These four little verses give many people pause. Regardless of our own family situation, there is this almost universal expectation that families should be tight-knit, loyal, affirming, and always on each other’s side.
So, when we read of Jesus seemingly disregarding his biological family as, well as family, it gets our attention.
If Jesus’ words have grabbed your attention, then good. He wanted to.
No doubt this incident happened. No doubt also that Matthew’s arrangement of his Gospel in chapters 11 and 12 is to over and over make one point to us: you and I need to decide if we are with Jesus, or not.
In chapter 11 we read of John the Baptists moment of doubt, and we also read of Jesus’ words to the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These Jewish cities have rejected Jesus.
In chapter 12 we read of how the Pharisees have been not only rejecting Jesus, but also are growing in their hostility.
Now we come to Jesus’ family. Certainly Jesus will receive a bit more wiggle room from him. But they don’t!
Jesus puts a very sharp point on who is truly in his family with his Father – those who do the Father’s will.
What is the Father’s will? There are a number of places in Scripture where the text literally says, “this is the will of the Father…”. The one that I think is most apropos is John 6:38-40
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day. 40 This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
The will of the Father is that we believe in his Son. When we do, we become part of God’s family.
When we started reading this Gospel, I noted how Matthew, as he tells us about Jesus, draws on the family story. He started with the Old Story—the Old Testament.
Throughout his Gospel, Matthew has been drawing our attention to the moments and words of Jesus. He has been connecting these moments and words directly to God’s family story. In the past they seemed like random events and cryptic sayings. Now, in the person of Jesus, these seemingly disparate past events and words are coming together.
There are more moments and words of Jesus that will further reveal a unity that has been planned since the beginning—a unity of revelation—revealing Jesus as the center.
In fact, we have come to the moment, and to the words of Jesus, where he tells us how we can be family with him.
Are you family with Him? Do you want to be family with Him?