Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
Mark 3:31-34

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If you look at families all throughout the Bible,  family sure does look complicated!  Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. Leah and Rebekah—sisters—were married to the same man and competed in childbirth. Even as I look at my own family it’s complicated. I have nine siblings—yes you read that correctly. Oftentimes, when people see us together, they would conclude that we were perfect. They would say things like, “I bet you all never fight.” I can’t even express how far from the truth that is! 

In today’s Scripture verses, Jesus wasn’t trying to offend His brothers or His mother, He was showing how we are to think as believers. We might think our family relationships outweigh all other relationships, but Jesus is saying, no, that’s not the case. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we have a new family. This family doesn’t necessarily replace our existing family, but it sure does add to it. John 1:12 says, “But all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” 

Thirteen years ago, my father passed away. When our home church found out, church members stopped by our house every day with a meal for weeks. On the day of the funeral, I remember seeing many church members sitting in the pews of a small Baptist church on the west side of Chicago supporting us. I remember truly understanding the meaning of church family. That day, our brothers and sisters in Christ stood beside us in a very difficult season of life. This means that I don’t only have nine siblings, but I have many siblings. All who call themselves believers in Christ are my brothers and sisters, and they are yours as well, even if they are of a different race or have different political views than you; they are your family. People can be difficult, but as a Christ-follower, our obedience to God our Father should take priority. Jesus was setting an example of how we are to treat each other, especially those in Christ.

Next Steps

Reflect on how the church has shown up as family for you, OR how you could show up like family for someone else.