015-Mark 3:31-35

INTRODUCTION

Family is important. Family MattersIn the life of a Christian family is very important. They can be detrimental or beneficial.Asking Emma to marry me to her DadIf you think you can afford her.- Funny because I had 2 years of college left. No money and broke.They have been nothing but supportive of us. Of us serving in ministry even when we had chances to make more money doing something else.I read this week of a student that knocked on his pastors door in the middle of the night. His mom (Roman Catholic) kicked him out because he got baptized in a baptist church.She told him “Jesus or your family”You may have experienced something similar in your own family.The reality is that family can HINDER or HELP your discipleship.Today we will see Jesus have an encounter with his family and how his answer was nothing like what one would expect.

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 3:31–35 CSB

31 His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent word to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him and told him, “Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for you.” 33 He replied to them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 Looking at those sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

1. What Jesus Meant Regarding Family

EXPLANATION

This scene before us is intended to teach us that Jesus Christ not only established his kingdom and a new nation; he also established a new family. His is a family characterized by radical obedience to the revealed will of God—a family that sticks closer than a blood brother, because it is the family of God.As Witherington summarises, verses 31–35 “present Jesus’ vision for a new community where spiritual kinship and not physical relationship is the fundamental basis of the family.”Jesus was here redefining family.

Mark 3:31–33 CSB

31 His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent word to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him and told him, “Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for you.” 33 He replied to them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”

The response of Jesus in v. 33 is shocking in the strongly ethnocentric, patriarchal, family-centered culture of that day!He implies here, and makes clear in v. 35, that physical descent and relationship is not how one becomes a member of the family of God.In fact, what is He saying?No physical family is ultimately necessary.No particular race or culture is ultimately essential.When you are a member of the family of God, you are a part of the only family that really matters.

ILLUSTRATION

Jesus prioritized the relationship of those “inside” over those “outside.”Mary and the brothers came and stood outside.Jesus is inside—Lots of People there remember—-Could they cut in the line and go inside? Probably but they chose to ask Jesus to come to them.This shows a small picture of how the Jewish people saw themselves in relation to God.We are part f the family. We are not like everyone else. We get special treatment.Jesus is about to show them a whole new meaning of Family

Mark 3:34 CSB

34 Looking at those sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

The family of God is a spiritual reality, not a physical one, joining together zealots, tax-collectors, thieves, murders, liars, cheats, legalists, self-righteous religionists, and all kinds of others sinners just like you and me.Not only that he is setting the stage for a family that does not see race, color, previous believe or religious backgrounds. You are part of the family based on what you do about Jesus.

APPLICATION

Being a part of the family of God is revealed by doing the will of God

Mark 3:35 CSB

35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus provides a clear, simple, and blanket statement concerning who is a part of the family of God.It is anyone who “does the will of God,” who obeys the will of God.Luke 8:21 says it is “those who hear the word of God and do it.”Kent Hughes is correct when he says, “Obedience does not originate relationship with God (faith does that), but obedience is a sign of it” (Mark, Vol. I, 98). He also notes this new family relationship is far superior (it is eternal), far stronger, far more satisfying, far more demanding, and far more dear than any human family relationship.

2. What This Means for Your Family?

EXPLANATION

Your family may be resistant and even hostile towards your own discipleship.Discipleship here means the process of becoming more like Christ.

John 1:11–13 CSB

11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

Some families will see your progression, your justification as a treat, and instead of being an encourager they will try to bring you down. You aren’t truly loving a family member if you prioritize him or her over Jesus. Dad’s especially today. You can show that you love your family by how hard you work to provide, by how much time you spend with them.But if they don’t see you prioritize Jesus over everything else they will miss to understand the greatest love of them all.The love that Christ has for them.I asked Emma this questioned the other night. When we come to the end of our lives have we showed them that our priority was Jesus and following Him or that it was our family and make sure that they had everything they wanted?The most important thing you can give your child is Jesus.How do you do that? By prioritizing Jesus in your own life. You must learn how to love your family while being led by Jesus. Jesus didn’t stop loving his mother or brothers.James became the head of the church in Jerusalem– Wrote the book of JamesJude- wrote the Letter of the same name.If Jesus had shunned his family and never loved them it would be easy to reason that they would probably reject Jesus as well.You must love your family even is they don’t understand why are you being that way.My family early in our ministry. They never understood why? Today they not only understand but fully support us.

3. What This Means for Your Church?

EXPLANATION

If the church doesn’t feel like a family, something is out of balance.The people closest to you should be people who are closest to the will of God.Obedience isn’t a prerequisite of being in God’s family, but it is a product.The ideal scenario is when your physical family is also your faith family.How are you helping this church family obey the will of God?