Highest priority

Mark 3:31-35

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.”

Family is very important to me. I love having them all over for dinner, hearing what they’ve been doing or how their work is going, and having fun together. Family was even more critical in first-century society. They were a less individualistic society than us. Who you belonged to – your family and the groups you were involved in (such as trade groups) were what gave you identity and social standing. When one family member did something shameful, it brought disgrace to the whole family.  It seems that Jesus’ mother and siblings were worried about his outspokenness and behaviour. They were probably concerned that society would reject Jesus and bring shame on the whole family, so they came to intervene.

I don’t think that Jesus is rejecting his family in this passage. After all, his brother James later became one of the pillars of the church! Instead, he is using hyperbole to show just how important his message is. Despite the vast importance of family in their society, obeying God’s will by choosing to follow Jesus is more important. The Message Bible says, “Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God’s will is my brother and sister and mother”.  

It’s a matter of priorities. I will keep spending time with my family and enjoying them, but I choose to make my relationship with Jesus my highest priority. There are times when that’s a challenge. But every time I decide to put Jesus first, as well as honouring Him, I am witnessing to those family members who don’t believe.

Heavenly Father, thank you for designing families. Thank you for my family, whom I love dearly. Thank you, too, for the family of believers who understand and encourage me. I choose to prioritise obedience to you. Please help me to do this! And, when I do, please speak to my family through my obedience. Amen

Written by Megan Cornell