Family Ties

April 9

(Luke 8:19-21 NIV) “Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. {20} Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." {21} He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.””

(Mark 3:20-21 NIV) “Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. {21} When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind.””

(Mark 3:31-35 NIV) “Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. {32} A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." {33} "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. {34} Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! {35} Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.””

(Matthew 10:21-22 NIV) “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. {22} All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Christ’s family thought he had lost His mind. His new spiritual family had separated Him from his biological family. They came to visit Him -- not to listen to Him preach, but to put a stop to His preaching. Their visit was not out of admiration, it was an intervention. A separation takes place when we are born again. We get a new life and a new name. We become a new person and we get a new family. Some in our old family may not appreciate these changes. Jesus established a new order of loyalty that supersedes our biological family and sometimes we must choose between them and following Him. The gospel is divisive. It brings us to a spiritual fork in the road and forces us to make a choice. It can be painful, but we must give the eternal priority over the temporal. It is right to love your family, but the disciple must love Jesus more. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day