Matthew 12: The Lord and His Family (6)
Pray Psalm 5.11, 12.
But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
Sing Psalm 5.11, 12.
Angel’s Story: O Jesus, I Have Promised
Let those rejoice who seek You and shelter ’neath Your wing.
Their tongues shall rise to speak to Your praise; Your grace they sing.
Your people You will bless, LORD, all those who to You yield.
Preserve them with Your best Word, and guard them like a shield.
Read Matthew 12.1-50; meditate on verses 46-50.
Meditate on the meaning of “disciple”.
Prepare.
1. Why did Jesus’ family come looking for Him?
2. Whom did Jesus identify as His family?
Meditate.
Readers sometimes think Jesus is being harsh on His mother and siblings here. But He does not necessarily exclude them from His true family. After all, like the multitudes, they came to speak with Him. Indeed, we know that Jesus’ half-brothers James and Jude came to strong faith in Him, and His mother believed in Him from before He was born. It’s not unlikely that all Jesus’ siblings learned to trust in Him, as He doubtless knew they would.
The point of this exchange is not to exclude from Jesus’ family those who raised Him and with whom He grew up. The point is to include all as true members of His family who, like His disciples, do the will of His Father (v. 50). Luke says the family of Jesus are those “who hear the word of God and do it” (Lk. 8.21). This, after all, is what Jesus did, and any who follow Him in hearing and doing the Word and will of God are His family, indeed.
And what a privilege it is to be so related to Jesus! He is our Savior, Lord, and King; He is also our Brother, and as such He has banished the bully in the neighborhood and invites us to enjoy the freedom we have in Him. As His family members we bear certain responsibilities. We are members of His household, and so must attend to every Word of God, and be quick and diligent in obeying the will of our Father. Thus we follow in the steps of our older Brother and King, seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We are a worldwide family of brothers and sisters in Jesus, and our pedigree and defining character is to hear the Word of God and do it.
What a family!
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
David and Jonathan shared a friendship that did not negate their familial relationships, but only enhanced their understanding, knowledge, and ability to love others:
“Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David,
and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Sam. 18.1).
Upon the death of Saul and Jonathan, David wrote a song to commemorate them:
“Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives,
and in their death they were not divided…
How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan was slain in your high places.
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
you have been very pleasant to me;
your love to me was wonderful,
surpassing the love of women” (2 Sam. 1.23, 25, 26).
Jesus loved His disciples in the same way; but He also loved His family.
We are certain of this because God is love; and Jesus came to die for all of them—family and friends alike.
But Jesus was taking the time to clarify who exactly are His family and friends: those who do the will of His Father (Matt. 12.48-50):
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6.9, 10).
Jesus further elaborated on successful friendship with Him:
“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (Jn. 15.14).
And we are not only friends, but sons of God, because of Jesus:
“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,
born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law,
that we might receive the adoption as sons.
And because you are sons,
God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’
Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Gal. 4.4-7).
Then, as sons, we incorporate all the joys and disciplines of this privilege into our being.
God says to us:
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons;
for what son is there who a father does not chasten?” (Heb. 12.5-7).
Legitimate (Heb. 12.8), chastened, guided, adopted, and loved. All the joys of sonship.
Because of Jesus—our Brother, Friend, King, and Redeemer—through Whom God “made a covenant”
with us because, like Jonathan and David, He loved us as His Own soul (1 Sam. 18.3).
The best of family ties!
Reflect.
1. How do we express our “family ties” in the local church?
2. How do we strengthen those ties?
3. According to John 20.21 and Ephesians 4.3, why is it important that we work to maintain those ties?
To believers he applies all the terms of family relationship, those, namely, who had been joined to him in the kindred fellowship of obedience. Apollinaris (310-392), Fragment 75
Pray Psalm 5.1-8.
Seek the Lord’s mercy and leading for the day ahead, that you may have grace to do all His will.
Sing Psalm 5.1-8.
Angel’s Story: O Jesus, I Have Promised
O LORD, attend and hear me, consider how I groan.
Receive my cries and near be, great King and God my own.
By morning, LORD I seek You, I pray, LORD, fill my cup!
I long to see you clearly, as to You I look up.
In sin You take no pleasure; no evil dwells with You.
Vain boasts earn Your displeasure, and those who boasting do.
Sin kindles Your hot anger, You crush all those who lie;
deceivers live in danger of Your all-searching eye.
O LORD, Your lovingkindness escorts me in this place.
I bow before Your Highness and praise Your glorious grace!
In righteous ways You guide me; Your pathway I will know.
No good will be denied me as I with You, LORD, go.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from our book, The Kingdom Turn. Our Crosfigell teaching letter presses ahead in a series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column begins to examine the hope for the church, especially struggling churches. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
