Welcome to my blog that will be a weekly contribution to the spiritual life of Mid-America Christian University.
Have you ever had that awkward experience where you mistakenly go to wrong car—one that looks like yours—and try unsuccessfully to get into it? If you’re like me, you sheepishly looked around and hoped no one saw you. And—when that happens—you especially hope the owner of the car doesn’t see you. Well, once when I was growing up I took it a step further. I actually got into a station wagon that looked like ours, only to see a group of unfamiliar (and totally surprised) people staring at me and no doubt wondering “who in the heck are you?” I got out pretty fast!
The title of my post is the question, “who is my family?”
Matthew 12:46-50
46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
I wonder if Jesus felt “at home” on the day he said these words. By all accounts, he was still in what Matthew called “the towns of Galilee,” so he was in his familiar stomping grounds. But, he was now in his thirties and probably had not perpetually been residing in the area. I say all of that to ask, “do you think Jesus felt like he was at home, or not?”
In the stories directly preceding this one, Matthew reports Jesus having to defend his ministry. He has dealt with unrepentant cities, towns, and Pharisees who were just waiting to trip him up. Worse than that, verse 14 states “they went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.” Now that probably was not the kind of home-like welcome any of us would want—nobody was tying yellow ribbons round the old oak tree… a noose maybe, but not a ribbon.
And now, our text says, here comes his family. They’re “right outside” and “they want to talk to you.” Rather ominous sounding, isn’t it? I’ve had to have some of those kinds of “talks” before—have you? Some how, I don’t think they were showing up for autographs or to pat Jesus on the back for his reported miracles. No, they were likely present to remind Jesus that his notoriety and Messianic visions were causing them some real problems, and “can you tone it down a little?”
Have you ever been criticized for doing what you believed to be right? Have you ever been attacked when all you were trying to do was help somebody? Have you even been shunned by someone-maybe even a family member? Have you ever been misunderstood? Maybe you know better than a person should have to know what Jesus was feeling when he said: “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
All of this to say to you brothers and sisters—when you are here at MACU as a part of our staff and/or faculty—you are among family! You might physically be related to a few of the people here—or you might be physically related to no one—but we are all bound together by something much, much greater. We are bound together by a spiritual bond that supersedes all other bonds.
We are part of the MACU community, but It’s not just that we have loyalty to an institution. Jesus has called us disciples of his very own… part of the family of God, and one in Christ. In some cases, we come together with shared memories, thoughts of happy and sad times, but others are new to the MACU experience. Either way, I challenge you (as I call on myself) to forge relationships that will be nurturing to ourselves and can encourage us in the days ahead. There is an old chorus that says “we are one in the bond of love” and that’s true, here.
Look around… here are potentially your mothers, brothers, sisters and perhaps even fathers in the faith. I’m glad to be here and I hope you are, too. So, take it all in and be blessed! Again… we are family!
Nuggets (Takeaways)
- Let’s be sure to treat on another like the family we are!
Kendall the Fire 