Article July 16, 2018 Issue

Who is my family?

Alexandre Fischer

Christ Jesus’ ministry as recorded in the Gospels demonstrated immense compassion, love, and healing for all humanity. Yet, in at least one instance, Jesus could be perceived as being unloving and even harsh toward his own family members.

In one account (see Matthew 12:46–50), a large crowd surrounded Jesus to listen to his spiritual teachings. At the same time, Jesus’ mother and his brothers wanted to talk to him. The crowd around Jesus was apparently so dense that his family could not reach him, but someone in the crowd passed a message along letting Jesus know about their desire to see him.

How did Jesus respond to this call from his family? You might think he would tell the crowd, “Please excuse me for a moment; I just need to be available for my family. After all, family is precious!” Wouldn’t that be a loving thing to do?

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