“31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
Mark 3:31-35
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“Blood is thicker than water” is a good phrase to remind us that our families and the relationships we have should be closely held, and relied upon. There shouldn’t be much that comes between us and our families, issues should be quickly resolved and conversations, though frank, should always be encapsulated in love. That’s the way it should be at least. Family should be a priority for us, both from a relational and a discipleship standpoint. Those are the relationships that matter most.

But then Jesus says this, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” We find that the Spirit of God is thicker than blood. In fact, it redefines our family completely. It rearranges traditional understandings of who we should care about, who we should be quick to reconcile with, who should be a priority for us and whose spiritual walk should be of concern to us. Our world of concern and care is much wider than we might think. And the love that God has given us has a much wider pool to share from.

In order to be close to Jesus, we need to understand what it means to be close to those who draw near to Him. There is no such thing as an individual within the church. No one stands alone & no one should ever be made to feel alone. Our common bond in Christ is our blood, our life and the fountain of our love. There are no cliques or clubs with Christ. None. Blood family is indeed important, but our community in Christ is even more so. We share everything in Him. 

If we want to get close to Christ, we must be close with His people. If we want to know what it is to walk with Him, we need to walk with those who walk with Him. If Jesus considered those who do the will of God to be His family, then we must do likewise. Our family numbers in the billions, each equally valuable and worth concern and prayer, no matter how our flesh may feel in a particular moment. Our bond in Him trumps everything. GoLove your family.