3:31 Focus on the Family?

Mark 3:31-32
And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.”

…..

The greatest motivation we could ever find for being passionately committed to the Church is that Jesus is passionately committed to the Church. Joshua Harris, Stop Dating the Church

…..

It would be nice if Christ-followers never had to choose between our earthly parents and our Heavenly Father, but many of us will face that to some degree.

Jesus would not come out to see his mother and brothers, because they were coming to restrain him. No matter how high our view of Mary, this chapter in the gospels reveals that she experienced a season of considerable doubt, thinking at this point that her virgin-born son was “out of his mind” (v. 21).

Ironically, Jesus’ own family was more aligned with his opponents than with Jesus. One group thought He was losing His mind; the other thought He was controlled by demons.

So when Jesus’ relatives came to talk some sense into their boy, he refused to drop everything and hear their case:

And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

…..

Jesus defines family in a radical way here, but it is the way of the Christ-follower.

Hopefully the Lord will be so gracious to align the beliefs of our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, children, etc. with His.

Whether or not He does, however, there is no need to pout or despair, for Christians were destined for a Family that transcends biology; a Family united by the Spirit, born of a perfect Father, and allied with a pure Brother.

Too often today, though, people who call themselves Jesus’ disciples seem more devoted to their earthly families than to their Heavenly One.

But perhaps such people need to think twice about calling themselves Christ-followers, based on today’s text and Jesus’ words in Luke 14:26:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

…..

Should we “focus on the family?”

Absolutely.

But which one?