21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.
Jesus institutes a new family structure that excludes his own earthly flesh and blood. His earthly family at this point in time does not believe Jesus is the Messiah. They think he has gone a little bonkers, and have come to take him away. But Jesus has other priorities. His followers, those who have listened to his words, need His presence more than His family. This is a wonderful picture of what the Church is supposed to be. We are to be a family that hears God’s Word and puts it into practice. Simple! Hear the Word and do it. We only have to rid ourselves of our sinful thinking which places our own wisdom above that of God’s. When we think we know what to do, then we get in trouble. We must be willing to listen, really listen to the Word. We must let it soak into our spirit, deeply soak. A surface exposure will not be sufficient. Our sin penetrates into the deepest corners of our being. God’s Word must be allowed to penetrate in order to truly change us at the core. And that takes time. And in our instant message society, we have grown impatient. We want everything right now, with no work involved. New spouse, new house, new cars, new furniture, new toys, new kids. A happy life in an instant, or at least all on credit. We will pay for it tomorrow. Let’s enjoy it today! But the things in life that are worth living for take time to sink into our being. God’s Word takes time to sink in. Developing a deep love for a spouse takes decades. Passion for the lost, a lifetime. So when we have momentary glitches in our level of commitment, get back into the Word. Let it sink deeply, washing out the complacency. Then we will understand Jesus’ words, listen and do them.
The Arnold Journey 