FAITH: becoming part of the family
It was rumoured and slandered about, that Jesus was mentally ill, or demon possessed. His mother and brothers went to visit him and stood waiting while he talked to the crowds. Someone pointed out to Jesus that his mother was waiting to speak to him, instead of courteously hurrying away to see what she wanted Jesus kept her waiting even longer, because, said Jesus, these disciples, who were standing around him, were his mother and brothers. in fact everyone who practiced doing the will of God was his mother or brother. It seems rather like a snub, and not a bit like we expect Jesus to act, but Mary who had conceived by the Holy Spirit and had been warned to expect something different about Jesus, probably understood, or knew she would one day understand, what Jesus meant.
Have you thought of yourself as the brother of Jesus, or his sister? No, I don't mean think of the word as meaning a person with a religious job, think of yourself as you are right now, write down your name, and in parenthesis beside it write, 'brother of Jesus'. If you are a mother of children, write beside your name, 'mother of Jesus'. That's how true it is. Of course there is a proviso - this family relationship belongs only to those people who do the will of God? Does that include you? “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus was asked that question by a rather hostile crowd, they became even more hostile when Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So doing the will of God is that simple, simply believe that Jesus came from God, died for your salvation and now shares his spiritual life with you. That's it! That's how you become a younger sibling of Jesus, because he has shared his spiritual life with you.
Jesus often talked about his Father in heaven, it is interesting that he always talked about 'My Father' when he was talking about himself, and said 'Your Father" when he talked about the disciples' relationship to God. He was talking about the same Father because there is only one God, so why the 'My and Your' words? Because he had a different relationship with God to the one we have. He was with God before the world was made, and was, in fact, God. Jesus used the words 'My Father' because of this unique relationship. God is our father in a different sense, he is the cause of all that is, and we are told he made the first humans with great care and shared his own breath with them. Jesus came to call us back to our Father-God whom we had forgotten, disowned, and rejected.
There are a great many generations between those disciples of Jesus then, and you and I now, so how does that affect the brother/mother relationship to Jesus. Belief is not a generational thing, everyone believes for himself, therefore we are all first generation relatives of Jesus.
So what does being family of Jesus involve? It involves a lot more than calling another person brother or sister. The family of Jesus has privilege, not deserved but bestowed. Family members act in the interest of the family and on behalf of the head of the family. Not because they have to but because that is the way that families act, it is (spiritually) natural.
And if we are to act on behalf of the head of the family how does God want us to act? Jesus knew: he said about himself that he always did the will of God. So by looking at what Jesus did we can understand what God wants. Jesus healed the sick, fed the hungry, healed the broken hearted, set people free from limitations. More important than even those things; he taught people; he taught them about God the Father.
So when we do these things we are doing the will of God. Acting in the interests of the Father and family is a strong thing, not a bit like submission or subjection but a vital power, directly inherited from the Father through the act of his spirit. Members of the family of Jesus are often dynamic in their reaction to suffering or oppression, forceful in their opposition to lies, and amazingly powerful when they concertedly undertake any action for the relief of human suffering. Their teachers are an outspoken group of people, often unpopular with people outside the family.
Members of the family of God are free people, they learn how they should act by understanding the record of God's interaction with people as it is written in the Bible, they copy the actions of Jesus as they are recorded in that book. They understand that wisdom is necessary when exercising the privileges of family of God and are always studying the book and learning from each other and from their many teachers. However sometimes, a person come along who claims that God has given him knowledge he hasn't given to the rest of us, these kind of people claim that God tells them things; they claim that God has told them what you should do. Run from people who do this, listen to teachers but run from dictators. God does not give private wisdom, he treats us all equally.
The Head of this family has kept for himself certain powers, only he knows the hearts of humans, only he may say who is a true believer and who is not. Although we may declare what the Bible states about believing in Jesus we are not anywhere given permission to make judgements about other people. We may not exclude or execute anyone because they believe differently to us. Jesus will one day judge the world, But he, not us, will be the judge of all the earth. Until that time all who believe in God are drawn together by a shared reverence of God and a strong desire to do his will. Surely God will help us live together in peace and work together for the benefit of his creation. .
References:
Matthew 12:46 - Matthew 12:50 (NRSV) 46While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 48But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Gospel of John chapter six verses 28 & 29 This is the work of God that you believe in him who he has sent.
