Tabor Baptist Church

• Have you ever had to disappoint your family?
• Jesus did not respond immediately to their request (but may have gone in later)
• Jesus uses the opportunity to teach about who is His family

• Jesus was never at the beck and call of anybody, even His family:
• cf John 7
• The request of John & Andrew to speak to the Greeks
• The man asking Jesus to help divide his inheritance)

Why did Jesus not respond immediately to their request?

• v20-21: the multitudes were so great that His people (likely his family/friends from Nazareth) though He was "out of His mind"
• Maybe wanted to dissuade Him from such enthusiasm
• Maybe a loving concern that Jesus was accused of doing things by the power of Satan
• Jesus had come to fulfil the Father's will - He would not be distracted
• Things distract us
• Things weight us down
• Maybe good things that are legitimate but our focus shifts off God
• Jesus was never distracted
• It is easy to be misunderstood when doing the things of God
• Example: Spurgeon and his wife
• When we do the will of God we are not to forget or neglect others
• Maybe we are called to do things that the family might be against
• Examples: William Baldern, John Pattern
• Jesus never neglected His mother, think of His actions on the cross

What did Jesus mean by the words 'here are my mother and my brother?'

• v33-34:
• His work must always come first in our lives
• Can we say that we love Jesus above all others
• Example: Shine like Stars - Rebecca (muslim lady who was converted)
• We may not have loyalty tested like that, but we might have little tests
• Dating a non-Christian person
• Conflicts between doing the will of God and the will of the family
• Moral issues
• Matters of allegiance: will you be loyal to Jesus
• Money matters: will we honour God or listen to other people who have other ideas
• If God has given everything for us, should we not give everything for God
• No scale: Not God first, family second, church third, work fourth, etc
• Put God's first in everything
• Example: Ladies Meeting in Aberavon (not neglect of the family)
• Jesus is saying who is my real, my spiritual family?
• v33: His disciples had given up everything to follow Jesus
• Who ever believes: regardless of who you are
• The will of God in Heaven
1. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of our sin and accept His sacrifice
2. Practice the word of God
• All who do the will of God are Jesus's mother, brothers and sisters
• Example: Young Muslim
• It is an amazing privilege that Jesus should call us His 'mother, brothers and sisters'
• Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren

• Remember if you are a Christian you are in the best family of all
• Remember that Jesus is zealous for His own