Luke 8 - What Does Jesus' Family Look Like?

Luke 8 - NIV

Luke 8 - Enduring Word Commentary

Key Verses

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”

Commentary

Large crowds continued to follow Jesus everywhere he went, as he proclaimed the kingdom of God, and showed it by healing the sick and casting out demons. In Luke 8, he tells a famous parable called the "Parable of the Sower". A farmer sowed seed liberally and it scattered to different places with different soil conditions. There was the hardened path, the rocky ground, the thorny ground, and the good soil.

The seed only took root and matured and bore fruit in the good soil. Jesus took the disciples aside to unpack for them the meaning of the parable. He explained the reasons why the first three soils did not produce any fruit. In each case something got in the way. I.e. the devil, the trials of life, and the worries and pleasure of this world. Then, he likens the good soil to someone who hears God's Word, retains it and perseveres. This soil person will bear much fruit some 30, 60 and 100 times.  

Then, in the verses above, Jesus says that those who are his true family are those who hear God's Word and put it into practice. Jesus isn't saying he loves other people more than his mother or brothers, but is defining what true family looks like in the kingdom of God. We know Jesus cared for and loved his family, especially his mother. On the cross when he looked down at her, he made sure that John would take care of her after he died and went to heaven. 

What I think Jesus is saying is that being part of the family of God is directly connected with not just hearing God's Word, but putting it into practice. We all know there are passages in the bible which are hard to put into practice.

Jesus tells us to, "Deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him."  He tells us, "The world may hate you and persecute you because of me."  He says, "If you want to save your life you should lose it. What good does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul." 

What I guess I am saying is that obeying God's Word, especially like the passsages above is no easy task. Some people like to pick and choose what verses they want to obey, which are usually not the ones above. 

But here is the Good News. We know the Word contains God's truth. All of it. We also believe in Jesus' promise, "The truth will set you free!" It sets us free from ourselves. It sets us free from worshipping other gods, which will only destroy us. It sets us free from trying to control ourselves and others. It sets us free to live the abundant life we've always wanted but could never produce it on our own. 

While God's Word is not easy to put into practice, it is worth it. What isn't easy is when you live your live apart from God's Word. We've all seen far too many cases of that in the news lately. 

If you believe in Jesus, you are part of God's holy family, plain and simple. But you show yourselves to be Jesus' brothers and sisters, when you put God's Word into practice. You will start to bear the family resemblance of Jesus, who loved you and gave his life for you!

Prayer

Jesus, help me to obey your Word even when it is not easy to do. Send Your Holy Spirit to help me when I am being tried and tested and tempted to give in to the flesh. Help me to trust your promises that as I lose my life I will find it in You! Amen. 

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