Jesus’ Mother

I was caught a bit off guard this morning as I was studying. You see, I have been reading and studying the words “father” and “mother” and have been found, and worked to fully understand, that the LORD is the Father and Mother that I should be leaning on as I progress in my relationship with Him. And then I read the passage below and I am caught taking stock in it all.

“⁴⁶While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. ⁴⁸But he replied to the man who told him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ ⁴⁹And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’” – Matthew 12:46-50 (ESV)

I know that Jesus had a mother and brothers in this world. Here we find that they have come to visit with and speak with Him. Jesus, in true Jesus fashion, finds this opportunity to teach. He acknowledges them and then proceeds to add them to the group. Jesus knows that Mary and his brothers are important, yet they are no more important in the kingdom of heaven than any other. In fact, they, the group, fall into the same importance of being heirs with Him to the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus sees His earthly mother as an important person in His life and upbringing. He loves her dearly and she does Him as well. But, both of them know that she is just an earthly figure in the plan of God. Mary was the chosen one to bring Jesus into this world and then she turned Him over to God and took the place of a follower of Christ as she knew the greatness that He was.

My mother is my sister in Christ and where she cared for me when I did not know how to care for myself, she eventually turned me over to Christ and stands beside me as my sister. I love her dearly and she me, but we are now the brother and sister of Christ and we stand together serving Him.

I opened this post indicating that I was caught off guard this morning. This was quite the good thing as it drove me into more thought and study. What I know in this world is just that, in this world. The kingdom is heaven is my home and I have a whole slew of new relatives there. I am now the brother of Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, and Shirley, my earthly mother. Each of them as well as I have taken our place as the sisters and mothers and brothers of Christ.

What is your relationship with Christ? Are you now the brother, sister, or mother of Jesus? What if you were to live as adopted brother, sister, or mother of Jesus in the kingdom of heaven?

You and I have the Same Father

This is where I land this morning as I read and study God’s Word. We are of the same Father. We are together in Christ and in the same household. We are adopted brothers and sisters.

“¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…¹⁸For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” — Ephesians 2:13-14 & 18-19 (ESV)

It matters not where we come from, we are all going to the same place. We all have the love of Christ to lean on and use as our comfort and guidance. We all have the same opportunities as we come from the same household and have the same Father, our LORD, Christ.

How did/do we get here you ask? Well it is simple. We all have to accept the salvation provided by Christ thanks to His death on the cross for all of our sins. Yes, all of our sins. He did not do it for Himself as a show of see me. He did it so that we would not have to. He died of the persecution for our sins so that we would be able to move forward and spread the gospel knowing that we are no longer slaves to our sins. We have been forgiven and are able to move forward with the comfort of knowing that we are free.

I and you are brothers and sisters in Christ thanks to the one act of Christ and our acceptance of His act as being for us. And now we are of the same lineage and of the same life opportunities and are heirs to the kingdom of God, together, meaning that we have the same Father in heaven.

What is your thought on your lineage with me? Are you separate as you are somehow separated and don’t know me? What if you saw us as brothers and sisters thanks to the salvation provided by our Father through our brother Jesus Christ?

Our Father Rescues Us From Slavery In This World

“¹I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ²but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.” – Galatians 4:1-2 (ESV)

In the verses above, we can see that until the day we are counted as men we are slaves to the needs of the family. I know that I would use this verse with my boys often to let them know that they are to do as they are told and will not be “given” anything for doing so. Then as they grew up into their teenage years, they would be asked to help out as they had moved to the next phase. And now as they are into their 20s, they are the ones asking if they can help out as they have reached that point of now caring for themselves. This may seem counter to the societal norms, but it is certainly in line with biblical norms.

Now, let’s look at how this translates into this world and our movement in it. We are young in life and are driven by what the world tells us. We are to do that which is in line with the world, as we know no better and are in need of guidance and structure to move forward. Then we have the opportunity to accept Christ as our savior and we are asked by Him to do the work in spreading the gospel. As we grow in our faith and understanding of the Word of God, we move to a point of asking God for more opportunities and at this point we are now caring for ourselves in the order of biblical norms.

We have accepted God as our Father and He has accepted us as His children. In doing so, we have been made heirs to the throne of God and are no longer slaves to this world.

“⁶And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ ⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” – Galatians 4:6-7 (ESV)

And there we have it. God rescues us from this world and the slave that we are to it. We are accepted into His family as adopted sons and daughters. We are granted all of the greatness that comes with the family crest. We are now set to grow and know the family business and take on more and more responsibility which leads to our receipt of all that comes with the glory in heaven.

What is your view of how your father rescues you? Are you looking for independence and cannot imagine being told what to do? What if you were to accept the Father, allowing yourself to be told, then asked, then you offer to do the work of the family as you have been rescued from this world and accepted into the Kingdom of God?