La Famiglia

 

And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35 ESV).

 

The picture I’ve attached is from one of the family gatherings we had in 2016. This is most of the family who are direct descendants from my parents. Three of the four brothers are there, though one was deceased by that time. All of the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren are present. As you can see our family is relatively large. There have been more additions to the family; and, my oldest brother has died since, but the “family” has remained.  

 

The concept of family in relation to “neighbor” is of interest in the Scripture. In today’s Bible reading, we find Jesus sharing life and ministry with the people in his closest circle, the ones who believed in him and gave up everything to follow him. Together they were doing the will of God the Father. They were Jesus’ spiritual family.

 

The point of Jesus’ naming his followers as family was not to dismiss the importance of his biological relatives but to show that the connection with fellow believers was vitally important as well. God’s desire for his people to be in community, to strengthen one another in faith, to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15) is clearly shown in the Scripture. Our witness to the world as Christ-followers can be that we clearly “love one another” (cf. John 13:35).

 

Sometimes our biological families disappoint, discourage, or dismiss us. But God calls us to a higher and wider network—to be the family of God together. When we love and support one another, seeking to do God’s will and work together, we follow Jesus’ example of cherishing our spiritual brothers and sisters. There should be no question as to the importance of our biological families; however, our spiritual families are important as well. Our need for both is a part of the divine design. Take care to foster both of those relationships positively.