June 8

Christ’s Relations

For whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother. — Mark 3:35 BSB

This seems too good to be true: to be the brother or sister of Jesus. Have you ever really thought about what that means? And then to know that every Christian is brought into a relationship with Christ as close and tender as the one He had with His own mother—have you tried to think about that, remembering that you are one of those brought into this loving fellowship?

Many women have wished they could have shared Mary’s honor of being Jesus’ mother. While they can’t have that distinction in this world, they can have a place just as near to Jesus’ heart as Mary herself. How incredible that sinful people like us can be brought into the very family of God, sharing in the privileges and joys of being His children! We can’t fully understand it, but we can believe it and think on it until it fills our hearts with warmth and joy. We often fail to grasp the blessedness of being a Christian. There’s a picture that, seen one way, shows a weary pilgrim lying on a pallet in a bleak garret; but seen another way, the same picture reveals a saint of God, clothed in white robes and carried by angels to heavenly glory. The first view is what human eyes see in a Christian; the second is the reality—what heaven sees.

But we shouldn’t overlook the first part of the verse that tells us who is brought into this close relationship: “whoever does the will of God.” As we continue to explore, we see more clearly that obedience to God is an essential part of saving faith. We must do God’s will and follow Christ faithfully if we want the privilege of being His brothers and sisters.