Have you ever been “smacked in the face” by a truth? Ever heard something and knew it was right, but also knew it meant you were wrong? Jesus had a way of seeing into the depths of the human soul and speaking targeted words that touched those depths. For some hearers this resulted in godly sorrow and change; others hardened their hearts and became enraged.
One of Jesus’ really challenging messages appears in Luke 8 (cf. Matthew 12:46– 50; Mark 3:31–35). Jesus effectively turns away his own family with these words, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” A small child can understand this message. Living it is the real challenge. We need to unpack this statement before we can put it into practice. Jesus teaches two fundamental truths for the kingdom of God here.
First, he hints at the nature of the church. We are God’s family. When we become Christians, God adds us to his family. Our physical family is no more important or special than our Christian family. In fact, the spiritual family takes priority over the physical one. Some have heard this message for all of their lives. Do we know what it means to live it?
Is my calendar always clear for family functions? What about church functions? Do I skip the gathering of the saints to spend time with family? Am I more likely to help a member of my physical family than a member of my church family?
Second, the spiritual family comprises those who hear the Word and do it. Simply attending worship services does not mean we belong to God’s family. Reading the Bible daily does no good if it doesn’t change our behavior. We might as well replace Bibles on the coffee table with comic books and verses in frames on the wall with cutesy quotes if we aren’t going to live in obedience to the Word.
When is the last time a reading of God’s Word brought me to my knees in repentance? How has your life changed in the last year because of the truths in Scripture?
Let’s live as the family of God.
Clay Leonard
