Matthew 12:47-50. Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
John 7:3-5. Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. “For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For not even His brothers were believing in Him.
Luke 14:26-27. “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.  “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

‘Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” The pressure of family to be given first consideration by individuals in our western society is particularly evident at Christmas time. It seems to be a cultural imperative. The homes of believers are often invaded at this season of the year by an odd assortment of voices, opinions and beliefs – all waiting to be heard.

The matter of first importance is who is the focal point inside our home? Even if we are the one who invited this company of family members, whose authority and significance will be evident? Human or divine?

An account of the incident in the life of Jesus quoted above appears in the first three Gospels. Its importance is vital to an understanding of the nature and operation of the eternal kingdom into which each one enters who is born anew of the Spirit of God. This event is given even more significance because, ‘For not even His brothers were believing in Him’. Insofar as they did not believe in Jesus they were in fact opposed to the will of His Father in heaven.

We must never attempt to moderate or rationalize the words of Jesus. His statement on this occasion is unequivocal, “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” All who have by grace through faith entered the kingdom of heaven are potentially ‘brother and sister and mother’ to Jesus, yet only those who actively are doing the will of His Father in heaven may know the reality and joy of this fact.

So how is it possible to honour our father and mother and at the same time hate them? The clue is provided at the end of the list of family members –‘yes, and even his own life’. Thus, the hate that Jesus speaks of is to be directed towards the self-life which resides in all of us, that always is in opposition to the will of God; whether in father or mother, in other family members, or in ourselves. It is this self-life that causes ourselves, family members or any human being to oppose the Lord Jesus.

Surely, all those who love our Lord Jesus should take the simple solution available to them, which is that they be found at all times to be doing the will of our Father who is in heaven, just as Jesus did during His sojourn on earth. For this purpose was the Holy Spirit made resident in the spirits of all who have truly come in repentance and in faith to Jesus.

If we will resist every attempt of our self-life to dictate our pathway in favour of dedicating ourselves to do the will of God in the mighty power of the Spirit, we shall experience the reality that the apostle Paul expressed so perfectly; “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Those who reckon themselves to have died when Christ died, so that He may perform His will unhindered through them, are qualified by the Father to be Jesus’ true ‘brother and sister and mother’. By these is the body of Christ displayed as His testimony before a needy disbelieving world.

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