A Growing Family
Matthew 12:46-50, NIV - “While Jesus was still
talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak
to him. Someone told him, “Your mother
and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied to him,
“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he
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.”
Like so many things Jesus said,
this ruffles a lot of feathers, and for good reason. Jesus seems to be denigrating
his family, but I have never taken it that way.
Jesus is not just Joseph and Mary’s boy; He’s the Son of God. As such, Jesus was simply expanding the
notion of family beyond biology. I
remember reading this as a teenager and feeling affirmed in something that was
already happening in my life. Me and my
three best friends – Travis, Matt, and Tim began to think of ourselves as
brothers. We were always at each other’s
houses and so we got close not just to each other, but also each other’s
families. All four of us started calling
all four mothers “Mom” and the fathers “Dad.” To this day, I still think of all
of them that way.
That trend has continued to this
day. There are so many honorary
McCreazies that I’ve lost count. My kids have a “Granny V” that is not related
to them biologically. Barbara and I have
“children” that we claim who already have parents. We have found an extended family in the
community that Jesus created.
One last thing about that. We McCreazies are blessed that we already
have a loving family that came to us through biology. But not everybody does. Because of the family following Jesus
creates, people who have no family find family through a shared connection to
Jesus. I think this is the beautiful
thing Jesus had in mind when he said, “Who is my mother, and who are my
brothers? Here are my mother and my
brothers.” I love that. How about you?
Question: Who would
you lift up as other members of your family that you have because of
Jesus?
Prayer: Thank you God
for blessing us with a family that transcends biology. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for people who are utterly alone in the world right now.
Song: We are Family – Various Artists
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