 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
- 22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”
It had all started with Jesus doing good: powerful healings. Jesus proved to eyes which would not see and ears that refused to hear: He IS the Son of Man, the Messiah!
Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath.
14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him…
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known.
Now moving forward once more to hearing Jesus’ question, “Who are my brothers…?”
[ctt title=” “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” – Matthew 12:48-50″ tweet=”For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”” coverup=”w41LB”]
49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Do you have a brother closer than those of your own blood?
By the Blood and Sacrifice of Christ Jesus for our sins, we are redeemed into the family of God our Father.
As beloved sons, beloved daughters, co-heirs of our same eternal inheritance in Christ, are these not our nearest brothers and our dearest sisters?
Who is your brother, your sister, dearly beloved one of the Lord?
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ invites us into His Own Royal Family of the Most High! Even unsaved family and loved ones may join the Lord. They may by believing join our true brothers?
Won’t you allow the Lord to speak into your life? For like in this story, He will have a place for you always at the time of His joyous return.
Pray for our dear family in Christ, beloved. Pray also for me.
Sure, we were hungry many times. In later months we were rejected by our towns and villages, just as Jesus had been nearly thrown off a cliff in Nazareth. We were banished into the mountains or driven out toward unfriendly sea shores to fend for ourselves. Work was all but impossible to find. Food became scarce.
hat did He mean?