Who Is Your Family?

One day as I was driving, a verse dropped into my heart. It’s the one where Jesus was addressing a crowd, and His mother and brothers came and waited outside, wishing to speak to Him.

(Jesus speaking) “Who is My mother and who are My brothers? …stretching out His hand to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven, that person is My brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:48a, 49-40 HCSB

As believers, we have been re-born, saved by grace, and adopted into the family of God (Eph. 2:8). Relationships and family are very important; there’s no doubt about that.

Jesus’ family was important to Him as well. When He responded with the question, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” I believe He was letting people know that God sees family from a different perspective than we do. We tend to think of family as our heritage and generational (genetically or adoptively) links. God sees it in a different context - He adopts us into His family through faith in Jesus, His Son. He doesn't focus on skin colour or cultural heritage. He sees us wrapped in Christ (Eph 1:3). As believers, we find ourselves in a whole new family with many opportunities to build relationships while learning to walk in love and by faith, giving and receiving mercy and grace.

Jesus lived and breathed love toward all people - He had no walls of protection erected around Himself and His “natural” family. Jesus broke down the barriers of division and separation. He saw all people with love and compassion and extended grace and mercy to everyone. When God sees us wrapped in Christ, He sees us as Christ is - full of love and compassion, extending mercy and grace.

Truthfully, we are works in progress. As we allow the Spirit of God access to our lives, He can work in and through us. He draws us to a higher level in Him, where our walls of self-protection decrease as our love for Him increases, and we learn to “do the will” of our Father in heaven. Right relationship with Jesus will lead us into deeper relationships with one another.

I am so thankful for my family and for being raised in a Christian home, but being adopted into the family of God, through Jesus Christ, has enlarged my family immensely. Now I'm part of God’s diverse family that is inclusive of all nations and people from every walk of life. As we rub shoulders, may we learn to walk together in the way that pleases God - with love, compassion, mercy, and grace.