The Gospel Of Mark: Family Pt. II

Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” ~ Mark 3:31-35



They say that relatives are yours by blood, but family is yours by choice. Many - most - are lucky to have them be the same.

Others are not. For those with difficult relationships with those of their kin, blood does not feel thicker than water.

So which is it here? Or is it either?

As much as I've said to try not to think of the other gospels when we read Mark, this might just be a case where that's difficult. We didn't get a Nativity story in this gospel, but we all know almost by heart the gospel stories of Christmas from Luke and Matthew. We know the faithfulness and courage of Mary and Joseph.

Mary especially. She is lifted up for us as a paragon of motherhood.

And yet here, it seems like Jesus is casting that aside. Why?

To understand what Jesus is saying here I think it is important to begin with the idea that he isn't distancing himself from the woman who gave birth to him. Instead, he is showing what a new kind of family is. A family that is built on faith and not blood.

That connections to our non-related family is every bit as important - and sometimes more so than our family of birth.

This is a reminder that we are all children of God. And when claimed through our baptism, that new family becomes binding.

Imagine for a moment that instead of being in the shoes of Mary and her sons who might feel rejected, that you are in the shoes of the one that Jesus is claiming as a new sibling. That the closeness you have to Jesus is tighter than any bond on earth.

What might you be feeling then?

Well, that bond is indeed offered to us.


Holy God, thank you for the gospel - the good news - of your Son. Open my mind and heart to this good news and enliven me with your Spirit of servanthood that I might share this good news with a world in need. Amen


Engagement Questions:


How are members of church your family? What bonds are strongest there? Are there members who don't feel like family? Are there members of your actual family you feel distanced from?


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