Strangers... Yet Family - March 3
People in our country have a tendency to be suspicious of strangers. Maybe it's the fact that the evening news is constantly reporting stories of unsuspecting people who have been hurt or taken advantage of by strangers. Maybe it's the way that TV shows constantly depict the worst kinds of violence and evil that people out there are capable of. Or maybe it's the fact that our technologically advanced society is just finding it easier and easier to avoid having to come into contact with real people face-to-face, and this promotes mutual suspicion. Whatever the reason, it's not healthy... and it's not the way God intended for things to be!
Listen to what Jesus has to say about who He considers to be His family members in today's Scripture reading from Mark 3-4 (ESV)
Jesus didn't care about things like whether or not He actually knew somebody or had met them before. He said that "whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother!" Jesus wanted His disciples to feel that same kind of instant family bond with people throughout the world who "did the will of God". He didn't care at all about things like race, nationality, intelligence, socioeconomic background - any of that stuff! He cared about the heart... the obedience... the inner beauty of a humble, broken follower of the will of God!
And so should we. The truth is that, despite our differences, our ability to see the beauty in each other and see right through those differences is a huge part of what makes Christianity so special. We recognize that even when we're perfect strangers, we still have an instant family bond with our fellow believers through Christ! And so we are family - we all have the same Father, after all!