Jesus’ reply as recorded in Matthew 12:48, But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" (ESV)
We are meditating this year on some of the important questions that Jesus asked. If you are wondering as to why Jesus asked so many questions, they were basically to help us understand some important truths.
In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, the Lord was well aware of what they had done. Therefore, when God came and asked Adam, ‘Where are you?’ it was a question that would make Adam realize the situation that his disobedience had put him in. God had to make Adam and Eve recognize the fact that they had lost the intimate relationship, authority and rights that were theirs, because of their disobedience.
Often when we deliberately choose to disobey the commands of God, He does not intervene to stop us, for He has bestowed on us the will to choose between good and evil. That is what makes man different from all other animals. Sadly, however oftentimes, man decides to do those things that God has prohibited for him for his own good, and thereby heaps countless troubles on himself.
Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?
The question that we are meditating on in this message is the one Jesus asked as recorded in Matthew 12: 48, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’
The reason that Jesus asked this question is recorded in Matthew 12:47, Someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to talk to you." (GW)
Jesus was preaching and huge crowds were eagerly listening to his teachings. It was at this time that Jesus’ mother and brothers were standing outside, and probably sent word to Jesus that they would like to speak with Him. Jesus did not go out immediately, or beckon them to come in, but used this as an opportunity to disclose to everyone who He really was.
Like the crowds who eagerly hung on to Jesus’ words, it is vital that all of us must ardently desire to hear the word of God, for only then there will be definite changes in our lives. One of the tools that Satan uses, is to distract people so that they are not able to receive and understand the word of God as they should, for he knows that God’s word can bring deliverance in our lives.
Jesus revealed to them who He was
Earlier in the very same chapter, Jesus revealed to the people one important aspect of who He really was.
We read in Matthew 12:42, The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, something greater than Solomon is here. (TLV)
King Solomon was the epitome of wisdom. The wisdom that Solomon received was from God Himself, as Solomon truly desired it when God offered to bless him in any way he wished for. He did not ask for wealth or riches, but sought God for wisdom to discern between right and wrong to rule the people of Israel with wisdom. The Wisdom of Solomon was so acclaimed all over the world that the Queen of the South, actually travelled a really long distance (probably 2400 kms) to visit King Solomon, and experience it firsthand. This must have been an arduous journey in those days, when there was not much convenient means of transport. Jesus revealed to the people gathered there that He was far greater than Solomon.
When Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, no one was allowed to even go near the edge of that mountain, for if they did, they were warned of being punished with death. The reason for this was that God is an almighty, holy, powerful and awesome God, full of glory, and no sinful man could approach him. However, Jesus who was God in human form, came down to the earth to redeem sinful mankind, and no wonder then that His wisdom far superseded the wisdom of Solomon, for He is the source of wisdom that even Solomon received.
The Queen of the South, Jesus said would stand in judgement against this generation, for she travelled really far to listen and experience the wisdom of Solomon, but grievously, Jesus who was far greater than Solomon was here on earth, sharing the message of the Kingdom of God, and so many were unwilling to give heed to his words.
We too must have such a passion to hear the word of God, and be in fellowship with His people in church. Notice how we generally spend time on those things that really matter to us the most. For some it could be their family or relatives while to others their jobs or business, are top priorities. Instead, if we give God the preeminence in our lives, we will find that all other areas of our lives will fall into place, and be blessed by God. We too are in danger of falling under judgement, if we do not take the message of the gospel seriously, or take time to listen and obey all that God is saying to us.
The way God fed the people of Israel in the desert
As the people of Israel journeyed through the wilderness for forty years, the Lord took care of them, and provided for them in miraculous ways. The wilderness experience must have been extremely difficult, with intense heat in the mornings, freezing cold at night, no sense of direction, with peril of robbers and poisonous insects, but in the midst of all of it the Lord was graciously leading them on. When they called out to the Lord, He graciously provided manna for them every day. For five days of the week, they received manna, just enough for each day, however, on the sixth day they were provided with manna that would last for the next two days, so they could rest on the Sabbath day, and set it aside as a holy day for the Lord.
If we too keep the Sabbath, and honor the Lord by spending time with Him, hearing His word, staying in fellowship with believers in church, we can be certain that the Lord will bless the labor of our hands for the rest of the week. God will certainly honor those who honor Him.
Jesus defined who His mother and brothers truly were
We read in Matthew 12:49, Stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. (TLV)
Jesus did not in any way disclaim that the ones standing outside were His mother or brothers, but was driving home an important message that the spiritual relationships we have are of far greater importance than our physical and blood relationships. He was not belittling His mother or brothers, for He was the one who also taught us to honor our father and mother.
