Who are My Mother and Brothers?
Pastor Jerry Wilhite,
author
When Jesus was told His mother and brethren were seeking Him He responded "Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?" Many have stated different ideas about what He meant with this statement. The shame is there are 3 groups that believe in the Bible. The first believes it is nothing more than a historical document. The second believes that it is the actual breathed word of God. The third believes it is the "be all and end all" about God and Jesus that all we need is to be found in the Bible and no further. This last group based on their own beliefs is in error because the Bible does state we are to hear from God, to have a one on one relationship with God.
The purpose Jesus accomplished by His death was reunification. It reunited us with God so that we could have a close, personal, one-on-one relationship.
I honestly believe God did breathe the word of God on and into the earth two ways.
One was physical, the other spiritual and this is why Satan has done all he could to keep us from realizing the spiritual side of the Bible. Over the past 100 years especially more and more have come to believe the spirit ended in the first century church along with faith. Satan had to do this to divide us. Jesus said a house divided would not stand. Satan knew keeping us tied up in the physical only and separated from the Spiritual made us ineffectual and less than we could and should be. Satan knew full well that all of the power comes from the Spiritual not the physical side. If we were not operating at 100% we would not be healed, blessed, and in time doubt would creep in even for the best of us.
Most if not all that believe and teach the spirit and faith ended in the first century do so based on their own personal experiences with both. They tried it once or twice and when nothing happened they concluded it was no longer. Some tried longer to no avail. The problem is that the spirit and faith are not to be tested especially just to prove they exist.
Faith does not work based on knowledge but upon the spirit; not seeing with one’s physical eyes but with one's spiritual eyes.
Look at the fact that for almost 2000 years people did not know what Christ meant. They considered "Christ" to be either the last name or the title of Jesus. In English it means to be anointed with the Spirit of God (Luke 4:18). To be anointed is to be totally soaked all the way through with the Spirit of God. Since God is a Spirit (John 4:24) then that means saturated with God. So if a person believes the spirit ended in the first century they also believe Christ and God ended in the first century.
Most get this idea from one of two places. Either, as I stated above, they tested it or by what Jesus said on the cross at the end "It is finished". The problem is He meant all that could be done from His end was done and now it was up to us to pick up our own cross and follow Him. We are to be as He was and do as He did, not in just the physical but the spiritual as well. Remember He said, "All I have done you will do as well and more".
So why have there been no accounts of the dead raised, people healed in the masses, etc. for almost 2000 years? Mainly it is due to a lack of knowledge and partly due to the same reason some of Jesus’ own healings are doubted because as with Jesus no one will heal large masses of people. It was always and always will be an individual act.
Hosea 4
6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
(Before you think the above does not mean you because of your not a priest read Rev 1:6)
Three lies Satan has gotten across the best are:
Satan is king when it comes to planting lies into us to divide us as a group, a family and as individuals from each other and God. Read II Cor. 10:5. I recomend reading in the King James, not NEW King James or NIV, or any other "Version" of the Bible.
In the late 15th century reformation started and within 100 years division was the mainstay of the religious sects. Division for the most part was due to ideas that had nothing to do with salvation. All agreed that Jesus saves. They were divided over things such as baptism and comunion. They were way off because they only saw the physical side not the spiritual side. They considered baptism to be of water only not of the Spirit. Even John the Baptist stated Baptism of the Spirit was the greatest Baptism of all (Matthew 3:11 - Acts 1:5).
The first major problem was in the 4th century when a ruler of Rome (Constantine) who was just coming to know the Lord decided to create a law that forbade all who did not claim Christianity to own land or have power. This good intention caused the opposite affect to happen over the next 1500 years. Instead of getting people to know the Lord it caused some to lie and say they did and some even became major powers in the church. Our current Pope (John Paul) wrote a book in the 1980's stating that he believed the next pope would be an anti-Christian based on how many cardinals who vote for the pope were not of Christ.
You need to realize where Satan has lied so you can overcome the lies to know the truth.
Understand Satan hates for you to grow and especially to gain knowledge. He will try all he can to keep you from that end because as you grow in the truth you become a threat to him.
John 4:23-24 states that God is a Spirit and the only way to worship Him truly is in the Spirit. Since this is the case, can you honestly believe God would write His book only in the physical and not the Spiritual as well? If nothing else understand Satan can understand the physical side but he gets lost in the spiritual side because the only way to understand the spiritual is by the Spirit. The only way to be of the spirit is to be of God and that means Satan can only understand when he accepts Jesus as lord and he will never do that.
With this all in mind understand you need to always seek both the physical and spiritual side of the word of God. What does all this have to do with "Who are my mother and brothers?" The idea of the physical side only on this question will lead a lot of people the wrong way and not gain them a thing but cause them to lose everything.
