The Family of God

Matthew 12:46–50 ESV

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward 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.”

Explain how the purpose of preaching a passage is to preach what it means, not to only explain what it doesn’t mean. Use Ephesians 5 as an example.

Jesus is not denying familial bonds.

Let’s look at a few passages from scripture that uphold the love and honor we are to give to members of our family.

Mark 7:8–13 “8 “Leaving the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” 9 And He was also saying to them, “You are good at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. 10 “For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death’; 11 but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever you might benefit from me is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ 12 you no longer leave him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.””

Jesus taught that is was a sin to not make sure your parents are taken care of. Even if you are giving your money to the church. If your elderly parents sit starving and you have given all your money to the International Mission Board or the North American MIssion Board you are in sin.

We will look at just a few more examples.

John 19:25–27 “25 Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his home.”

This is not some grand statement about Mary being Spiritual mother for all Christians or any other type of over exalting her as the Roman Catholics do. Jesus was making sure that she was going to be taken care of.

1 Timothy 5:8 “8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Let’s get into the the text and see what does it actually mean.

Matthew 12:46–47 “46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47 Now someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.””

Why did His mother and brothers want to speak to Him?

We are not told but context does give us some clues. Jesus has just been pointing out the evil of that generation. Let’s look back at Matthew 12 and just see what Jesus has been preaching.

His family may have thought they were preserving His life.

We are told in John 7 that His own brothers did not believe Him.

Regardless of the reason, could they have possibly something important enough to stop Jesus from what He was doing?

Matthew 12:48–50 “48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 50 “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Following Jesus is more important than making your family happy.

Luke 14:26 “26 “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.”

What does Jesus mean by hate? It is not wrong to say love less. The love that we are to have for Christ goes far beyond the love that we have for any close family member. Now let’s be practical here. This idea of coming to Jesus is to come to Him as a follower with true faith that He is who He says He is. This is not a husband who is following Christ and has been saved waking up one day and saying “Wife, I feel led to move to another country to do mission work. We will never see each other again.”

That is not to say that only the gospel is in here view. This isn’t just about coming to Jesus for salvation so your sins may be forgiven. This includes are sanctification. Our walk is in view here. There are times when you have to make decisions for your own holiness that family members may not understand or agree with. (Use social media example.)

2. There is a spiritual family.

John 1:12–13 “12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Galatians 5:13 “13 For you were called to freedom, brothers; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

3. Our physical bloodline does not determine our salvation. It does not matter which parents you were born to, You must be born again. Even those related to Jesus were not saved based on that fact.

Luke 11:27–28 “27 Now it happened that while Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” 28 But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.””

What’s interesting is the context of Luke chapter 11. It is the same context as Matthew chapter 12 even if it may be chronologically different. Because Luke does earlier give us an account of Mary and Jesus’s brothers trying to get to Him.

Matthew Henry explains this passage well.

We had not this passage in the other evangelists, nor can we tack it, as Dr. Hammond does, to that of Christ's mother and brethren desiring to speak with him (for this evangelist also has related that in ch. 8 19), but it contains an interruption much like that, and, like that, occasion is taken from it for instruction.

1. The applause which an affectionate, honest, well-meaning woman gave to our Lord Jesus, upon hearing his excellent discourses. While the scribes and Pharisees despised and blasphemed them, this good woman (and probably she was a person of some quality) admired them, and the wisdom and power with which he spoke: As he spoke these things (v. 27), with a convincing force and evidence, a certain woman of the company was so pleased to hear how he had confounded the Pharisees, and conquered them, and put them to shame, and cleared himself from their vile insinuations, that she could not forbear crying out, "Blessed is the womb that bore thee. What an admirable, what an excellent man is this! Surely never was there a greater or better born of a woman: happy the woman that has him for her son. I should have thought myself very happy to have been the mother of one that speaks as never man spoke, that has so much of the grace of heaven in him, and is so great a blessing to this earth." This was well said, as it expressed her high esteem of Christ, and that for the sake of his doctrine; and it was not amiss that it reflected honour upon the virgin Mary his mother, for it agreed with what she herself had said (ch. 1 48), All generations shall call me blessed; some even of this generation, bad as it was. Note, To all that believe the word of Christ the person of Christ is precious, and he is an honour, 1 Pet 2 7. Yet we must be careful, lest, as this good woman, we too much magnify the honour of his natural kindred, and so know him after the flesh, whereas we must now henceforth know him so no more.

2. The occasion which Christ took from this to pronounce them more happy who are his faithful and obedient followers than she was who bore and nursed him. He does not deny what this woman said, nor refuse her respect to him and his mother; but leads her from this to that which was of higher consideration, and which more concerned her: Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it, v. 28. He thinks them so; and his saying that they are so makes them so, and should make us of his mind. This is intended partly as a check to her, for doting so much upon his bodily presence and his human nature, partly as an encouragement to her to hope that she might be as happy as his own mother, whose happiness she was ready to envy, if she would hear the word of God and keep it. Note, Though it is a great privilege to hear the word of God, yet those only are truly blessed, that is, blessed of the Lord, that hear it and keep it, that keep it in memory, and keep to it as their way and rule.

What this means is that even a close physical connection like that of a nursing mother to the very God man did not make Mary a child of God. She was a child of God by faith.

There is also no special claim that can be made because of bloodline. The Jews assumed they were children of God because they were the descendants of Abraham. Jesus and Paul both refute this claim.

John 8:39–47 LSB

39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, you would do the deeds of Abraham. 40 “But now you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. 41 “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

Romans 9:7–8 “7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s seed, but: “through Isaac your seed will be named.” 8 That is, the children of the flesh are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are considered as seed.”

Galatians 3:6–7 “6 Just as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness, 7 so know that those who are of faith, those are sons of Abraham.”

Let’s look at the last verse here.

Matthew 12:50 “50 “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.””

This calls us back to the sermon on the mount. Where we are told that “Not everyone who says to Me Lord,Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. We have the same issue here. The ones truly known by God are not the ones who disregard His word. They are not the ones who reject His will. They look into the truth of scripture and receive it with faith.