Luke 8:20-21

For 30 years, Jesus had lived with his family and, apparently, no one had taken much notice of him. Certainly, we have no record of him coming to public attention. But now, suddenly, he had started a ministry which was drawing huge crowds. His own family wanted to speak with him – and they had to queue up with everyone else! It must have been a very strange experience for them.

The fact that Joseph isn’t mentioned in this account has led many to believe that he was dead by this point. We have no firm knowledge of this. He might have been busy working in his carpentry shop, although the fact that there isn’t a single mention of him during the years of Jesus’ public ministry supports the view that he had passed away. Certainly, if he had been alive at the time of Jesus’ death, it wouldn’t have been necessary for Jesus to address John from the cross, asking him to look after Mary. And it would have been usual for Joseph, as Jesus’ father, to take responsibility for burying Jesus, not for that responsibility to fall to a stranger.

When Jesus remarked that his mother and brothers were those who heard his word and did it, there is no suggestion that he was rejecting his earthly family or suggesting that they didn’t matter. What he was seeking to do was to establish his order of priorities, and his spiritual family came first. His forever family is composed of those who not only hear God’s word but also put it into action. These words clearly underline the teaching of the parable of the sower. When the word of God is received it needs to be turned into action so that there can be a great harvest.

QUESTION
How important is it to you to be part of God’s forever family?

PRAYER
Lord God, I thank you for the privilege of belonging to your family. Help me to treasure my own family but also celebrate that you have called me into a family which will never come to an end. Amen

Released on 16 Jun 2023