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Father put Jesus into this world by
way of the miraculous Virgin Birth. Mary demonstrated her faith when told
by the angel that she would have a baby while still a virgin when she
replied, be it unto me according to thy word.
Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, told her, "And
blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had
been spoken to her by the Lord."
Elizabeth could appreciate such
faith having a husband who was unable to speak at all during her pregnancy
because he didnt believe what the angel told him regarding the birth of
John. For the angel told him, Behold, thou
shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall
be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled
in their season. So there is a great contrast in this young
virgins faith and the unbelief of Zacharias the priest.
While Mary demonstrated a genuine
faith, I am not sure any one else in the family truly believed in Jesus as
He was growing up. Could it be that Joseph was offended by all the
attention Mary showed this Special Child? Someone taught Jesus brothers
and sisters not to believe in Him and it certainly wasnt Mary. For
neither did his brethren believe in him.
Jesus was exceptional as a child.
We are told, the child grew, and waxed
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
When He was twelve (the time when a father would take his son and begin
teaching him a trade and how to be a man), the family had gone to Jerusalem
and traveling back home they discovered Jesus was not with them. The
Scriptures tell us, after three days they
found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing
them, and asking them questions.
And
all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
When asked why He had remained in the temple, Jesus replied, Wist
ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
Nevertheless, we are told, he
went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them.
Joseph taught Him his trade as a carpenter. Probably Joseph died years
before Jesus thirtieth birthday, leaving the responsibility on Jesus to
support His mother, brothers, and sisters. We are told very little
regarding His childhood, but we know He lived responsibly working as a
carpenter, for His enemies asked, Is not
this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of
Juda, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?
The time came for Jesus to begin His
ministry. Now we will see Jesus view of family, His view of fleshly
obligations as a son and a brother of unbelievers. From the very first
miracle at Cana, when the mother of Jesus
saith unto him, They have no wine, Jesus replied, Woman,
what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. Jesus
response was as if to say, You must wait for me to hear from my Father. I
am not going to be obligated based on the fleshly relationship with you as
my mother. The Son can do nothing of
himself, but what he seeth the Father do (not His mother of the
flesh): for what things soever he doeth,
these also doeth the Son likewise.
When Jesus was teaching in a house
and it was so crowded that his mother, brothers and sisters could not get to
Him, they told Jesus, Behold, thy mother and
thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. Jesus
turned His back on them and declared no obligation according to the flesh
relationship of family by saying, Who is my
mother? And who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his
disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall
do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and
sister, and mother. The spiritual family has priority over the
physical family as far as Jesus was concerned and He clearly declares it so.
Another time He was teaching and a
woman shouted from the crowd, Blessed is the
womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. It
was as if the woman was trying to draw Jesus into recognizing a physical
obligation to His mother according to the flesh. Jesus shocked everyone
when He denied this obligation by saying, Yea
rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Jesus was turning the attention from fleshly obligation of family ties to
the true obligation of obeying the leading of the Spirit of His Father from
within Him. As He said in another place, I
seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me
which is completely other than the leading of fleshly family ties. Even
when the writer of Hebrews compares Jesus priesthood as being after
the order of Melchisedec, one of the points he makes according
to the flesh is that he was Without
father, without mother, without descent,
having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the
Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
He strengthened this teaching when
He said, And every one that hath forsaken
houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children,
or lands, for my name's sake (in other words, living
according to my example), shall receive an
hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. He further
states, Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but
rather division: for from henceforth there shall be five in one house
divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall
be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the
mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother
in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her
mother in law. When it comes to the family, Jesus is the
GREAT DIVIDER. The line must be drawn so that those who are FOR HIM
are obvious from those who are against Him. You cant be indifferent, for
Jesus said, He that is not with me is
against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Your identity with Jesus will be challenged more in your relationships with
family than in any other way, but Jesus walked that way first leaving
you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
Could there be any greater challenge
to our devotion to Jesus? Are these not difficult words, If
any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and
children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot
be my disciple? Does this not support the shocking message that
Jesus gave Nicodemus, That which is born of
the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel
not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. What your
parents gave you in the flesh is as far inferior in value and obligation as
the flesh is inferior to the Spirit.
If your mother is a Christian, you
may have many good insights given you through her. We know Paul spoke of
Timothy saying, When I call to remembrance
the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother
Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
But even a Christian mother can be completely without the leading of the
Spirit as she advises you. We saw that with the mother of James and John
when she wanted to see her two sons sitting on either side of Jesus in His
kingdom. Jesus replied, Ye know not what ye
ask. She was acting completely from a natural viewpoint.
The point is clearly made when Jesus
says, If any man come to me, and hate not
his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters,
yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
When the parent is lost, the only message we have for them is that Jesus is
the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me. What would be the point of
counseling lost relatives about anything else, since without Christ they are
dead in sins?
Your relatives will probably counsel
you from time to time. Dont follow their counsel if they are not of the
Spirit. When they counsel us as Jesus lost brothers counseled Him, do we
have the strength to respond as Jesus did? Jesus'
brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so
that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become
a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show
yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in
him. Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come;
for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me
because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not
yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet
come."
However, just because Jesus declared
no obligation to His family based on a physical tie in the flesh, it does
not mean He was not responsible in His love and care for His mother. Even
on the cross we see that He cared for His mother, but He reinforced that
there would never again be a tie between Him and Mary according to the
natural relationship of the flesh. Near the
cross of Jesus stood his mother
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the
disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman,
here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother."
From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
If we have the Mind
of Christ as Paul says and we Let
this mind be in us as he commands, then when it comes to our
natural family ties, following the leading of the Spirit within us instead
of the advice and counsel of family members that would be contrary to that
leading will be having His View of Family.
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