Jesus’ Family Come to Take Him Home

Mark 3:31–35
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An old couple was sitting by the fireside. He looked over at her, had a romantic thought, and said, “After fifty years, I’ve found you tried and true.” The wife’s hearing wasn’t very good, so she said, “What?” He repeated, “After fifty years, I’ve found y … More

Family

What are the conditions of a true family? Sometimes a person is closer to someone who is no blood relation to him than to those of his immediate family.

The reason Jesus’ mother and brothers have come is to take Him quietly back home to Nazareth was that they thought He had gone crazy and also they’re probably slightly embarrassed. They were going to take Him, forcibly if necessary, and lock Him away for a while until He came back to His senses. They were His family. They loved Him. They wished Him well, and thought they knew what was best for Him. When someone is doing the work of the ministry, hindrances can come from both friends and foes. The ones we must be most on our guard against, are the hindrances that offer comfort. Only the disciple can accurately, through prayer and attention to the Holy Spirit, determine God’s path for himself; and that path, once determined, must be taken whatever others think or say.

Here we find Jesus’ mother and brothers standing outside the place where Jesus is teaching the multitude (vv. 31-32). Apparently they did not yet believe Him to be the Messiah (Jn. 7:5) and had come to take him back to Nazareth. They sent a message to Him asking Him to come out. When He was told His family wanted to talk to Him, He stated that His family consisted of those who “did the will of God” (vv. 33-35). It was not that Jesus did not love His earthly family but He was simply saying that the highest relationships of life are spiritual and not physical. True family is based upon common experience, interest and goals. Christians have that common experience of having trusted Christ as their Savior. The common goal of Christians is that of seeking to know Christ better and to bring others to Him. The basis for true kinship is not solely a matter of flesh and blood.

Application

As I face circumstances I need to ask myself - “In order to do the will of God does it involve action or belief? In what area of my life do I find it difficult to do the will of God?” I need to brainstorm ideas of what action I can take to bring each circumstance under the will of God.

Mark 3:31-35 (English Standard Version)

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