His Mother and Brothers: One Year Bible Reading for January 19

 Today we read the following passages from the One Year Bible:

Genesis 39:1-41:16
Matthew 12:46-13:23
Psalm 17:1-15
Proverbs 3:33-35

And the passage that jumps out at me is the one about Jesus's mother and brothers. Now, let's begin by making it very clear that Jesus was not denigrating His mother or family. For now, we won't go into whether His "brothers" were actual biological siblings or cousins of some kind. The main thing I want to point out here is that He honored Mary, His mother, and dishonoring her would be breaking one of the Ten Commandments. As a good Jewish man AND as a sinless son of God, He would not say anything to make His relationship with His mother into a lesser thing.

And that's actually really good news for you and me. Because what it means is that He is drawing you and me into that tight, close-knit, loving familial circle. He is making you and me part of His family. He's not saying "Mary and those guys aren't my family, but if you follow Me you're like a family to me instead." He's saying "I love Mary and my other family members more than you can imagine - but if you follow me and become my disciple, you become one of us. You're included at the table. I love you as a brother or sister."

So that's awesome news for us! We are drawn into the family of Jesus, and His Father is God, so we're in a great family now. Let's live like it.

God, thanks for including us in Your family.