31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
-Mark 3:31-35
Our spiritual ties go deeper than even our familial ties. To be clear, Jesus here isn’t advocating disobedience or disrespect to our parents or family members. Remember, Jesus, as a perfect person, followed the commandments of God perfectly—even the one telling us to honor our parents. Right before Jesus died on the Cross he actually tells his friend and disciple John to take care of his mom, Mary.
What Jesus is doing here is teaching us to think of our connections with others beyond just our earthly life. All our earthly relationships will one day end. Even marriage which the Bible deems even more intimate than our biological ties will end one day, too. All our earthly relationships will end when we die. This is why the marriage vows says, “Till death do us part.” When one spouse die they are free from their marriage vows and free to remarry actually... and one day that re-marriage will end too when a spouse dies.
Here’s another way to think of it. When Maria and I die, we won’t be married any longer. The Bible actually says there is no marriage in heaven. It’s only an earthly institution. BUT, Maria and I will be spiritual siblings for all eternity. When we’re in the presence of God, my connection with Maria will be EVEN MORE intimate than our earthly marital connection because we would have no sin. There will be no shame. There will be no misunderstandings. There will be no confusion. There will be no selfishness. Our spiritual ties with one another will outlast by far our marital ties. And this is true not just for our connection with each other but also for our connections to all others who follow Jesus.
What does this mean for us? This knowledge should compel us to evangelism—to share Jesus with everyone we know.
Jesus is inviting us to this deep spiritual connection not just with him but with everyone who is a part of his spiritual family. He’s saying that all who follow Him will become connected to him and to one another forever in a deeper more meaningful way than they can ever imagine—deeper than even familial and marital connections.
As many of you know, I’m the only Christian in my biological family. I love my family and I’m so grateful that I’m connected to them in a biological, genetic, and familial way. But I long for the day when I can connect with them spiritually, because I know it will be a deeper connection that stretches into eternity. That yearning for a deeper spiritual connection with them compels me to share with them the love of Jesus. This is why at Harvesters we pray for their salvation every single week.
As you’re thinking and reflecting on Holy Week and how Jesus has invited you into his spiritual family, who in your social sphere do you also want to invite to be a part of Jesus’ family? Who do you need to reach out to and pray for to be connected to God? Would you take some time and pray for them today?
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