A Messiah Who Understands True Family Series

A Messiah Who Understands the True Family

Text: Matt. 12:46-50

Introduction

1. Illustration: Rudyard Kipling once wrote about families, "all of us are we--and everyone else is they." A family shares things like dreams, hopes, possessions, memories, smiles, frowns, and gladness...A family is a clan held together with the glue of love and the cement of mutual respect. A family is shelter from the storm, a friendly port when the waves of life become too wild. No person is ever alone who is a member of a family.

2. While I can only speak for myself, that sounds like church to me! In my mind, my real family is my church family because their values, vision and purpose are closer to my own unsaved family members.

3. When we are in Christ:

a. The insiders are outsiders.

b. The outsiders are insiders.

4. Read Matt. 12:46-50

Proposition: When we give our lives to Christ, His family becomes our family.

Transition: With Christ...

I. The Insiders Are Outsiders (46-47).

A. Mother and Brothers Stood Outside

1. The devil tries to get those of us who have family struggles to think that we are all alone.

a. He tries to tell us that if we were better Christians all our family members would be saved too.

b. He tries to get us believe that if we can't get them saved we have failed as Christians.

c. He then tries to convince us that you might as well give up because at that way you'd all be going to hell together.

d. But this text...this text is proof that the devil is a liar...and the father of lies!

e. Because if Jesus had family problems we are in good company!

2. Matthew tells us, "As Jesus was speaking to the crowd..."

a. The expression "as Jesus was speaking to the crowds" transitions the narrative from the preceding section that focused on those outside to those within.

b. Matthew’s narrative has maintained a striking contrast between three groups: the disciples, the crowds, and the religious establishment of Israel.

c. Disciples are those who have responded positively to Jesus’ invitation to the gospel of the kingdom.

d. The crowds are those who are interested in Jesus’ message and ministry but who have not yet made a decision to enter the kingdom and become Jesus’ disciples.

e. The religious leaders are those who consistently oppose Jesus’ message and ministry (Wilkins, NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Matthew, 454).

3. However, now we see a forth group emerge who are trying desperately to get Jesus attention...his own family. Matthew states, "his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him."

a. It is interesting that Matthew tells us that Jesus' Mother and Brothers were "outside."

b. If they were truly supportive of what Jesus was doing doesn't it seem to reason that they would be "inside" (Turner, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Matthew/Mark, 178)?

c. In fact, Matthew emphasizes their exclusion from Jesus inner circle by the repetition of the word "outside" (France, 497).

d. If they really believed in him they would not only have been inside, but they would have been helping him.

4. Then someone tells Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to speak to you.”

a. After the resurrection, Jesus' brothers eventually came to believe in Him, His brother James becoming the head of the Jerusalem church and author of the epistle that bears his name.

b. But during Jesus' preaching and teaching ministry there is no clear evidence that any member of His family other than Mary fully understood who He really was or trusted in Him as Savior

c. We are told specifically that His brothers did not believe in Him, and it may be that even His mother—despite the revelations to her before and after Jesus' birth and her magnificent confession at that time—did not yet personally trust in Jesus as her own Lord and Savior (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).

5. So why did they want to speak to him?

a. Matthew gives no reason for why his family wishes to speak to him, but Mark indicates that earlier his family apparently went out from Nazareth to Capernaum because they heard reports of the commotion that Jesus’ ministry was causing.

b. They wanted to take control of Jesus and alter his ministry, because they thought that he was out of his mind, considering the claims he was making and his disruption of the religious status quo.

c. Along with this, it may be that they intend to bring Jesus to his senses as the eldest son, the one responsible to care for his mother and younger brothers and sisters after the death of Joseph (Wilkins, 454).

d. Mark 3:21 (NLT)

When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.