Many of you will probably have heard the phrase, “Who’s your daddy?” That phrase has an unknown origin, but it carries significant meaning. In the phrase, “Daddy” represents a powerful figure who has control over you or the situation. It is often used in sporting events or other competitions where one person is superior to the other. In our scripture today, we are going to find Jesus turning the situation from his family trying to control him to him asserting his sovereignty as the Son. “Jesus turned his rejection by his family into a compassionate invitation to recognize his true nature. They came to claim him as their family member; he challenged them to be members of God’s true family.” (Life Application Bible Commentary). So, as we dive into the text, we will look at two settings of eternal importance.
Outside the Family
Notice in verse 31 that Mark gives us this description of Jesus’ family: “and standing outside they sent to him and called him.” His mom and brothers couldn’t get into the house where Jesus was because of the crowd. And because of their lack of access, they seemed to pass the word along for Jesus to come out to them. One would think that because of being family, Jesus would have made sure that they had access, but he didn’t. I believe the reason for this was to show the need for all to be invited into the family of God. Even though Mary was his physical mother, and he had physical brothers and sisters, that did not grant them immediate access to the family, which he was calling people to become a part of.
What has stood out in my mind, and caught my attention, in this brief and somewhat strange passage of scripture is that our physical connections to religion are not what matters when it comes to our salvation. We can be members of a church, part of a ministry, teach the bible, and much more, and still be outside the family. What I believe Jesus is illustrating here with his physical family is that physical connections are not the connection needed for salvation, and they do not give us access to Christ simply because of what we do or what we belong to. Those connections are only temporary and fade away when we die. And what scares me as a pastor is that many who claim to be a part of the family of God are really counting on that physical connection and missing out on the true invitation. And with that, they are left out when it comes to the eternal family.
Inside the Family
“Jesus knew why his family had come, and he wasn’t about to be dragged home because they thought he’d gone crazy. So, he used their visit as a lesson in discipleship. A relationship with Jesus is not limited to those in his immediate family. Jesus opened this relationship to all people.” (Life Application Commentary). Just imagine thinking that the Messiah, the Divine Son of God, had gone crazy, and you were there to rescue him from his state of craziness. That is the situation that is playing out before us in this passage, as Jesus’ family thought they were coming to rescue him and control him because they thought that he had lost his mind. The truth is they were blind and did not realize who he was.
But Jesus tells us who his true family is. “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.” (vv. 34-35). Jesus was saying to those sitting around and listening that those who had accepted the invitation to be disciples were truly his family. They were doing God’s will and responding to God’s message. As disciples of Christ, we are his family, and in that we are on the inside. Being on the inside means that we have a connection to the Father through the Son. We can talk with God because we are in Christ and Christ is in us. We have heard the gospel, and we have responded to the invitation of the Holy Spirit, and we have come into the family of God.
This kind of access occurs only when we repent and turn to Christ as our Savior. The disciples who were sitting at the feet of Jesus had accepted the invitation and, as a result, were on the inside. They walked with Jesus daily and understood the Messiah’s message and ministry.
Conclusion:
Can you say, “God is my Father?” Can you say that because you have come into the family through Christ’s salvation? Physically being a part of the church or doing something in ministry doesn’t mean you are in the family. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” To enter the kingdom of Heaven, we must have surrendered our lives to Christ and made the declaration that God is our Daddy! That is the only way to have access to the true family of God.
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