Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers!” (Mark 3:31-34 NIV).  

What do you think about the saying, “Blood is thicker than water?” This essentially claims that blood relatives are your family because they are the people you are related to on a biological level. On the other hand, there is the saying, “Family is the people you choose.” This statement argues that the strongest familial bonds come from the people we choose. This week’s passage shows Jesus agrees with the latter statement. 

Jesus takes this opportunity to redefine what it means to be “family.” He has just been accused of being possessed by demons (v. 30), but after he refutes these allegations, he moves on to focus on something else: family. The word "family" in this passage can mean two things, either his blood family or his associates. Jesus’ blood relatives are actually the first ones to say, “He’s crazy!”

But later in the passage, in verses 31-34, Jesus elaborates on what family means to him. His mother and brothers arrive at the house, and when Jesus is made aware of this, he asks, “Who are my mother and brothers?” He then points at those around him and says they are his mother and brothers. Why? Because they are the ones actively showing loyalty to him, and it’s evident they’ve chosen him.  

By calling his companions his “mother and brothers,” Jesus is not diminishing his blood family but simultaneously placing a high level of importance on his not-blood family. Family to Jesus focuses on just how much people listened to and followed his message, thus fulfilling God’s will. 

I wonder what would happen if we viewed family the same way Jesus did, a combination of the two common idioms about family. Yes, we each have a family we are related to by blood and DNA, but we also have a family we choose. They both have a place in our lives to be considered family, just as Jesus demonstrated, but at times our chosen family takes front stage because of the way these people surround us and push us closer towards God’s will for our lives. 

This week, think of the people who are your chosen family. How will you interact with them to best fulfill God’s will for your life?