Key Passage
While Jesus was talking to the people his mother and brothers stood outside. They wanted to talk to Jesus. A person told Jesus, "Your mother and brothers are waiting for you outside. They want to talk to you." Jesus answered, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" Then Jesus pointed to his followers and said, "See! These people are my mother and my brothers. My true brother and sister and mother is any person that does the things my Father in heaven wants."
— Matthew 12:46-50 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key Thought
Wow! This is one of those moments in Jesus' ministry that sizzles with intensity, drama, and significance. Jesus' words would clearly be hurtful to his physical family that was already struggling to know how to understand his ministry. In addition, these words would be liberating and joyous to those who had always felt left out of the political order, pushed aside by the religious elite, and disenfranchised by the social structure of their day. Jesus was promising that his family would be determined by obedience—not blood, not genealogy, not politics, not power, and not money. That offer still stands today and the promise is just as true for us as it was for those who first heard Jesus' words.
Prayer
Abba Father, words cannot express what it means to me to have you as my eternal father. I can trust that my home is with you, and yet as I await my journey to that home, I also trust that you have made your home with me. Thank you for claiming me as your beloved child and living inside me through the presence of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Related Scriptures
The true children of God are those people that let God's Spirit lead them. The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God's chosen children. And with that Spirit we say, "Abba, Father." And the Spirit himself joins with our spirits to say we are God's children. If we are God's children, then we will get the blessings God has for his people. We will get these things from God. God will give us all that he has given Christ. But we must suffer like Christ suffered. Then we will be able to share his glory.
— Romans 8:14-17
Jesus said, "Don't be troubled. Trust in God. And trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you with me, so that you can be where I am.
— John 14:1-3
"I will not leave you all alone like children without parents. I will come back to you. In a very short time the people in the world will not see me any more. But you will see me. You will live because I live. On that day you will know that I am in the Father. You will know that you are in me and I am in you. If a person knows my commands and obeys those commands, then that person truly loves me. And my Father will love the person that loves me. And I will love that person. I will show myself to him." Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But Lord, why do you plan to show yourself to us, but not to the world?" Jesus answered, "If any person loves me, then he will obey my teaching. My Father will love that person. My Father and I will come to that person and live with him.
— John 14:18-23
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
© 1996-2017. All rights reserved.
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While Jesus was talking to the people his mother and brothers stood outside. They wanted to talk to Jesus. A person told Jesus, "Your mother and brothers are waiting for you outside. They want to talk to you." Jesus answered, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" Then Jesus pointed to his followers and said, "See! These people are my mother and my brothers. My true brother and sister and mother is any person that does the things my Father in heaven wants."
— Matthew 12:46-50 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key Thought
Wow! This is one of those moments in Jesus' ministry that sizzles with intensity, drama, and significance. Jesus' words would clearly be hurtful to his physical family that was already struggling to know how to understand his ministry. In addition, these words would be liberating and joyous to those who had always felt left out of the political order, pushed aside by the religious elite, and disenfranchised by the social structure of their day. Jesus was promising that his family would be determined by obedience—not blood, not genealogy, not politics, not power, and not money. That offer still stands today and the promise is just as true for us as it was for those who first heard Jesus' words.
Prayer
Abba Father, words cannot express what it means to me to have you as my eternal father. I can trust that my home is with you, and yet as I await my journey to that home, I also trust that you have made your home with me. Thank you for claiming me as your beloved child and living inside me through the presence of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Related Scriptures
The true children of God are those people that let God's Spirit lead them. The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God's chosen children. And with that Spirit we say, "Abba, Father." And the Spirit himself joins with our spirits to say we are God's children. If we are God's children, then we will get the blessings God has for his people. We will get these things from God. God will give us all that he has given Christ. But we must suffer like Christ suffered. Then we will be able to share his glory.
— Romans 8:14-17
Jesus said, "Don't be troubled. Trust in God. And trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you with me, so that you can be where I am.
— John 14:1-3
"I will not leave you all alone like children without parents. I will come back to you. In a very short time the people in the world will not see me any more. But you will see me. You will live because I live. On that day you will know that I am in the Father. You will know that you are in me and I am in you. If a person knows my commands and obeys those commands, then that person truly loves me. And my Father will love the person that loves me. And I will love that person. I will show myself to him." Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But Lord, why do you plan to show yourself to us, but not to the world?" Jesus answered, "If any person loves me, then he will obey my teaching. My Father will love that person. My Father and I will come to that person and live with him.
— John 14:18-23
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
© 1996-2017. All rights reserved.