We Are Family

Mark 3:19b-35

In Jesus Christ we become not only new individuals, freed from the fear of sin and death, but also a new community bound up in Christ's ministry. Jesus speaks about this new community in our reading from Mark for today. "And looking at those who sat around him, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother'" (Mark 3:34-35). This is not a repudiation of Jesus' own earthly family as much as it is an affirmation of those who have been called to follow him and who have responded with faithful obedience.

This is also a reminder to those who hear Jesus’ words––those who were sitting with him at the time and those who have encountered his words over the centuries since––of what their lives and relationships should look like. We are family, which means we must take one another seriously, must hold one another accountable, must stand side by side in support and encouragement, must share freely in times of need. To be followers of Jesus Christ is to look beyond our own circumstances and to recognize our connectedness to a larger whole. In Jesus Christ we are a family of faith joined together in a renewed relationship to God and to others.

Prayer: Lord, help us to live as your family and to share your love with those around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.