Jesus lifts us up

 Today we read these verses in the One Year Bible:

Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22
Luke 8:4-21
Psalm 69:19-36
Proverbs 12:2-3 

Let's look at Luke. Jesus's mother and brothers come to see Him, but they can't get to Him because of the crowd. His disciples tell Him that His mother and brothers want to see Him, and His response can be puzzling to some people. He says, "My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

Was He disparaging His mother and brothers? Of course not. Honoring our father and mother is one of the Ten Commandments. And we know that Jesus never sinned, so clearly He wasn't dishonoring His mother.

Instead, He was lifting us up. He was saying that when we listen to the word of God and do what He tells us to, we become part of His family. We have God for our Father like Jesus did, and like He told us to pray. Anytime you wonder if Jesus is putting someone down, rethink the situation. Jesus came to save us, not to condemn us. John chapter 3 makes that very clear.

God, thanks for teaching us that Jesus came to save us from our sins and will make us part of His family.