Thursday October 8, 2020

Today’s Reading: Mark 3:31-35

 “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3:35

Reflection: As believers, we become a part of Jesus’ Family. One day, while Jesus is teaching a crowd, His mother and brothers arrive and send a message through the people that they are looking for Him. Jesus takes this opportunity in the presence of His own biological family to define the relationship that those who follow Jesus share with Him. He says that whoever does God’s Will is a part of His Family. They are His mother, sister, or brother. By making this statement, Jesus is not diminishing the blessing of His earthly mother or brothers. Instead, He uses the example of His relationship with His family members to help the crowd better understand the dynamic of the relationship He shares with His followers.

By calling his followers family, Jesus implies the close kinship He shares with them. Jesus’ Family members are united by God’s Purpose and Will. They will share similar perspectives and experiences as a result of their choice to follow God. They will grow strong bonds by their shared unity in Christ. Jesus also uses the term ‘Family’ to allude to a deeper transformation that occurs within every believer. In the Gospel of John, Jesus explains to a Jewish leader named Nicodemus that those who enter the Kingdom of God must be born of water and the Spirit. Similarly, those who enjoy close fellowship with Jesus both here on earth and in God’s Kingdom are those who do so because they have been spiritually reborn of God’s Spirit into His Family. They are more than just close to Jesus. They are connected by the Spirit of God within them.

In our choosing to do God’s Will, we not only grow in kinship with Jesus, but are also spiritually reborn into a new life with Him. God the Father is now our Father, and our family in Christ are true brothers and sisters. As followers of Christ, we are not only united by Jesus, but are also united to Jesus. We are connected to Him through the Spirit of God. We are brought into close relationship with Him as our Divine Brother. This is how close we become to our Lord. What a comfort and blessing this is, to know that Jesus relates to us in this way, and to know that He invites us to be a part of not just His fellowship, but also His Family.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your Holiness and Righteousness humbles me, for I do not deserve to be in Your Presence, but by Your grace You draw me close. Thank You for bringing me into Your Family by Your Spirit. Thank You for the blessing of Your nearness, and also of fellowship with brothers and sisters united under You. May the reminder of Your Love cause me to give unending praise to You. In Your Holy Name I pray, AMEN.

Thru the Bible in a year (credit: Biblestudytools.com: Mark 3:20-35; 2 Samuel 7-8; Daniel 4