Mark 11
25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Based on the physical only we can justify cutting ourselves off from others of our family that we believe are not of the Lord and that will lead us to un-forgiveness and that will take us to Hell. You can not be saved until you are forgiven.
Matthew 12
46. While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
47. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
48. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49. And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Anyone who is not doing the will of the Father is not our mother or brother or even sister, but that is just the physical side. We need to understand the Father's will to understand the Spiritual side, but first notice there is no mention of "fathers" anywhere in these verses. Mothers, brothers, and even sisters are mentioned but not fathers. To understand we need to go back to Mark 10:
Mark 10
29. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
30. But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Notice in verse 29 Jesus states father but in verse 30 He leaves father out. The fact is we all have hundreds of mothers, brothers and sisters in the kingdom but only one Father.
Matthew 12
46.
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|0080| brothers
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|2476| stood
|1854| outside,
|2212| seeking
|0846| to him
|2980| to speak.
47.
|2036| said
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|1854| out
|2476| are standing,
|2212| seeking
|4671| to you
|2980| to speak.
48.
|3588| he
|1161| And
|0611| answering
|2036| said to
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|2036| saying
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|3384| mother
|3450| of me,
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|1526| are
|3588| the
|0080| brothers
|3450| of me?
49.
|2532| And
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|3588| the
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50.
|3748| who-
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We will now look at the will of the Father:
Matthew 6
14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
So it His will we forgive.
19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mamon.
It is His will the only treasure we have is Him.
Matthew 6
21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
It is His will we know Him so we can avoid the false prophets and false Christs.
Matthew 8
3. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And imediately his leprosy was cleansed.
It is His will we be clean in all ways, physically, spiritually and the soul.
Matthew 10
32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
34. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
37. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
40. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
It is His will we confess Jesus before mankind. Many will justify verbally denying knowing Jesus in the last days to save their lives. They try to justify it by believing "God knows in my heart I believe even if I confess I do not." These justifications will get many in trouble.
Matthew 11
27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
Proof you need to hear from God can be found in John 14:26 - I John 2:27. It is His will that we go through Jesus to reach Him, no other way;
Matthew 12
17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
18. Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
It is His will for ALL to come to Him, not just the Jews.
Matthew 18
12. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
13. And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
14. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
15. Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
21. Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
It is His will that we do not judge or condemn, but forgive all.
Matthew 21
28. But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
29. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
30. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
31. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
32. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
33. Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
34. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41. They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
Matthew 26
33. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
34. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
39. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 27
17. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
It is His will that we come to Him through Jesus and know Him, to love Him and have no other before Him not even our parents, children, spouse, or anyone else.
It is His will that we love one another.
It is His will that we come to Him with everything and by faith leave it with Him and let Him handle it. We are not give supposed to it to Him and then take it back due to a lack of faith.
1 Peter 5
7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
It is His will we are healed and live unto righteousness;
1 Peter 2
24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Mostly, His will is to love us and live with us forever.
Now if you find yourself in a family where you are the only one who is of God and the rest may even alienate themselves from you because of Jesus, you must forgive. Do not judge or condemn but pray for them. Many will think this makes them superior because this has happened and they will get into legalism and justify their un-forgiveness or condemnation of them and that is wrong.
Remember no one has lived right and no one deserves salvation. If you are blessed to know the Lord and your family does not then you have a responsibility to that family.
Do not do as some do and start speaking to them self-righteously or judging them. Love them, forgive them hold nothing against them and allow the Lord to work through you.
You are not in control; only God is and how He sees fit to handle your family is His business not yours. You are to be a tool and a tool never tells the user how to operate it.
Some may be given words to share, but most will be told only to pray for them without their ever even knowing it. You are not doing it for recognition but to help them.
Remember at one time you were as they are, no matter how much more they may have done or are doing that is wicked and ungodly. A sin is a sin, is a sin with God, and we have all sinned and fallen short.
Remember I said to read II Cor 10:5 and if you did you read we are to cast down all imaginations Paul stated in II Cor 10:1-5 that basically we all receive thoughts, imaginations from one of two places only. One is of God that we must seek and the other is Satan who is constantly forcing his thoughts on us. Those who do not know this (all who do not believe will not believe this) believe that if they thought it, it must be their thought. Some will constantly cast down the most wicked and overcome them, but some will accept all and act on them. This explains how some people can do such wicked and evil things.
Satan will try his best to plant thoughts in those you love to divide you and if you know the truth you have a responsibility to those you love to be understanding, forgiving and a tool of God. Remember who is your family in God and treat them all like a loving relative.