Family is a unique experience for every person. When Jesus preaches throughout his ministry, he includes many familial references, metaphors, parables, and teachings. However, as in most of Jesus’ teachings, he flips the worldly definition and perception of recognizable terms on their head. Jesus preaches a new understanding of what it means to be family as the element that binds members together, in God’s realm, is not merely blood lineage, but rather faith. From Jesus, we learn that our faith or relationship with God is what has the power to transform us, and our identity… including our role as “family”. Sprinkled throughout the gospels, are moments when the crowds or disciples pester Jesus in the middle of his teachings about his nearby relatives. Using that moment as a timely example of reorienting what it truly means to be “relatives” he preaches the importance of being focused on God and God’s will, stepping out in faith, which is what binds us together in this new “family”. As Christians, our faith forms a new bond between us. What once seemed to be limited to direct lineage or blood relative status, is now overcome by the powerful reality of pursuing God together in faith as brothers and sisters in Christ.
These are the key themes of Jesus’ preaching during his adult ministry in Israel. As the long-awaited Messiah, you would think people would be eager to hear his sermons, right? Many times, Jesus is met with reluctance, confusion, or skepticism from the majority of religious leaders and onlookers. However, for those who meet Jesus and believe, their lives are transformed. Let’s explore the themes, many of which connect us to those of the Old Testament, which are woven into Jesus’ preaching as he ushers in the Kingdom of Heaven to a world so desperately needing it. These stories and lessons bring a new hope and perspective that ground our hope in Jesus.
