Who are we to Christ?

“While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”” (Matthew 12:46–50, NKJV)

To be certain there is not a single, but a multifaceted answer to the question heading this post.  But in the Context of Mark 3:31–35, Matthew 12:46–50, and Luke 8:19–21, I am shooting for a particular answer.

Within these texts is a set of details about the incarnation of Christ which points to our Saviors view of who we are, or who the disciples were, in relation to his own earthly family.

The answer to the question “Who are we to Christ?” is, “What do you do when it comes to the Word of and the will of God the Father?”  It’s about the life you live through him, for him, in him, and to him…

In the 80’s Nike popularized the phrase “just do it.”  When it comes to the being accounted as one whom Christ calls his Mother, Brother or Sister, then if you’re not doing the Word of God, you are just a poser, a fake, a liar, a cheat, in short you are a sinner not following the will of God or his command to love, serve, and honor him by honoring one another.  You are not one who is doing the will of God.

While this distinction of failure to follow the Word of God is easily vetted in the lives of the many on the earth who do not profess to follow Christ, it is often more difficult to discern in our own Church backyards.  For no man or group of men can truly know the hearts and deep seated beliefs of those who enter into the doors and pews of the Churches we attend.  But the Scripture has a remedy for this heart blindness common to all men.  The Word of God:

““Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:15–20, NKJV)

In the same way we look at a tree, a grape vine, or a garden, we can look at one another.  But as Christians we are blessed to have the ability to help one another, love one another, correct one another, because we have been given, we can give, and if we do not share what we have been given- well then that is remedied by the Word of God as well:

“For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matthew 13:12–13, NKJV)

Stated another way.  If you cannot see and hear the Word of God, you will not be able to do the will of God, or comprehend the requirements of a broken and contrite heart.

So how does this apply to the question raised in Matthew 12:46–50:

1. Look at those following Christ.  They desire (rightly or wrongly, think of Judas Iscariot here) to be near to Christ, to hear what he is saying, to endure the crowd so packed into the room or around, the one teaching truth, that they have forsaken everything else.  God is the focus and priority.
   What are the priorities in our lives?
   • The priorities of those doing the will of the Father have characteristics which can be seen.
     • Devotion to the Word of God…
     • Willingness to endure and forsake other things in favor of doing and pursuing God’s will
     • Dedication to the Church which supports their development in the Word of God, Love, Grace, Truth, Faithfulness, Accountability and Correction.
     • Regular, even eager, attendance of Church Worship services, its teaching ministry, its prayer meetings, and instructions according to the Ministry of the Word of God and in the service of God for the growth of the Kingdom of God.
     • Dedication to the Word of God even when it breaks relationships, friendships, and other relations; where they walk away because they cannot abide your preference for and love of God over and above them.
     • Dedication to the Word and Will of God, especially when you are alone and only God is watching.
2. What did Christ say which should encourage us in this pursuit?
   • Whoever – ????? ??? ?? – Literally “for whoever” or “for the one who” with the particle ?? signifying an indefinite or conditional state of being (the “if” not present in the text) required to qualify “whoever.”
     • So in the crowd, around Christ, any of the followers could be qualified, if they do the will of God.  As you can see from section one above (and this is not an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination), what is required of us is a demonstrated, active, observable, obedience to the Word of God.  The world should know us by our fruits.
     • Also, since anyone can be found who may hear and do the will of God and respond to the Word of God in a God honoring and pleasing way, the sharing of the the Word of God should bring about a sense of service well pleasing to God, since anyone hearing the Word may receive it and be found among the “whoever.” We should strive in our daily lives to share and spread the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
     • Remember, Christ did not stop teaching and sharing the truth with Judas Iscariot, even though he knew him from the beginning as his betrayer and a thief.  He walked with him, ministered to his needs, and waited patiently for the kiss which would signal the beginning of his greatest physical suffering, so that he, Christ would be found “doing the will of his Father.”  In short willingness to endure the hard things, to honor the doing of the will of God.
3. Family for the Christian is defined by those who have heard, hearts which have been changed and lives demonstrating devotion to accomplishing the will of the Father.  Family according to Scripture is:
   • More than those birthed from a common mothers womb.
   • More than fatherhood manifesting itself through the act of conception.
   • Child rearing does not ensure eternal security, nor do the trials and strife common to all human families, plagued by sin.
   • Only through the Word of God, its reception and effectual call in the life of a believer (through the power of the Holy Spirit), is salvation and eternal security found, applied and received according to the blood of Christ.  Those purchased with this blood are family indeed.
   • The applications are bountiful and summarized in the Word of God:

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”” (Matthew 22:37–40, NKJV)

Who is my neighbor?  EVERYONE!

What is clear from the text is this, Christ was not willing to be distracted from the work of the Father, and he preferred his present company, those willing to endure the crowd to be close to the Word of God, to hear and learn.  And in the case of the eventual Apostles, to carrying on the teaching of the Word of God (John 17), so that many more might be accounted the family of Christ.

One of the questions which came to me was why were Christ’s mother and brothers, not already with him, why were they not in the crowded room, following, eagerly listening, ready to do the will of God?  Perhaps we will never know.  We know they came around eventually (Acts 1:14).

Take a moment to reflect on these things, and strive daily to seek and do God’s will, according to the Word of God.  Then will you be able to answer, “I am in the family of God, and Christ said this of me and every Christian whoever they are, that do the will of the Father according to the Word of God.  We are his mother, and brothers and sisters.”