Who is Your Family?

Blog following the Sermon given on Mothering Sunday

Many thanks to you and everyone who supported me, in giving my first Sermon on Mothering Sunday. I used the title: Who is my Family?

For those who couldn’t attend here is the podcast.

What did Jesus mean by asking the question, “Who is my Mother?” (Matthew 12:48) and what does his explanation to the question mean for you and I?

There is a common maxim which says, ‘you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family’! You may have had occasion to speak it out yourself. Does this help us to understand what Jesus meant when he asked the question ‘Who is my Mother and Brothers?’ Interestingly, He was very clear about who His Father was — but the other relations?

Jesus was speaking to the crowd when his Mother, Mary and his Brothers appear at the door. His family were worried and wanted his attention. They knew that Jesus had been speaking out, performing healings and miracles which in turn had stirred up the authorities and religious leaders. The Pharisees had made it public that they wanted to kill Jesus. What family wouldn’t be concerned!

Jesus had given a rhetorical question and whilst pointing to the disciples gave the answer to it: ‘Here are my brothers and sisters and mother’, and continues: “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

This is no rejection of his own family but an expansion of the term family.