#DailyDevotion Water Is Thicker Than Blood In God’s Kingdom

Mark 3:31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Earlier in the chapter his family thought Jesus was out of his mind and now they are there to pick Jesus up. Jesus has other plans. Already Jesus is teaching us that the kingdom of God has a different relationship system. Jesus does give nods to this present age in his teaching but his overall teaching is that of the kingdom of God and already it is making inroads into the kingdom of this world.

Here Jesus teaches us that those who do the will of God is his brother, sister and mother. That is our relationship to Jesus. What is this will of God Jesus is talking about? John says, Joh 6:29 “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” And John says, 1Jn 3:23 “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” God’s will is that we believe in his son Jesus Christ and that we love one another. When we do this we are Jesus’ brother, sister and mother. The kingdom of God has a different relationship structure. In God’s kingdom water is thicker than blood. For the water is baptism, through baptism we are incorporated into God’s family and can call God Father. Mat 10:32 “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,…” Jesus acknowledges us before the Father as his brothers, sisters and mother when we trust in him.

Jesus taught that in the coming age there would be no marriage or giving into marriage. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ to one another. But that relationship is true even now. Mar 10:29-30 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, (30) who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” You may lose your family when you turn to Christ and follow him. For them blood is thicker than water. However, when you are baptized into Christ and follow him, he has promised houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land with persecutions in this life. In Christ you have a new family even now. You don’t have to forsake your current family but Christ Jesus and your faith in him must come first. But if they accept you and your faith continue on. If they cast you out, you have your Christian family you can turn to. They will be your family for eternity with the Father and the Son. They will be your family now and your family in the world to come. Jesus has promised it. All of his promises and God’s promises are yes in Christ. He will perform it.

Heavenly Father, you have incorporated us into your family through baptism and faith in your Son Jesus Christ. Strengthen our faith that we may always make this relationship to you and our fellow Christ our priority in this life that we may more fully enjoy it in the age to come. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.