Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

Kind of wet out there. Becki and I did a jog/walk. Lots to pursue. I’m waiting for a guy to come. Here we go…

Love, Dad/Ray.

Jesus is often enhancing our inferior understanding by contrasting the physical with the spiritual. He is pointing out in this exchange that there can be a vast difference between the physical family of men and the spiritual family of God. Of particular importance is that Jesus is presenting here a fundamental basis for membership in the spiritual family of God: “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”.

I once heard a provocative question aimed at Christian parents: ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD’S CHILDREN THE CHILDREN OF GOD? I think we can balance out that question by turning attention in the other direction to ask, “Are the parents of God’s children the children of God?” Broader still, and closer to home, are the members of our earthly families also members of God’s family? In order to move toward that high objective, there is no substitute for you and me first making sure that we ourselves are people who earnestly strive to do God’s will. Secondly, we must strive to do all we reasonably can to communicate this fundamental need to the individual members of our families to also be people who do God’s will. I can’t imagine anything that comes closer to heaven on earth than being part of a human family that is also part of God’s family, individually and collectively doing God’s will.