Beyond Blood and Ethnicity

Daily Devotional: Day 72

“Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.” But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it” (Luke 8:19-21, NKJV).

Jesus came into the world to create in himself one new human family that transcends blood and ethnicity. Henceforth, when you think of Jesus, think of Him as family, because He is family. And He sees you and treats you as family. You’re not an outsider, so don’t behave like one. Knowing Jesus as family changes how you love Him, how you love fellow Christians, and how you love yourself. Today’s Bible text reminds us of an important incident in the life of Jesus which radically changed our understanding of what it means to be Jesus’ family.

One day as He was teaching, His mother and His brothers came around wanting to see Him. Someone in the crowd informed Jesus about it. In his reply, Jesus essentially redefined the concept of family in the Kingdom of God. He said that His mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it. With this statement, Jesus announced that the criterion for membership in his family isn’t based on blood and ethnicity. Rather, qualification for membership in Jesus’ family is based exclusively on one’s obedience to His Gospel.

Jesus was an ethnic Jew; so was his biological family. But now, He wants us to understand that in His Kingdom, family isn’t defined by one’s biological connection to Him. This means that ethnicity, blood and biological ancestry are irrelevant as far as one’s salvation status is concerned. What matters is faith in Jesus and obedience to His Gospel message. We’re all saved by grace, not by race. If Jesus based family on ethnicity, very few would qualify to be God’s children. Through faith, however, we’re all included in the family of Jesus. This means we should be careful not to discriminate against members of God’s Church based on their ethnicity, race, and ancestry. In Jesus’ family, everyone is chosen and special, and they should be treated accordingly.

Prayer:

Dear Father, great is your mercy. Thank you for creating a new family based on our faith in Christ. Help us to transcend racial and ethnic barriers and treat one another as your precious children. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

For further study: 1 Peter 2:1-10