Mark 3:31-35
“And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
We all have a deep desire to be part of something bigger than ourselves. People crave a safe, honest, and genuine community and are willing to go anywhere to find it. Still, we don’t have to go far to find people that are hurting and lonely. They can be found in our families, among our friends, and neighbors, and make up a big population of the world around us. And honestly, we’ve all felt this way at one time or another.
The struggle comes when people search for community in dangerous places. What I mean by dangerous is communities that take more than they give. These communities can foster a culture of shame and guilt. They can create hate and push partiality. Such communities leave you hopeless and feeling unworthy. Communities like that will lead you to death.
The beautiful thing about Jesus Christ is that he wants to adopt you into his family. Jesus’ family is filled with hope, peace, truth, and value. To be in Jesus’ family is to be greatly blessed. Jesus wants to give us abundant life each day of our lives.
The crowd that was with Jesus told him his family was outside wanting him. His response should bring us hope and peace. He said, “For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” All we must do is say ‘yes’ to Jesus through confessing that we are sinners. We must follow him as Lord and Savior. From that point on, we will always be in an eternal family!
While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions:
- What was your family like growing up?
- How has your faith family exemplified what being in Jesus’ family should be?
- How can you bring (and be) this family to others?
Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you?
Explain – what does the passage mean?
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today?
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?
Macon Jones – Student and Young Adult Pastor