God’s Family (Matthew 12:46-50)
What does family mean to you? For some, it's love; for others, anxiety. But Jesus gives us a hope - a new family.
Matthew 12:49–50 (ESV) — 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.”
Today, we will see what it means to be God's family, what we should be doing for each other, and how we can grow closer.
The Family Concept
In Matthew 12, Jesus' family thinks he's lost it. They want Him to stop speaking about things that make no sense to them. These spiritual truths were causing people to doubt His wisdom and His family appears to be embarrassed.
Jesus takes this information in stride. His response to their plea is turning to the group of people around Him and making a bold claim, "Here are my mother and my brothers!" Can you believe that? He's got flesh and blood kin who have been around Him all His life. His own mother raised Him, loved and cherished Him. But Jesus replaces them with those who most would consider to be strangers.
Why would He do that? He tells us, "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." It's not about blood. It's about faith! Jesus, who we understand to be God incarnate, is willing to take tax collectors and sinners who change their lives and focus on the will of His Heavenly Father as His brothers, sisters, and mother.
Can you relate to Jesus? Do you know someone who has been rejected by their family for choosing Christ? I’ve seen this myself: some of you faced family pushback for following Jesus, like friends of mine did. Yet Jesus promises a new family—us. Later, in Mark 10, He says if you leave everything for Him, you’ll get a hundredfold back in brothers and sisters, now and forever.”
Mark 10:29–31 (ESV) — 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
These passages make it clear that Jesus is promising those who give up their former lives to follow Him will receive more than they had ever imagined both IN THIS LIFE and in the age to come. Jesus has His church in mind as He says these things. The church will be the greatest family on earth. When we repent of our sins, confessing Jesus as Lord, and are baptized, we become members of God's household (Eph 2:19), not slaves or servants but adopted children of the Father (Romans 8:15-17) and brothers of Christ (Matt 12:49-50; Heb 2:11).
What Family Members Do
So, what do family members do? This might seem obvious, but it's not in our society. We have just noted how Christ expects the church to be a family, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters of one another. But how does that work?
Obviously, there is a difference between a church family and a "blood family." But the passages we just read indicate that the church family takes precedence over the "blood family." When we have disciples leaving their parents, siblings, and children behind to follow Christ, we have to conclude that they have all become secondary. Peter is said to have been married so he even left his wife for a time to follow Christ.
In Acts, we have a clear portrayal of how the disciples loved and cared for one another. Acts 2:44-45 shows us: ‘They had all things in common, giving to any who had need.’ This family shares and cares. Think of Barnabas in Acts 9. He vouched for Paul, a former enemy, making him a brother (Acts 9:26-27). You know, we will have people come into this church without they blood relatives, and they need connections. I felt this at Lacey’s Spring: Phil Shaver, in his 30s, talked to me, a 17-year-old kid, like a brother after every service. Then there was Ben Hall who was a year younger than me and invited kids to hear my first lesson, building me up. Family cares practically and includes intentionally.
This tells us a lot about what the church Family is supposed to do. We are supposed to care for one another and help new members become a part of the family. I remember going through that process. When I was in my early teens, I didn't really feel comfortable at the congregation where I was attending. It's almost like the popularity contest from school had spilled over into the youth group I was in. There was no family feeling.
Later, we see Barnabas being told about an opportunity to preach to Christians in a partially Gentile church in Antioch. He jumps at the opportunity to make Gentile Christians feel like part of the family. But he remembers Paul and thinks, "Paul has to be a part of this!" (11:22-26). This is what it looks like for us to be a part of the family. We care about one another deeply, and we look for opportunities to build one another up. We want to make each other stronger.
How Can We Grow Closer?
Do you feel close to anyone here? If you do, let them know that you appreciate them and the time they have spent developing your relationship. If this church succeeds and grows, it will be because we get good at being a family and incorporating new members as family. We need to be Barnabas', Phil Shavers, Ben Halls, and whoever encouraged you.
No matter how much our love is growing and abounding, we have to ask the question, "How do we grow closer?" That's going to take some significant effort on our part.
- Get together to connect - Hebrews 10:25 clearly says, "Do not neglect meeting together." We cannot neglect meeting together and fulfill God's desire for us to be a family. Plan, organize, assist with, and come to events that the church is planning. When we come, we must talk to people we haven't spoken to very much. We need to develop those connections.
- Go Deeper - James 5:16 says, "Confess and pray for one another." I have only had one "blood brother" in my lifetime. We weren't the same. Some would say that we were polar opposites. But our love ran deep. We opened up to one another about things we wouldn't tell anyone except maybe our spouses. It took a lot of time fishing, playing games, and working together to develop that. We had to open up to one another, forgive each other, and make time for each other. The result was that it made us better. This is they type of relationships we should be developing with our brothers in the church.
- Serve Together - Like Barnabas including Paul or the disciples going out two by two, we need to look for opportunities to join forces. We will always accomplish more together.
Conclusion
When we think of the church, we must remember that Jesus calls it His family in Matthew 12, so long as your desire is to do the will of God. Being a brother or sister of Christ means we are close to the king of heaven and earth. There is nothing more valuable than that relationship. But we have to want to do and make an effort to do the will of God to be a member of that family.
By seeking God's will, we have Jesus along with every other believer as our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and children. It is God's will that we treat one another as such. We care, include, and grow closer by connecting and serving. I love my blood family, but to me, there is no greater family on earth. How blessed we are to be the church of Christ. This week, take one step—reach out, serve someone here. Who will you treat like family today?