Jesus' Brethren
Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and 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 12:47-50 NKJV
Jesus always said some pretty strong statements during His time on earth, and this is one of them. It may come out as if He was dishonouring and disowning His earthly family, but He wasn't otherwise He’d break the commandment that says we honour our parents (Ex. 20:12, Eph. 6:1-2). The Bible says He was without sin (Heb. 4:15) so we can be sure He never once dishonored His earthly parents. He used that instance to pass across a very important lesson that can help us understand how dear to God keeping His will is. Sometimes as believers we tend to live as if God's will is an option and we can live the way we want to live (using the excuse that God gave us brains to think) and still be pleasing God (“as long as we're using our brains and intellect we’re glorifying Him”).
Jesus said boldly that whoever does God's will is His brethren. Earlier on He had said that not every who says to Him “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of His Father in heaven (Matt. 7:21). Come to think of it, the one thing that makes us Jesus’ brethren is us stepping into God's will, and this began when we accepted Christ. That was the beginning of our relationship with Jesus as His brethren, as that is the core and fundamental will of God for man (salvation). After salvation we have a choice to either continue living as His brethren and being considered so by Him or not, and He said calling Him “Lord, Lord” doesn't cut it. In other words, saying “Jesus is my personal Saviour” doesn't make Him see us as His brethren; doing God's will does.
Since doing God's will is clearly that important to our Saviour and matters a lot as far as our relationship with Him is concerned, it goes without saying that it should be our number one priority. Jesus Himself said that He'd come to do God's will (Heb. 10:7), and that His food was to do the Father's will (Jn. 4:34). Two cannot walk together unless they are in agreement (Amos 3:3). If at all we want to live in agreement with Christ and have Him always consider us as His brethren, we have to value what He values most and live for what He lived for: God's will.
Reflection:
How important is God's will to you? How much does God's will affect the decisions you make on a day to day basis? Since God's will is His Word, how much time do you spend in it to know it?
Grace and peace to you!
Jesus always said some pretty strong statements during His time on earth, and this is one of them. It may come out as if He was dishonouring and disowning His earthly family, but He wasn't otherwise He’d break the commandment that says we honour our parents (Ex. 20:12, Eph. 6:1-2). The Bible says He was without sin (Heb. 4:15) so we can be sure He never once dishonored His earthly parents. He used that instance to pass across a very important lesson that can help us understand how dear to God keeping His will is. Sometimes as believers we tend to live as if God's will is an option and we can live the way we want to live (using the excuse that God gave us brains to think) and still be pleasing God (“as long as we're using our brains and intellect we’re glorifying Him”).
Jesus said boldly that whoever does God's will is His brethren. Earlier on He had said that not every who says to Him “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of His Father in heaven (Matt. 7:21). Come to think of it, the one thing that makes us Jesus’ brethren is us stepping into God's will, and this began when we accepted Christ. That was the beginning of our relationship with Jesus as His brethren, as that is the core and fundamental will of God for man (salvation). After salvation we have a choice to either continue living as His brethren and being considered so by Him or not, and He said calling Him “Lord, Lord” doesn't cut it. In other words, saying “Jesus is my personal Saviour” doesn't make Him see us as His brethren; doing God's will does.
Since doing God's will is clearly that important to our Saviour and matters a lot as far as our relationship with Him is concerned, it goes without saying that it should be our number one priority. Jesus Himself said that He'd come to do God's will (Heb. 10:7), and that His food was to do the Father's will (Jn. 4:34). Two cannot walk together unless they are in agreement (Amos 3:3). If at all we want to live in agreement with Christ and have Him always consider us as His brethren, we have to value what He values most and live for what He lived for: God's will.
Reflection:
How important is God's will to you? How much does God's will affect the decisions you make on a day to day basis? Since God's will is His Word, how much time do you spend in it to know it?
Grace and peace to you!
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