Word to the Wise
Tuesday, September 26, 2017 - Tuesday in the 25th Week in Ordinary Time
[Ezra 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20 and Luke 8:19-21]The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you." He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it." [Luke]
In the Middle East, kinship bonds are extremely important. Family, clan and tribe are the way people identify themselves. This was certainly true in Jesus' day. The gospel portraits of Jesus, however, show a singular detachment from family bonds on Jesus' part. The touching scene at the crucifixion when Jesus transfers care of his mother to the disciple John is a rare exception. In the Gospel According to Mark, the scene which Luke recounts today meant that Jesus' family, including his mother, thought he was "out of his mind," and they were there to "intervene" and get him out of the public eye! Luke leaves that part out, but the detachment is voiced in terms of what a true relationship of discipleship means: "hear the word of God and act on it." If you want to be kin to Jesus, that's the way to do it.
I think most of us do not think in terms of kinship to Jesus. We would most likely think in terms of denominational affiliation once we call ourselves "Christians." We might think in terms of "friendship" with Jesus, or some kind of other personal relationship like a kind of brother. Discipleship, however, is the preferred gospel relationship, and it is well defined. Hear the word of God and act on it. AMEN
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