Who
Is My Brother and Sister?
.
God wants all
of our relationships to be transformed in
his Son Jesus Christ
a
reflection
on Matthew 12:46-50 by Don Schwager
Who do you love and
cherish the most? God did
not intend for us to be alone, but to be with
others. He gives us many
opportunities for developing relationships
with family, friends, neighbors,
and co-workers. In Matthew's Gospel account we
hear the remarkable answer
Jesus gave to the question, “Who is my
brother, sister, and mother?”
While
he was still speaking to the people, behold,
his mother and his brethren
stood outside, asking to speak to him. But
he replied to the man who told
him, “Who is my mother, and who are my
brethren?” And stretching out his
hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here
are my mother and my brethren!
For whoever does the will of my Father in
heaven is my brother, and sister,
and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50)
Why did Jesus seem to ignore
his own mother and relatives
when they pressed to see him? His love and
respect for his mother and for
his relatives was unquestionable. Jesus never
lost an opportunity to teach
his disciples a spiritual truth about the
kingdom of God. On this occasion
when many had gathered to hear Jesus, he pointed
to another higher reality
of relationships, namely our relationship with
God and with the people
he redeemed and brought together into a covenant
relationship of mutual
love, care, and service.
The essence of
Christianity
What is the essence of
being a Christian? It
is certainly more than doctrine, precepts, and
commandments. It is first
and foremost a relationship – a relationship
of trust, affection, commitment,
loyalty, faithfulness, kindness,
thoughtfulness, compassion, mercy,
helpfulness,
encouragement, support, strength, protection,
and so many other qualities
that bind people together in mutual love and
unity. God offers us the greatest
of relationships – union of heart, mind, and
spirit with himself, the very
author of life and source of love.
God has loved us first.
Our love for him is a
response of gratefulness for his mercy and
kindness towards us. God made
us in his own image and likeness (Genesis
1:26,27). That is why he wants
us to love others wholly for their good just
as he has loved us. God wants
the love we show to one another to flow from
the love he has put into our
hearts through the gift of his Holy Spirit who
dwells within us (Romans
5:5).
Beloved,
let us love one another; for love is of God,
and he who loves is born of
God and knows God. He who does not love does
not know God; for God is love.
In this the love of God was made manifest
among us, that God sent his only-begotten
Son into the world, so that we might live
through him. In this is love,
not that we loved God but that he loved us
and sent his Son to be the expiation
for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another.
No man has ever seen God; if we love one
another, God abides in us and
his love is perfected in us. (1 John
4:7-12,16)
The Scriptures tell us that
God's love perfects
us (1 John 4:16). His love makes us whole
and complete –
not lacking in what is essential for a good
relationship with God and with
one another. God's love has power to change and
transform us to be like
himself.
What is the nature of
God's love for us? His love
is unfailing, unconditional, and unstoppable.
Nothing can deter him from
ever abandoning us, ignoring us, or treating
us unkindly. He will love
us in every circumstance and situation we find
ourselves in. That is why
Paul the Apostle assures us that “in
everything God works for good with
those who love him” (Romans 8:28). It is God's
nature to love us and to
draw us into an unbreakable bond of unity with
himself. He created us in
love for love.
Friendship with
God and one another
Jesus is God's love
incarnate – God's love made
visible in human flesh (1 John 4:9-10). That
is why Jesus offered up his
life on the cross for our sake, so that we
could be forgiven and restored
to friendship and adoption as sons and
daughters of God. Paul the Apostle
tells us that the eternal Father “destined us
in love to be his sons through
Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his
will, to the praise of his
glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us
in the Beloved” (Ephesians
1:5-6).
In the parable of the
prodigal son Jesus describes
the incredible yearning God has to reunite his
ruptured family and to restore
those who have lost their way to the Father's
home (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus
describes himself as the good shepherd who
seeks out the lost and “other
sheep who are not of his fold” (John 10:16) to
bring them to his community
of disciples who recognize the Master's voice
and obey the his word. Jesus,
the Word of God made flesh, invites us to make
our home with himself and
the Father. “If anyone loves me, he will keep
my word, and my Father will
love him, and we will come to him and make our
home with him” (John 14:23).
That is why Jesus told
his disciples that they
would have many new friends and family
relationships in his kingdom. Whoever
does the will of God is a friend of God and a
member of his household the
family of God – his adopted sons and daughters
who have been ransomed by
the precious blood of Christ.
Relationships
transformed in Christ
The Lord Jesus changes the
order of relationships
and shows that true kinship is not just a
matter of flesh and blood. Our
adoption as sons and daughters of God
transforms all of our relationships
and requires a new order of loyalty to God
first and to his kingdom of
righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans
14:17-19). God wants all of the relationships
we are in – family, friends, co-workers – to
be rooted in his love, truth,
and righteousness.
How can we relate well to
others and love them
as Jesus has taught? The Lord Jesus gives us
his Holy Spirit so we can
grow in his love and wisdom and overcome our
unruly desires and prejudices.
His love both purifies us and frees us to love
others as he loves them
– with mercy, kindness, goodness, and
patience. We can love others, even
those who cause us grief and harm, because
“God's love has been poured into
our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has
been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
Do you want to grow in
love and friendship? Allow
God's Holy Spirit to transform your heart,
mind, and will to enable you
to love freely and generously as he
loves.
“Heavenly Father, you
bless us with many relationships
and you invite us into the community of your
sons and daughters who have
been redeemed by your Son Jesus Christ. Help
me to love my neighbor with
kindness, goodness, and mercy, just as you
have loved me. In all of my
relationships, and in all that I say and do,
may I always seek to bring
you honor and glory.”
[Don
Schwager is a member of
The
Servants of the Word and author of the Daily
Scripture Reading and Meditation
website.]
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