Devotion:
Read Mark 3:31-35.
To someone who didn’t know Jesus, what he says here probably sounded rather disrespectful of his mother and family. Earlier in this chapter, we’re told they were concerned about him and had come to deal with those concerns. I have to wonder if what Jesus said here didn’t remind Mary and his brothers of the larger mission that Jesus had been given. Though Mark doesn’t tell us about events surrounding his birth, other writers let us know that Mary had been told even before he was born that he would have a universal mission to reach out to all people.
The good news I see in this statement from Jesus is that anybody (you, me, anybody, anywhere) can be a member of Jesus’ family. He gives only one necessary criteria: do the will of God. Learn to live the way that Jesus lived and taught and do your best to follow his example. Give up control of your life and let God’s Spirit guide you.
There is an old hymn that says, “What a friend we have in Jesus…” Hey, if you do God’s will, Jesus is more than a friend. He’s family!
Personal Worship Option:
Offer this prayer or put it in your own words: Jesus, thank you for assuring us that we could have a close relationship with God. Help us trust you more and more to lead us ever deeper into that relationship. Amen.
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