May 13, 2007 · John 19

John 19 25-27

“So, take Jesus' words in John 19 as a challenge to be a better relative, be it mother, father, son, daughter, aunt, uncle. Take your family seriously. I find it very interesting that Jesus and his brothers, they had such a rocky relationship during his ministry. I can understand that, They rejected him. They were not his disciples on earth. It is hard to accept your brother is the son of God. I can feel that. It's hard to put your faith in your brother. But Jesus didn't give up on them. … Paul tells us that Jesus later appeared to his brother James after the resurrection. See, James, who was once not a believer, who rejected Jesus, then becomes the leader of the Christian church at Jerusalem. Don't give up on your family. … Keep praying for them. I've seen people turn to Christ after 40 years of praying. I've seen healing in my extended family over issues that people tell me all the time cannot be healed. Christ can heal everything. That's the same time we cannot forget that Jesus warns us that spiritual family is ultimately more important than biological family. You see, we are all children of God. If we forget to put God first, that's when we start to see problems enter into our biological families.”