It is good for us to analyze ourselves to see if we value our spiritual relationship with God or are we still tied down by our physical and earthly relationships. Many people have been misled and trapped because of being entangled with wrong relationships. Families are torn apart, faith of many has been destroyed, and children are going astray only because they are involved in relationships that God doesn’t approve of.
An example from Abraham and Lot
When God called Abraham, Lot decided to go along with him. The Lord began to bless them both and their herds increased manifold. All of a sudden Lot began to focus on all the material blessings, and ultimately began to value them over his relationship with Abraham. The result was obvious, Lot parted ways from Abraham and went out on his own. It was only when Lot separated himself from Abraham that the Lord reaffirmed to Abraham that every bit of ground that his feet trod upon would belong to him, and his descendants forever. If they were together, the Lord would have blessed Abraham, Lot might have sought for a part in it, but by parting from Abraham, the Lord gave to Abraham every blessing that was duly his.
Sometimes, we too must let go of certain relationships, if we are to experience the blessings of God in their fullness.
What happened to Mary after the resurrection of Jesus?
We read in Act 1:14, They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers. (GNB)
Something dramatic happened to Mary and the brothers of Jesus after His death, burial and resurrection. The ones who stood outside the house were now part of the group that believed and were praying together, awaiting for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. They now understood that the blessing of God would be theirs, only when they too walked in obedience to His word.
The declaration of woman in the crowd
We read in Luke 11:27, When Jesus had said this, a woman spoke up from the crowd and said to him, "How happy is the woman who bore you and nursed you!" (GNB)
What the woman in the crowd was conveying that day was that if Jesus’ preaching and teaching was so good, and if He was so great to perform so many wonders, then His mother who gave birth to Him, would surely be a far more blessed person. It is indeed true that Mary was an upright and godly woman, a chosen vessel blessed by God to be the channel through whom the Savior of mankind could come into the world.
Obey God’s word, guard His word and do His will
Jesus did not immediately attest the words of the woman, but instead this was his reply as recorded in Luke 11:28, Jesus commented, "Even more blessed are those who hear God's Word and guard it with their lives!" (MSG)
Jesus was reinforcing to the crowd that day that the ones who are truly blessed are those who hear God’s Word, and guard it. It is true that Mary was a blessed one, but for those of us who are part of the New Covenant, we are far more blessed when we hear God’s word and guard it with our lives.
We also read in Matthew 12:50, For whoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Webster)
If we compare the above two verses from Luke 11:28 and Mathew 12:50, we will understand that we must firstly hear the word of God, and secondly we must guard it or obey it. That is why Jesus explained this in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, that the seed (which is the word of God) which fell on the way side, did not take root because the birds of the air picked them up. This is Satan’s cunning strategy to erase the word of God from our hearts, and prevent it from taking root in our hearts. One way to be reminded of the word of God is for us to take notes during a sermon, which is a good way for us to read, and recall what was preached. Thirdly Jesus admonishes us to be those who are willing do the will of the Father in heaven. In order to do the will of God, we must primarily discern the will of God for our lives, and this is possible only by reading the word of God. The more we meditate on the word of God and guard it, we will bear much fruit, for the word of God is powerful like a seed.
Environmentalists who have become conscious about the preservation of nature, are planting saplings in various places. Once they plant the sapling, they fence it so that they are not trampled upon or grazed by cattle. So too, only when we plant the word of God in our hearts, and guard it with diligence, will we be able to fulfill the will of God in our lives.
Elizabeth greets Mary
When the Angel Gabriel, brought the good news of the conception of Jesus through Mary, and Mary was pregnant, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth who was old and beyond the age of child bearing was also miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist, and in her sixth month.
We read in Luke 1:41-42, And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! (EMTV)
When Mary met Elizabeth and greeted her, the baby in the womb of Elizabeth leaped with joy, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. This was the greeting with which Elizabeth loudly greeted Mary, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” When Mary heard the greeting she too was filled with joy, and sang a beautiful song of praise to the Lord.
We read in Luke 1:46-47, And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” (ESV)
We usually magnify someone far greater than us, and here was Mary glorifying the Lord. Even though Mary knew that she was indeed the mother of the Lord, she still acknowledged the fact that she too needed a savior, for she declared that her spirit rejoiced in God who was her savior.
May all of us God’s children be constantly reminded to hear the word of God, guard it or obey it with all our heart and live in total submission to the will of God.
If we do so we are assured in John 9:31, We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. (ESV)
When we live a life free from sin, giving due reverence to God or being a true worshipper of God and do His will, then we have the certainty that the Lord will listen to our prayers and answer us according to His will. Let us let go of all those things that hinder God from hearing our prayers, and live a life in total obedience to His word and will. The more we allow the word of God to dwell inside of us, our requests will come in alignment to His divine will, and all our prayers will be answered.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