(First letter of John chapter 3: verses 1-9)
Now we are sons of God and we do not fully understand what that that means, but one day Jesus will appear to all humanity, at that time we shall see him as he is and we shall be like him.
Have you thought of yourself as the brother of Jesus, or his sister? No, I don't mean think of the word as meaning a person with a religious job, think of yourself as you are right now, write down your name, and in parenthesis beside it write, 'brother of Jesus'. If you are a mother of children, write beside your name, 'mother of Jesus'. That's how true it is. Of course there is a proviso - this family relationship belongs only to those people who do the will of God? Does that include you? “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus was asked that question by a rather hostile crowd, they became even more hostile when Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So doing the will of God is that simple, simply believe that Jesus came from God, died for your salvation and now shares his spiritual life with you. That's it! That's how you become a younger sibling of Jesus, because he has shared his spiritual life with you.
Jesus often talked about his Father in heaven, it is interesting that he always talked about 'My Father' when he was talking about himself, and said 'Your Father" when he talked about the disciples' relationship to God. He was talking about the same Father because there is only one God, so why the 'My and Your' words? Because he had a different relationship with God to the one we have. He was with God before the world was made, and was, in fact, God. Jesus used the words 'My Father' because of this unique relationship. God is our father in a different sense, he is the cause of all that is, and we are told he made the first humans with great care and shared his own breath with them. Jesus came to call us back to our Father-God whom we had forgotten, disowned, and rejected.
There are a great many generations between those disciples of Jesus then, and you and I now, so how does that affect the brother/mother relationship to Jesus. Belief is not a generational thing, everyone believes for himself, therefore we are all first generation relatives of Jesus.
So what does being family of Jesus involve? It involves a lot more than calling another person brother or sister. The family of Jesus has privilege, not deserved but bestowed. Family members act in the interest of the family and on behalf of the head of the family. Not because they have to but because that is the way that families act, it is (spiritually) natural.
And if we are to act on behalf of the head of the family how does God want us to act? Jesus knew: he said about himself that he always did the will of God. So by looking at what Jesus did we can understand what God wants. Jesus healed the sick, fed the hungry, healed the broken hearted, set people free from limitations. More important than even those things; he taught people; he taught them about God the Father.
So when we do these things we are doing the will of God. Acting in the interests of the Father and family is a strong thing, not a bit like submission or subjection but a vital power, directly inherited from the Father through the act of his spirit. Members of the family of Jesus are often dynamic in their reaction to suffering or oppression, forceful in their opposition to lies, and amazingly powerful when they concertedly undertake any action for the relief of human suffering. Their teachers are an outspoken group of people, often unpopular with people outside the family.
Members of the family of God are free people, they learn how they should act by understanding the record of God's interaction with people as it is written in the Bible, they copy the actions of Jesus as they are recorded in that book. They understand that wisdom is necessary when exercising the privileges of family of God and are always studying the book and learning from each other and from their many teachers. However sometimes, a person come along who claims that God has given him knowledge he hasn't given to the rest of us, these kind of people claim that God tells them things; they claim that God has told them what you should do. Run from people who do this, listen to teachers but run from dictators. God does not give private wisdom, he treats us all equally.
The Head of this family has kept for himself certain powers, only he knows the hearts of humans, only he may say who is a true believer and who is not. Although we may declare what the Bible states about believing in Jesus we are not anywhere given permission to make judgements about other people. We may not exclude or execute anyone because they believe differently to us. Jesus will one day judge the world, But he, not us, will be the judge of all the earth. Until that time all who believe in God are drawn together by a shared reverence of God and a strong desire to do his will. Surely God will help us live together in peace and work together for the benefit of his creation. .
References:
Matthew 12:46 - Matthew 12:50 (NRSV) 46While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 48But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Gospel of John chapter six verses 28 & 29 This is the work of God that you believe in him who he has sent.
(First letter of John chapter 3: verses 1-9)
Now we are sons of God and we do not fully understand what that that means, but one day Jesus will appear to all humanity, at that time we shall see him as he is and we shall be like him.
Labels: Brother to Jesus, Children of God, Family of God, God the Father
posted by Jessie Coates at 4:22 AM
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